Value of pre-workout stretch unclear: report

[Guest guest]

Value of pre-workout stretch unclear: report

Last Updated: 2004-03-30 13:00:17 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Merritt McKinney

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Coaches and athletic trainers often

recommend stretching before a workout, but a new report suggests that

there is not enough evidence to prove that stretching can prevent

injury.

Stretching may turn out to have benefits, but the jury is still out

until additional studies are performed, according to researchers at the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

" The current published research doesn't show that stretching helps to

prevent injuries, " said Dr. B. Thacker, who directs the CDC's

epidemiology program office. " However, there is not sufficient evidence

to either endorse or recommend discontinuing routine stretching, "

Thacker told Reuters Health.

Although more research is needed to know whether stretching prevents

injury, Thacker said that there are several things exercisers can do to

prevent injury.

" Studies show that proper conditioning and warm-up can help participants

avoid injury, " he said. " The simplest approach is to start slowly at

whatever activity you plan to do. "

For instance, runners should begin a long-distance run with a slow jog

before they pick up the pace, Thacker advised. The CDC researcher also

recommended that people who are starting a new activity be realistic

about their goals and to progress slowly.

Thacker and his colleagues reviewed more than 350 studies on flexibility

and identified six studies that compared stretching with other methods

of preventing injury.

Based on the review, Thacker's group concluded that that stretching

improves flexibility, but there is not enough data to decide whether

stretching prevents injury, according to the report.

But strength training, conditioning and warming up do seem to play a

role in injury prevention, the researchers note. The findings are

published in the March issue of the journal Medicine and Science in

Sports and Exercise.

Several questions need to be addressed in future research, according to

Thacker. He noted that " normal flexibility " needs to be defined for

various activities. In addition, researchers should try to identify the

best stretching routine and whether it should be performed before or

after exercise, he said.

Future research should also examine the effect of stretching on

injuries, according to Thacker. The CDC scientist also would like to

find out " what are the best ways to prevent injuries for different

athletic activities. "

Another question to be answered, Thacker said, is what are the best ways

to prevent injuries in different groups of athletes, such as competitive

athletes versus recreational athletes and youths versus adults.

SOURCE: Medicine and Science in Sports and Medicine, March 2004.

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org