S/O stretching- RW- "No clear evidence it does much."

[tuggyruns]

www.runnersworld.com/stretching/do-you-stretch-after-running?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-RunnersWorld-_-Content-Training-_-StretchingDebate

No. There's no clear evidence it does much.

By Alex Hutchinson



Some of my best friends stretch after running. That's okay with me — if it makes them supple and brings them pleasure, then I'm happy for them. But it's not for me. I stretched religiously for the first decade of my running career, after every run and sometimes several times a day. I had a lot of injuries, which spurred me to stretch even more. Eventually, I got sick of it. I stopped stretching in 2004. I haven't had any significant injuries since.



Don't worry, I'm not expecting you to accept my anecdote as any sort of evidence about the effects of stretching. The truth is that, while there have been literally hundreds of studies of stretching, runners and their injuries are too diverse and unpredictable to produce nice unambiguous data on whether stretching helps. When the available studies are pooled, there's no clear link between stretching and injury reduction, and no effect of stretching on muscle soreness.



Here's what we do know: Post-run stretching makes you more flexible. That is, it extends your maximum range of motion. That's great, if your goal is to be more flexible. But there's no reason to think that having a greater range of motion will prevent running injuries. Most running injuries occur during the course of your typical running stride, not when you're doing the splits. There may be some specific conditions where tightness in one location is a problem — outer knee soreness from a tight iliotibial band, for example. But in those cases, targeted stretching and strengthening exercises are a cure, not an everyday preventative.



On the hand, we also know that greater flexibility is associated with worse running economy. That's been demonstrated in elite runners and joggers — in general, the farther you can reach past your toes in a sit-and-reach test, the more energy you have to spend to maintain a given running pace. That's because your legs function like coiled springs, storing energy with each stride and releasing it in the next one. Loose springs don't store as much energy.



That difference in efficiency is pretty minor, so most people — including me — would accept a slight decrease in efficiency in exchange for fewer injuries. But with no evidence for stretching's injury-reduction powers, I'm left to decide based on one simple criterion: pleasure. If you like it, carry on. But if you're one of the browbeaten masses who grudgingly stretch because they feel they "should," then free yourself from this onerous delusion. I did, and I feel great.



Yes. It's helped me draw power from more muscles.

By Meghan G. Loftus



Some of my best friends don't stretch after running. That's okay with me — I used to be just like them. I also used to be in pain during and after most of my runs, with a bum hip that bothered me on and off for the better part of two years.



I sought professional advice from three physical therapists, all with different recommendations. The one thing they all noticed, though, was the range of motion in my right hip. Namely, that I didn't have much of it. In fact, one of them said, "Are you serious?" when trying to bend my right leg in a way that, apparently, most people's legs will bend. (At last, I know why I'm so bad at yoga!)



My current treatment plan involves a series of postrun stretches along with strength work and form drills. My pain has gone away (knock on wood), and I feel like I'm drawing power from muscles I didn't previously use.



As my coach told me, running with my previous (godawful) range of motion was like driving a car with a flat tire. My tire pressure isn't what it should be just yet — you can't reverse 10 years of bad habits and tightness in just a few months — but I did knock two minutes off my half-marathon PR this spring.



I totally agree with Alex that stretching isn't for everyone. In high school, the kids on the cross-country team with a background in dance or gymnastics (that is, the ones showing us all up during our post-warmup stretches) were the kids at the back of the pack in the actual races. I don't want to be so flexible that it detracts from my performance. But I don't want to be so inflexible and off-balance that it detracts from my performance either.



If you don't need to stretch, I'm jealous. Enjoy all that free time. But if you have aches and pains, stretching might be part of the prescription that gets you healthy.
No. There's no clear evidence it does much.

By Alex Hutchinson



Some of my best friends stretch after running. That's okay with me — if it makes them supple and brings them pleasure, then I'm happy for them. But it's not for me. I stretched religiously for the first decade of my running career, after every run and sometimes several times a day. I had a lot of injuries, which spurred me to stretch even more. Eventually, I got sick of it. I stopped stretching in 2004. I haven't had any significant injuries since.



Don't worry, I'm not expecting you to accept my anecdote as any sort of evidence about the effects of stretching. The truth is that, while there have been literally hundreds of studies of stretching, runners and their injuries are too diverse and unpredictable to produce nice unambiguous data on whether stretching helps. When the available studies are pooled, there's no clear link between stretching and injury reduction, and no effect of stretching on muscle soreness.



Here's what we do know: Post-run stretching makes you more flexible. That is, it extends your maximum range of motion. That's great, if your goal is to be more flexible. But there's no reason to think that having a greater range of motion will prevent running injuries. Most running injuries occur during the course of your typical running stride, not when you're doing the splits. There may be some specific conditions where tightness in one location is a problem — outer knee soreness from a tight iliotibial band, for example. But in those cases, targeted stretching and strengthening exercises are a cure, not an everyday preventative.



On the hand, we also know that greater flexibility is associated with worse running economy. That's been demonstrated in elite runners and joggers — in general, the farther you can reach past your toes in a sit-and-reach test, the more energy you have to spend to maintain a given running pace. That's because your legs function like coiled springs, storing energy with each stride and releasing it in the next one. Loose springs don't store as much energy.



That difference in efficiency is pretty minor, so most people — including me — would accept a slight decrease in efficiency in exchange for fewer injuries. But with no evidence for stretching's injury-reduction powers, I'm left to decide based on one simple criterion: pleasure. If you like it, carry on. But if you're one of the browbeaten masses who grudgingly stretch because they feel they "should," then free yourself from this onerous delusion. I did, and I feel great.



Yes. It's helped me draw power from more muscles.

By Meghan G. Loftus



Some of my best friends don't stretch after running. That's okay with me — I used to be just like them. I also used to be in pain during and after most of my runs, with a bum hip that bothered me on and off for the better part of two years.



I sought professional advice from three physical therapists, all with different recommendations. The one thing they all noticed, though, was the range of motion in my right hip. Namely, that I didn't have much of it. In fact, one of them said, "Are you serious?" when trying to bend my right leg in a way that, apparently, most people's legs will bend. (At last, I know why I'm so bad at yoga!)



My current treatment plan involves a series of postrun stretches along with strength work and form drills. My pain has gone away (knock on wood), and I feel like I'm drawing power from muscles I didn't previously use.



As my coach told me, running with my previous (godawful) range of motion was like driving a car with a flat tire. My tire pressure isn't what it should be just yet — you can't reverse 10 years of bad habits and tightness in just a few months — but I did knock two minutes off my half-marathon PR this spring.



I totally agree with Alex that stretching isn't for everyone. In high school, the kids on the cross-country team with a background in dance or gymnastics (that is, the ones showing us all up during our post-warmup stretches) were the kids at the back of the pack in the actual races. I don't want to be so flexible that it detracts from my performance. But I don't want to be so inflexible and off-balance that it detracts from my performance either.



If you don't need to stretch, I'm jealous. Enjoy all that free time. But if you have aches and pains, stretching might be part of the prescription that gets you healthy.

[Wines Not Whines]

I'm less sore if I stretch after a run, so that's enough reason for me to do it. I also have crazy tight hips and hamstrings, so no amount of stretching or yoga is going to turn me into a pretzel. My muscles are tight either way. I'm in less pain though, which is good.

[jordylee]

I am super lazy and hardly ever stretch. I *knock on wood* haven't had any serious running injuries. I stretch for a few minutes (like, literally 2-3) if I am feeling really tight for some reason. Other than that, I just go with the flow. I cannot even begin to touch my toes, but I don't really care. To each their own!

[clseale]

Take her range of motion on her right hip, and apply it to my left hip. It's also rotated slightly more inward, which doesn't help issues. It's a very obvious imbalance in my flexibility, but if I work on keeping that hip open, I have less issues. I have been told that stretching is good, and that stretching is bad, but everyone is different.

[jene]

I feel better when I stretch vs. not, so I keep doing it.

[mrsjthompson]

Not stretching = painful, tight calves. No bueno. My PT recommended calf stretches for as long as I keep running, and I was seeing her for a broken foot!

[gumi]

I used to say stretching was overrated...and then I got my first running injury.

Barring something like a broken toe, I would say most injuries start with a tight muscle. I have never just all of a sudden had tendinitis, or a stress fracture. That stuff happens over a long period of time and it always begins with something being tight. When something is tight, we compensate, overusing a different muscle. I cannot imagine not stretching. I would be stiff and tight and sore and injured all the time.

It also has a ripple effect - tight back = tight butt = tight hamstrings = tight IT band = tight calf = tight arch of foot.

For me, personally, my scoliosis has me already imbalanced so without stretching to help keep my range of motion equal on both sides, one side does more work and the other side becomes weak and gets injured. I think this author just doesn't like to stretch 

[gumi]

May 28, 2014 20:55:24 GMT -5 clseale said:

Take her range of motion on her right hip, and apply it to my left hip. It's also rotated slightly more inward, which doesn't help issues. It's a very obvious imbalance in my flexibility, but if I work on keeping that hip open, I have less issues. I have been told that stretching is good, and that stretching is bad, but everyone is different.

My hip is also rotated, and it leaves one leg slightly shorter than the other.  I have a very slight heal lift in one of my shoes.  That may be something for you to consider!

Also, on the note that stretching is bad, it CAN be bad.  Stretching an imbalance can make the imbalance worse. Stretching in injury can make the injury worse.  And over-stretching a cold muscle risks overstretching. But if anyone ever told me stretching in general was bad, I would have to say, "lets talk again when we are in our 60s!"

[shorewife]

I've always stretched and had a lot of flexibility. I've not been completely injury-free though. Both my BFF and DH have never stretched but are now both proponents after each having injuries...and turning 40.