Stretching is often defined as a passive position, held for thirty seconds to about two minutes, that results in a semi-permanent lengthening of muscle tissue. Even though it can feel beneficial, this may not be the best preparation for most sports and exercise activities. It has been demonstrated that stretching immediately before exercise decreases the amount of force a muscle produces and does not prevent injury. In fact, some scientists strongly believe that intensive stretching can set people up for injury. A prime reason is that one can overstretch ligaments and/or other joint capsule tissues whose function it is to hold the joints together. These are structures that if elongated, do not return to their original length and therefore put a knee or a shoulder at risk. Also, passive stretching does not "warm-up" the body’s tissues and increase cardiovascular flow which should be the goals of a pre-performance, pre-tennis, pre-swimming, etc. preparation. For a few minutes, as an alternative, you may consider taking your joints actively and repetitively through full available range. This will increase your blood flow and even give you a sensation of limbering up. Ideally, your warm-up movements should be rhythmic and similar in nature to the activity for which you are preparing.
If you have questions, I may be a helpful source.
Anna Kotula, DPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy
T 805.798.1408
5/15/2005
