Does Stretching Before Running Prevent Injuries?

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/01/phys-ed-does-stretching-before-running-prevent-injuries/?partner=rss&emc=rss


Summary – This article was about a test conducted to find out if stretching before running was beneficial in causing fewer injuries. The study contained a large amount of people ranging from 13 to over 60 who were split up into two groups: one group which stretched before running, and another group which didn’t stretch before running. The researchers found that there was the same amount of people in both groups who had injuries from running. Some theories that were involved in explaining the results was that the body will just be used to what you do before running, so if you stretch or not, it doesn’t matter, as long as you’re keeping the same routine every time you go running. The article also dove into the different kinds of stretching, and how one kind (static stretching) can actually tighten your muscles up and make it harder to run.

Opinion – I have always stretched before any kind of exercising, and it has always helped my muscles and joints to feel better during and after I exercise. I do think, however, that whether you stretch or not depends on the person’s body type, and how well they know their limits. For some people, it can be useful, but for others, it may cause them pain when running. I also think you need to do some other kind of warm-up in addition to stretching, like walking around a little bit, because it helps your muscles to warm up as well. This is my opinion on the articles results of stretching before running.