To Stretch or Not to Stretch? The Answer Is Elastic
Good article from the NY Times:
www.nytimes.com/.../13Best.html
Excerpt:
The truth is that after dozens of studies and years of debate, no one really knows whether stretching helps, harms, or does anything in particular for performance or injury rates. Yet most athletes remain convinced that stretching helps, and recently more and more have felt a sort of social pressure to show that they are limber, in part due to the popularity of yoga. Flexibility has become another area where many athletes want to excel.
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Former Member
Stretching causes a physiological change in the muscle by increasing the distance between two joints. Our muscles will also shorten when the muscle is placed in a slacked position for extended periods of time Such as sitting or slouching while standing (that's standing with rounded shoulders due to pec tightness usually, a forward head posture and increased thoracic kyphosis). In order to regain the optimal length the muscle must be STRETCHED beyond the elastic range and into plastic range so that the muscle will yield and thus show a permanent change in length (general principles of viscoelasticity).
Generally I use the word "limber" to signify that the joint is able to go through the optimal ROM (each joint has it's own "normals"). Stretching will allow this. I was not implying that the joints need to be stretchied producing hypermobility, just optimal range. So for the purposes of what I was discussing they are the same thing. Hope this helps. :D
Stretching causes a physiological change in the muscle by increasing the distance between two joints. Our muscles will also shorten when the muscle is placed in a slacked position for extended periods of time Such as sitting or slouching while standing (that's standing with rounded shoulders due to pec tightness usually, a forward head posture and increased thoracic kyphosis). In order to regain the optimal length the muscle must be STRETCHED beyond the elastic range and into plastic range so that the muscle will yield and thus show a permanent change in length (general principles of viscoelasticity).
Generally I use the word "limber" to signify that the joint is able to go through the optimal ROM (each joint has it's own "normals"). Stretching will allow this. I was not implying that the joints need to be stretchied producing hypermobility, just optimal range. So for the purposes of what I was discussing they are the same thing. Hope this helps. :D
