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.
And I'd always question a website that doesn't list it's references. I guess that is what happens when I take some of my doctorate of physical therapy classes at one of the more prestigious med schools in the area and have access to their research hospital's library. :D
Do you have a medical background, too? Cause we could spark some super nerdy conversations! :groovy:
It's interesting. Most physical therapists seem to endorse stretching despite the mixed literature.
The "increasing the distance between the joints" stuff is what causes shoulder pain for swimmer's though. Loose ankles cause pain for runners.
And I'd always question a website that doesn't list it's references. I guess that is what happens when I take some of my doctorate of physical therapy classes at one of the more prestigious med schools in the area and have access to their research hospital's library. :D
Do you have a medical background, too? Cause we could spark some super nerdy conversations! :groovy:
It's interesting. Most physical therapists seem to endorse stretching despite the mixed literature.
The "increasing the distance between the joints" stuff is what causes shoulder pain for swimmer's though. Loose ankles cause pain for runners.
