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
Oh, I wasn't referring to geriatric stretching. Those are just some simple principles of biomechanics. I just work in geriatrics and see the long term effects of not stretching thus not keeping ROM WNL. This is just a small component to promoting preventative health care. :cheerleader:
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:
I have talked to many experts who say stretching before activity is not the way to do it.
I have no medical background but a lot of experience in what affects the Skeletal System by doing lots of swimming. Also my conversations with kinetic experts who have told me that stretching before the muscles are completely warm is just asking for injury. I never stretch and am sure my flexibilty is better than any one who stretches and gets injuries due to improper or even proper stretching. I can reach every area of my back with my hands, I can scratch any itch on my back without the use of a Chinese Back Scratcher.
Any streching I do is by me swimming, except my calf stretches I do during pauses after walking a few miles.
Oh, I wasn't referring to geriatric stretching. Those are just some simple principles of biomechanics. I just work in geriatrics and see the long term effects of not stretching thus not keeping ROM WNL. This is just a small component to promoting preventative health care. :cheerleader:
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:
I have talked to many experts who say stretching before activity is not the way to do it.
I have no medical background but a lot of experience in what affects the Skeletal System by doing lots of swimming. Also my conversations with kinetic experts who have told me that stretching before the muscles are completely warm is just asking for injury. I never stretch and am sure my flexibilty is better than any one who stretches and gets injuries due to improper or even proper stretching. I can reach every area of my back with my hands, I can scratch any itch on my back without the use of a Chinese Back Scratcher.
Any streching I do is by me swimming, except my calf stretches I do during pauses after walking a few miles.
