The beauty of stretching is it can be performed any time, any place, anywhere, writes Dr Giles Warrington
FLEXIBILITY TRAINING, or "stretching" in its different forms and types, is commonly recommended by physicians, physiotherapists, trainers, coaches and athletes alike in an attempt to prevent injury and enhance sports performance.
What is less well known is that stretching may play an important role in the health and functionality of the general population, thereby improving the quality of daily living at all stages of the life cycle.
Stretching is a natural process - we stretch after waking and after long periods of immobility or sitting in confined spaces such as in a car or on a plane.
Flexibility is quite simply the capacity of a joint to move through its full range of motion. This is determined by a number of factors, including muscle length and joint structure.
Flexibility is an important factor in physical activity, sports participation and injury prevention. It is particularly important to have a good range of motion in the joints that are used most in a particular physical activity or sport.
A regularly performed stretching routine should therefore be built into any training schedule.
Some people are naturally more flexible than others and this variation in the level of range of motion is determined by a number of factors including genetics, gender, age, activity patterns and movement specific determinants.
Regularly performed stretching routines allow greater freedom of movement and have been shown to have a number of positive benefits including:
• Improving the range of motion of specific joints.
• Improving performance of daily tasks.
• Enhancing balance and co-ordination.
• Improving blood circulation and speeding up injury recovery.
• Promoting better posture.
• Promoting physical and mental relaxation and relieving stress.
• In some cases, helping prevent injury.
• Providing pain relief.
Poor flexibility has been associated with a number of health conditions and activity-related injuries including lower back pain, joint impingement, muscle tears and pulls, stress and even osteoarthritis.
Evidence suggests that up to 60 per cent of the general adult population may at some stage suffer from lower back pain, or pain to the lower limbs such as hips, knees, hamstrings.
The link between flexibility improvements and reduced risk of injury associated with daily living are well established. However, in relation to sports performance, the association between stretching and injury reduction in the current scientific literature is somewhat contradictory and controversial.
While it is generally accepted that insufficient flexibility or "tightness" will increase the risk of muscle strain and other soft tissue injuries, the specific flexibility needs of different athletes and sports will differ considerably.
Infants and young children are naturally flexible and generally have full range of motion without any impingement. In certain circumstances, children may have very loose, "hypermobile" joints, which are generally more common in girls than boys.
It is unusual for all joints to be hypermobile and in fact certain joints may be stiff and have restricted range of motion. Hypermobility may lead to joint laxity and injury unless supporting muscles are strengthened using appropriate strength-training exercises.
Flexibility generally declines with the growth cycle as the bones lengthen and stretch attached muscles, tendons and other connective tissue. This age-related reduction in flexibility is thought to be one cause of overuse type injuries.
Ageing often results in a substantial loss of joint range of motion and limits movement. As we grow older we generally lose flexibility which is probably due mainly to increased inactivity rather than the ageing process per se.
As with other components of fitness, such as muscular strength and cardiovascular endurance, flexibility will improve with the appropriate training.
Maintenance and improvements of flexibility and range of motion is especially important for the elderly, who are susceptible to age-related reductions in joint mobility.
Such functional impairment may over time affect balance and co-ordination leading to a potential increased incidence and risk of falls and fractures.
Stretching exercises are commonly advocated for improving functional movement and in the treatment of many musculoskeletal injuries to regain range of motion and reduce symptoms.
For those actively engaged in sport, to improve range of motion, it is better to stretch after training and competition and ideally as a separate training session.
The ideal type and duration of stretching exercises utilised has been an area of significant debate in the scientific literature and programmes designed to optimise flexibility appear to be determined by sports specific and individual factors.
There are many types of stretching available including static, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF), and ballistic stretching.
Some of these flexibility training methods exercise forms are complex and require the supervision of an appropriate qualified practitioner during the early stages.
For the general population, static stretching probably represents the best compromise, where the specific stretch is typically held for a period of 10-30 seconds and the muscles and tendons around the targeted joint are gradually and progressively stretched.
To optimise potential flexibility gains, at least four repetitions of each stretch per muscle group should be completed for a minimum of two-three days per week with each session typically taking no more than about 20-30 minutes to complete.
Incorporating stretching into your daily routine is simple as it does not require any sophisticated equipment and as a result can be performed any time, any place, anywhere, be it at home, at the office or when travelling. Stretching can be enjoyable too and a great way to relax - just ask anyone who goes to a yoga class.
• Giles Warrington is a sport and exercise physiologist and lecturer in the School of Health and Human Performance at DCU