Rehab

Want to avoid injury? Don’t count on stretching

Rehab Regs, April 1, 2004

Stretching before exercise might not be the injury preventer many people thought, according to the Nationwide News of Australia. A recent study found that people who stretched were no more or less likely to suffer injuries such as pulled muscles, which the increased flexibility that results from stretching was supposed to prevent. Additionally, the injuries found in the study typically happened within the muscles' normal range of motion, so stretching them would not have made a difference. Other research has found that warm-ups, which increase blood flow through the muscle and make it more ready to respond to exercises, could reduce the risk of injury, as could being in good shape and participating in strength and balance training activities.

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