Stretching Before Running Study
I must tell you from the beginning and the very start of this post that I am completely puzzled.
I’ve just finished reading about two new studies which left me completely speechless.
Their conclusions are contrary to a few facts we were until now convinced are true.
I don’t know what to think about it. Tell me your thoughts on the following:
Stretching does not prevent injuries
Yes, you read right: it’s been found that people who stretch before running suffer the same amount of injuries as the ones who do not. The study was performed by trusted establishments – the George Washington University and the USA Track and Field Association – and showed that people who decided to start stretching before running, although they had not done this before, suffered more injuries than during previous runs.
The same thing happened to those who used to stretch before running and then stopped doing this. The same thing happened to those who used to stretch before running and then stopped doing this.
The numbers were conclusive – the study was performed on more than 2700 of people who either jog as a fitness option, or those who enter marathons regularly. Out of these, the percentage of those who acquired tendonitis, muscle strains or other types of running injuries, more or less common, was of 16%. It was the same, no matter if the runners had stretched or not before commencing the run.
The study also showed that people who are overweight and those who already injured themselves at some point in time were likelier to harm themselves again during runs or due to running.
However, the conclusion was not that you should stop stretching, as it does not help you at all. Rather, the study showed that if you‘ve got used to a certain routine, stick to it – change might actually lead to harming yourself.
Scientists ascertained that it was the change within the routine that somehow influenced the injury rates.
Although it is not yet clear why such change within a routine causes injury, please keep all the above in mind when going for a run – I wouldn’t want you to harm yourselves!
RSS Trackback URL 15. March 2011 (14:22)
Filed under: Fitness, Steaming diets by Slim