April 21, 2022
A common question often posed to the health and wellness community is “what sort of stretching should I do?” We have all at one time or another been told that stretching is vital to prevent injuries, and if you have ever played on a sports team, this has likely been drilled into your head. If you have ever been to physical therapy, regardless of the type of injury, you likely (hopefully) would have been given some form of stretching to address tight structures. But is stretching always the answer? And what type of stretching is the right stretching to do?
To address this, I will defer to my extensive training as a physical therapist, strength coach, and nearly twenty years in the field. Firstly, there are three main ways to stretch; static, dynamic, and ballistic. The first and probably most familiar, is static stretching. Static stretches are held for a prolonged period of time (usually 30 seconds per repetition), and usually accompanied by long, controlled breathing. Static stretching is excellent for muscle relaxation and lengthening. The second method is dynamic stretching. Dynamic stretching entails slow movement through the muscle’s full range of motion for each repetition. This allows the muscle to release the stretch between each repetition. Dynamic stretching is great for warming up muscles prior to activity and putting them in the ‘ready to work’ state. The last method of stretching is called ballistic stretching. Ballistic stretches involve rapid and forceful bouncing at the muscle’s fully stretched position. This is a very aggressive form of stretching and usually reserved for elite athletes who are already warmed up and preparing for high level exertion. Due to its aggressive nature, it can cause injury if you are not versed in using it or properly warmed up.
Now that we’ve reviewed the major types of stretching, let’s go over the best uses for each type. For most individuals and most situations, I recommend using dynamic stretching. Dynamic stretching allows for both gentle increases in mobility and increasing readiness of the muscle to perform activity. It is a great way to prepare muscles for exercise and assist injured muscles in recovery while maintaining healthy muscle tone (state of readiness). This continual movement also increases your blood flow and respiration, yet another plus when preparing for athletic activity. In my opinion, dynamic stretching provides the “biggest bang for your buck.”
While static stretching might appear to be the gentlest of the three, it does have some specific pitfalls. When holding a static stretch for a prolonged period, your brain is given a signal that a muscle is being maximally stretched. When this happens, your brain sends a message to that muscle to relax all tone. This allows the muscle to get maximal stretch at the cost of muscle deactivation. It is therefore, not very beneficial to perform prior to activity as you want your muscles in a “ready” state. Static stretching is most beneficial AFTER activity. This is when your muscles are fatigued, likely tight, and ready to be relaxed.
As for ballistic stretching, I generally do not recommend this for people unless they are elite athletes and have had proper instruction in performing it safely and effectively.
As with any medical advise, please consult your doctor or physical therapist about which type of stretching is most beneficial for your needs. Hopefully the information I shared today gives you a solid understanding of how stretching works and the different ways stretching can be utilized.