Sports Doctor: Improve your sporting performance through stretching

Jul 28 2011 David Jenkins

BEING flexible can help to prevent injuries including hamstring strains and overuse injuries such as IT band syndrome or plantar fasciitis.

Stretching has been used in the warm-up process for many years. It's thought that having flexible muscles can prevent acute injuries by gently stretching the muscle through its range before exercise.

Dynamic (active) stretches are now recommended for warm-ups, over the traditional static stretch.

Preventing DOMS

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) occurs 24-48 hours after exercise. It is thought to be due to microscopic tears in the muscle. Simple stretches before and after exercise can help avoid DOMS.

Improving Posture

In many cases of poor posture muscle imbalances are to blame. Stretching back muscles can help to improve posture.

Improving sporting performance

Flexibility is not immediately thought of as a key component in sport but can improve performance.

Stress relief

Muscle tightness and stress go hand-in-hand. Gentle neck stretches can help relax you.