Benefits Of Stretching

Stretching has many benefits. The most obvious is an increase in muscle flexibility, which results in many other improvements.

There are many benefits to be gained from a regular stretching programme:

Increased flexibility and range of motion.

Injury prevention.

Preventing DOMS.

Improved posture.

Improvements in sports performance.

Stress relief.

Increased flexibility and range of motion

This is the most obvious benefit of regular stretching and usually the reason that people start a startching programme. However, reasons for stretching ususally go much deeper than this. For example, why do you want to increase your flexibility? Is it to improve your sporting performance, posture, or prevent injury?

Injury Prevention

Being flexible can help to prevent injuries. This can include acute injuries, such as a hamstring strain and overuse injuries such as IT band syndrome or plantar fasciitis. Stretching has been used in the warm-up process for many years. It is 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. Stretching before and after training is thought to minimise this damage.

Improving Posture

In many cases of poor posture which has developed over time, muscle imbalances are to blame. A good example is the chest muscles becoming shortened in people who slouch over a computer for long periods. Stretching these muscles can help to improve posture.

Improving sporting performance

Many sports obviously require high levels of flexibility, for example athletics and gymnastics. But even athletes in sports such as Rugby, where flexibility is not immediately thought of as a key component, can improve their performance by becoming more flexible. In order to have healthy muscles, they must be flexible. This will help to prevent injuries as already discussed, but it will also allow you to develop strength through the full range of motion at the joint. This gives an advantage over someone who has a limited range.

Stress relief

Muscle tightness is often associated with stress - we tend to tighten up when stressed. For example the neck muscles. Stretching relaxes these muscles and you at the same time!