Stretching - Recent research shows us a number of factors that affect when, why and for how long we stretch.
The latest research suggests that general stretching prior to exercise does not prevent injuries- in fact traditional static stretching (where a muscle is held on stretch for a period of time) has been shown to decrease muscle contraction for 20mins post stretch- adversely affecting muscle performance.
Dynamic stretching has been shown to be much more effective at preparing the body for exercise. Dynamic stretching is about preparing the body for sport and involves movement to end range to put stretch on tissues. This type of stretch signals to the body that we are preparing for action and has been more effective at preparing the body for exercise.
Traditional static stretching can be useful after exercise to prevent post exercise soreness
Talk to our team of Physiotherapists to devise the most appropriate dynamic stretching program prior to your exercise - this can benefit the weekend warrior going for a run, surf or cycle etc, right up to the elite sports people that we look after.
Those people with specific injuries may need to stretch these areas in order to prevent them causing further problems
Physiotherapist uses stretching and joint mobilisation to gain range of movement in strutcures that have lost range. This can be either a joint, or your soft tissues (muscles/ connective tissue/ ligaments)
