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THE STRETCHING DEBATE A colleague recently recounted a research article she had just read on stretching. "It says stretching is bad for you!" She admitted that she had just scanned the abstract, but was quite dismayed nonetheless. As a massage therapist and yoga enthusiast, she incorporates stretching on the massage table and sends clients off with stretching homework. The study she referred to investigated the results of 20 minutes of stretching prior to athletic competition.1 Participants who received the stretching protocol, along with a warm-up, performed worse on average than the control group (warm- up with no stretching). On its own, the study seemingly dismantled her beliefs on the benefits of stretching, grounded in 25 years of experience. As luck would have it, the subject came up at this year's Thera-Band Research Advisory Committee (TRAC) meeting.2 After two days of research presentations centered on increasing strength through progressive resistance training, the subject shifted to stretching. David Behm, PhD, associate director of Graduate Studies and Research in the School of Human Kinetics and Recreation at Memorial University of Newfoundland, gave an overview of nearly 100 articles reporting the effects of stretching on performance. With a staggering number of studies, some with more than 100 citations, the picture became clearer: static stretching improves static range of motion (ROM) and dynamic stretching improves action. Now that we know the answer, let's ask the questions: What are static stretching and dynamic stretching and how are they different? How could stretching be bad for you when it feels so good? What does this have to do with my somatic practice? TO STRETCH OR NOT TO STRETCH The controversy surrounding stretching is not new. Those in sports and physical medicine have been weighing the evidence on stretching since the 1980s. As a result of decades of debate, the research hypotheses that define the investigations on stretching have been refined, as have the measurement tools. The current information addresses specific classifications of activities using detailed outcome measures, and can tell us when and how to stretch. We have reproducible evidence that delineates the different effects of stretching on elite athletes performing high-powered feats versus those who require improved range of movement to perform basic activities of daily living. That said, the debate continues. While most of our clients are not competitive athletes, some of us specialize in serving the elite sports population. It behooves us to evaluate the evidence that pertains to our clientele. First, let's look at the different types of stretching and identify which to apply to different populations to provide maximum results. STATIC VS. DYNAMIC STRETCHING The goal of stretching, regardless of style, is to increase ROM. Static stretching achieves this goal through a slow and constant elongation of a muscle or groups of muscles and connective tissue, commonly held for 30–90 seconds. Typically, the muscles are held in a relaxed position at the end range of passive or active motion—to the point of discomfort but not pain—without moving. A gradual deepening of the stretch every 30 seconds may be incorporated until maximum length has been achieved. Time is an important component: common theory states that holding the position for 30 seconds or more is less likely to injure the soft tissue. Static stretching has been found to be effective for increasing ROM.3 Increased ROM has been shown to enhance movement and reduce injury.4 Static stretching has also been shown to reduce force, torque, vertical jump, and power in elite athletes when performed within 60 minutes of competition.5 After 60 minutes, the negative effects of stretching have diminished considerably, but a more recent study found stretch-induced impairments two hours after stretching.6 Dynamic stretching is a type of stretching done while moving. The goal of increasing ROM is similar to that with static stretching, but its emphasis is on enhancing action versus increasing passive ROM. This is achieved through quickly moving a limb to its limits using activities that mimic the actions of performance. There is no bouncing with dynamic stretching, as with ballistic stretching, nor is there an aggressive push beyond connect with your colleagues on massageprofessionals.com 117