Effects of stretching before and after exercising on muscle soreness and risk of injury: systematic review

Abstract

Objective To determine the effects of stretching before and after exercising on muscle soreness after exercise, risk of injury, and athletic performance. Method Systematic review. Data sources Randomised or quasi-randomised studies identified by searching Medline, Embase, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, and PEDro, and by recursive checking of bibliographies. Main outcome measures Muscle soreness, incidence of injury, athletic performance. Results Five studies, all of moderate quality, reported sufficient data on the effects of stretching on muscle soreness to be included in the analysis. Outcomes seemed homogeneous. Stretching produced small and statistically non-significant reductions in muscle soreness. The pooled estimate of reduction in muscle soreness 24 hours after exercising was only 0.9 mm on a 100 mm scale (95% confidence interval − 2.6 mm to 4.4 mm). Data from two studies on army recruits in military training show that muscle stretching before exercising does not produce useful reductions in injury risk (pooled hazard ratio 0.95, 0.78 to 1.16). Conclusions Stretching before or after exercising does not confer protection from muscle soreness. Stretching before exercising does not seem to confer a practically useful reduction in the risk of injury, but the generality of this finding needs testing. Insufficient research has been done with which to determine the effects of stretching on sporting performance.

Influência do resfriamento e do aquecimento local na flexibilidade dos músculos isquiotibiais

“…11 n. 1,2007 Next, the individuals were allocated, by means of a draw, to one of the four groups evaluated: a) Group 1 (n=10) was the control and only underwent the initial and final evaluations, which were carried out before and after the intervention period; b) Group 2 (n=10) underwent the initial and final evaluations and also followed a protocol for stretching the hamstring muscles over a two-week period, totaling 10 sessions. For each maneuver, the volunteer was positioned in dorsal decubitus with the hips flexed and the knees kept at maximum extension, to the pain threshold.…”

“…Their aims usually include reducing the risks of injuries, minimizing late-occurring muscle pain and improving general muscle performance 1 . Muscle flexibility, in turn, has been defined as the ability of a muscle to be stretched, thereby enabling a joint (or possibly more than one joint) to move through its range of motion (ROM).…”

“…Studies have, for example, been aimed towards discussing the ideal number of daily and weekly sessions, duration of stretching and techniques applied and analyzing the participation of neural and viscoelastic components during the program [1][2][3][4][5][6] .…”

A Influência Da Termoterapia No Ganho De Flexibilidade Dos Músculos Isquiotibiais

“…Entretanto, ainda não há consenso sobre como realizar o alongamento de forma que haja a máxima eficácia no ganho de flexibilidade. Assim, faz-se necessário o aprimoramento dos protocolos usados durante o alongamento, sendo este, atualmente, um dos grandes objetivos de profissionais como fisioterapeutas, médicos desportivos e educadores físicos 14,15 . Os estudos de Brasileiro et al 16 e Silva et al 17 tiveram por objetivo a avaliação dos efeitos da associação de termoterapia quente e fria ao alongamento, sugerindo novos estudos sobre o tema devido à escassez de publicações correlatas.…”

Effects of Dynamic Stretch Training on Lower Extremity Power Performance of Young Sprinters

“…Consequently, warm-ups prevent sports injuries and improve athletic performance 3) . One of the preferred warmups is flexibility activities because their benefits are consistent with the purpose of their training [5][6][7] , but their effect on athletic performance has not been conclusively demonstrated 8) .…”