Muscle soreness seems unaffected by stretching
By Linda Searing
SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON POST
11/19/2007
THE QUESTION: Does stretching before or after exercise reduce muscle aches later?
THIS STUDY: It combined and analyzed data from 10 studies, involving 190 healthy young adults, most in their 20s, who had been randomly assigned to stretch before or after exercise or to not stretch. Stretching lasted up to 10 minutes and, in nine of the studies, was supervised. A day later, people who had stretched before their workouts rated their muscle soreness half a point lower on a 100-point scale than did those who did not stretch; people who stretched after exercising rated their soreness one point lower than the non-stretchers. Results were similar for soreness up to three days after exercise.
WHO MAY BE AFFECTED? Exercisers. People who don't work out regularly or who suddenly exercise more vigorously or in a different way often experience muscle soreness one to three days after their workout.
CAVEATS: The type of exercise was not indicated. The effect of stretching on such factors as performance, injury or sense of well-being was not evaluated.
FIND THIS STUDY: Fourth issue of 2007 of the Cochrane Library.
By Linda Searing
SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON POST
11/19/2007
THE QUESTION: Does stretching before or after exercise reduce muscle aches later?
THIS STUDY: It combined and analyzed data from 10 studies, involving 190 healthy young adults, most in their 20s, who had been randomly assigned to stretch before or after exercise or to not stretch. Stretching lasted up to 10 minutes and, in nine of the studies, was supervised. A day later, people who had stretched before their workouts rated their muscle soreness half a point lower on a 100-point scale than did those who did not stretch; people who stretched after exercising rated their soreness one point lower than the non-stretchers. Results were similar for soreness up to three days after exercise.
WHO MAY BE AFFECTED? Exercisers. People who don't work out regularly or who suddenly exercise more vigorously or in a different way often experience muscle soreness one to three days after their workout.
CAVEATS: The type of exercise was not indicated. The effect of stretching on such factors as performance, injury or sense of well-being was not evaluated.
FIND THIS STUDY: Fourth issue of 2007 of the Cochrane Library.
