STRETCHING AND INJURY PREVENTION
David De Angelis (http://www.powerflexsystem.com)
Muscular injury risk has always been “the sword of Damocles” to professional
athletes and sports amateur. Is there anybody who has never had a painful and
fastidious muscular strain? The painful muscle seems almost not to contract
(what it is supposed to do) and consequently to extend.
Just a great Flexibility doesn't prevent from injuries. You can have muscular
strains even without its full stretching-out (Garrett, WE. JR. 1996). So, what
should we do the Stretching for? Why should we look for Flexibility developing?
There are various kinds of Flexibility as well as the techniques for its
specific developing. For example the kind of Flexibility meant as pure muscular
capacity of stretching out (in relaxed and passive way) and another one meant as
muscular capacity of standing the load what gets it to stretch-out (like, for
example, the force of gravitation, weights or leg leap). The latter kind of
Flexibility is the one which can make your body less subjected to muscular
injuries and, somehow, it could be considered as a kind of insurance against
muscular injuries: it is characterised with STABILIZING STRENGTH.
A muscle is injured when its structural integrity becomes jeopardised because
of too high load in eccentric contractions (muscular stretching out in
contraction) as well as in extreme stretching positions. Besides, too high load
acts on tension reflexes (Myotatic reflex of sprain and the inverse one) which
can jeopardise connective tissue structural integrity including the muscular one
in some “not ordinary “ exercises (for which we haven’t trained gradually).
Working loads in exercises (with weight and free-standing ones) should be suited
gradually taking into account the required stretching out in that very position
and exercise.
Such concept should be understood very well so as to remove the doubts on some
exercises of which the safety is rather controversial.
Let’s take as a clear example the one of the most controversial exercises:
overhead press with weights or dumbbells. Many famous instructors are wrong
demonising this exercise which, whenever carried-out wisely, could bring about
great benefits in shoulder girdle as well as about laxity prevention in many
sports disciplines. Besides, it could bring about stability increasing in the
very shoulder girdle therefore increasing technical and performance capacities.
As I have already said, stretching capacity (just and only) neither protect nor
save you from injuries, since, at the same time it can’t grant stabilising
strength which prevents from structural alteration of muscular fibres and
connective tissue. Opposite, stabilising strength increase at these “extreme
positions” such as overhead press or the splits, makes the muscle stand required
position quite easily (length/muscular tension relationship). It’s necessary to
work on two muscular components-strength and flexibility-very gradually so as to
be sure of working wisely with a “stabilising Stretching” and make your body and
all its muscles and joints be at theirs easy (granting safety and structural
integrity) in all the positions the practised sports discipline calls for.
If a Body builder is said not to do overhead press exercise it could be a
precautionary solution (as well as comfortable one because he doesn’t need any
explanation on structural integrity concept concerning length/muscular tension
relation).
At the same time it’s a limit for developing the whole structural functionality
of body and its capacities. It would be as same as saying to gymnast not to do
double somersault because he could fall and hurt himself.
Keep in mind: each physic quality must be built gradually, allowing the
functional capacity increase very safely.
It could be done just granting progressive but never too high loads to each
athlete. Actually, I mean that the athletes very often keep going on using too
high loads and working at limited muscular range; therefore, doing the exercise
completely wrong way. Being too high, the load is lifted with little muscular
control (jerkily and cheating) instead of using full range of movement. In such
cases the result is the strength built at limited ranges, with low flexibility
what may bring about injuries in the same very movements, twisting the exercise
into “tabù” or the one to keep off.
Numerous scientific studies point out the importance of Stretching and suitable
muscular flexibility development (suitable and optimised for the task requested
in each single sports discipline) for injury prevention. As for it, you can look
up very interesting studies which have singled out the lack of Flexibility as
one of the factors which brings about muscular injuries as for example the
strains. (Garret WE JR – 1996, Gleim GW, Mc Hugh MP – 1997, Van Mechelen W, -
1992, Worrel TW – 1994). Harting and Henderson – 1999 pointed out that one
stretching program has lessen the number of muscular injuries of femoral biceps
muscle in a sample of soldiers. A recent study carried out by soccer players
(Witvrouw E. – 2003) has found out direct relationship between the lack of
flexibility and injury incidence. Players’ flexibility level in pre-competitive
time was meant as a factor for forecasting muscular injury incidence.
Besides, the muscular injury incidence is also estimated on the base of possible
imbalances of muscular strength (between agonist and antagonist) as well as the
imbalances between the left and the right part of the body (Knapik -1991). It is
one of the reasons why every Stretching program must be set down correctly
foreseeing balanced and symmetric training of strength and flexibility in
opposite muscular sections.
STRETCHING WITH WEIGHT STABILIZING STRENGTH INCREASE RESERVE FLEXIBILITY
INCREASE
QUESTION: Have you ever seen a gymnast on the rings? Do you have any idea how
great load each shoulder girdle is able to stand in rotary movements and in
holding up? What is granting structural integrity to joints and muscles
(muscular fibres and surrounding connective tissue)?
ANSWER: Structural integrity is granted to a joint by the way the relationship
length/muscular tension works while training; actually by STABILIZING strength.
The latter quality, which is a guarantee against injuries, could be developed
working with weights that allow “flexibility reserve” development in whichever
risky movement in your sports discipline so as not to get the muscle to suffer
in a certain position because of stabilising strength lack. When a muscle is
stretched out in a certain movement, the strength decreases little by little
(obviously as long as the muscle is stretched out). The result is that in
extreme positions like overhead press (for the most of people who practise their
sports discipline in a gym), glenohumeral joint is in a vulnerable position
concerning its integrity. Working on such length/muscular tension relationship,
and therefore improving it, as well as working with higher and higher loads at
wider and wider ranges you can get at developing a kind of “reserve Flexibility”
which embodies stabilising strength.
Thanks to this training methodology, which I like defining “Power-Flex”, you can
develop a physique that embodies combined characteristics of strength and
flexibility. Such kind of physique doesn’t fear any position either the body
itself should (both from structural and biomechanical point of view).
Therefore: Gradually... and wisely Neither you should be humpbacked to pick up
something from the floor easily, nor you should limit your body at reduced
exercises, being afraid of injuries: lessening the loads and working at wide
ranges you can develop a marvellous structural harmony which is less predisposed
to injuries.
About the author:
David De Angelis is the author of the book POWER-FLEX Super Flexibility and
Strength for peak performance. For develop a SUPER Flexibility FAST and without
age limits.
More info: http://www.powerflexsystem.com
Copyright 2006 – All the rights are reserved. No part of this article can be
reproduced, memorised in system of files, or transmitted in any other form or by
any other means (electronic, mechanic, photocopy, recording or others) without
preventive writer’s authority (except for brief quotations included in review).
e-mail: powerflex@powerflexsystem.com
Submitted by:
- Name: Author of the book Power-Flex - www.powerflexsystem.com
- Date: 01/03/06 at 06:10
- Email: powerflex@powerflexsystem.com
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