A person will usually stretch for one of these five reasons: to increase flexibility, reduce the risk of injury, enhance healing, enhance performance, or reduce pain associated with joint and muscle stiffness. But what does traditional stretching actually accomplish?

Though it is common practice to stretch before exercising or playing sports, it has been shown that static pre-stretching, where one holds a position for a period of time, does not reduce the risk of injury, and may in some cases actually hinder performance. Stretching temporarily weakens a muscle by 2-5%. In sports where sudden bursts of explosive activity are necessary, an unstretched muscle holds more power and will give better performance. Dynamic stretching, which is a series of movements designed to increase blood flow to the muscles and engage task-specific muscles, will increase performance and possibly reduce injury if done prior to a sport.

To increase flexibility, a regular routine of traditional static stretching in which each stretch is held for 30 seconds has been shown to be the best approach. The muscle was found to lengthen with up to five repetitions of the stretch. Stretching for flexibility will be most effective after a light warm-up such as five minutes of walking or jumping rope. This routine should be performed at a time not related to exercise such as on rest days or part of a relaxation routine. Most people do their best stretching in the evening because that is when the tendons and muscles respond best to stretching.

Muscles can be shortened by repetitive activity or as a result of injury. If you are rehabilitating an injury, stretching is useful in regaining normal muscle length as soon as possible. Muscles perform better when they are at their optimal length. Stretching on a regular basis will over time increase strength, flexibility and balance in the body and lead to better performance in all activities. It is important to remember that some people are naturally flexible even though they never stretch, and other people remain inflexible no matter what they do.