EFFECTS OF STRETCHING EXERCISES IN PREVENTING SPORTS INJURIES

Abstract

Epidemiological studies on risk of injury, concerning pre-competition stretching exercises performed during warm-up, revealed no effect on overuse injury rates. On the other side, one should note that stretching exercises performed in these studies might have not been at a level sufficient to incite acute changes in the viscoelastic properties of the stretched muscle. Some studies describe that pre-competition stretching exercises have favorable effects on decreasing muscle strain occurrence. Besides determining optimum length, intensity and frequency of the applied stretching exercises, genetic constraints impose insufficiencies to research carried on injury prevention. Further studies are needed in the subject.