This month, we sat down with PT Todd Shropshire of OrthoCarolina to get the scoop on a fitness topic worth chatting about. Whether you’re a casual runner or triathlon athlete or a sporadic gym-goer working to sweat off a wine & cheese habit, Shrophshire’s advice is simple: Take the time to stretch. Below, he gives his suggestions on stretching to avoid workout-related injuries.
Scoop: Stretching is a fitness topic that’s surrounded by controversy. Some studies (including some conducted by the CDC) claim that stretching is unnecessary and will not prevent workout-related injuries. What’s your professional opinion on its effectiveness and necessity?
Todd Shropshire: My opinion may differ from others, but as an athlete myself, I think stretching is important. A lot of people ask me if I stretch before I run or after I run, as well as whether I use dynamic or static stretching. My opinion is that there is a place for everything. I always recommend for my patients to stretch before they go out … For runners, I tell them that before a race they should stretch lightly and gently before a run to get things limber, then do a warm up jog and go back and stretch some more once they’ve broken a sweat. I also suggest to stretch immediately after a run because you’re warm. Don’t wait 10 or 15 minutes until you’ve cooled down because then you’ll be stretching on a cold muscle. And, speaking from personal experience, I see more injuries when people don’t stretch.
What are the most common sports related injuries you see due to not stretching?
A lot of times you’ll see a pulled or strained muscle. Another common injury are myofascial trigger points, which are those knots that people get. They literally feel like your muscle is on fire. That just comes from not warming up and stretching. More severe injuries that I often see in athletes are ruptured achilles tendons. That happens when a person hasn’t warmed up adequately, and that tendon wasn’t ready to bear a quick load on a muscle that’s cold ~ and the tissue just ruptures.
There are multiple types of stretching, which do you believe is the most effective?
I’m a big believer in prolonged stretching. Not ‘I’m going to reach down and touch my toes for 10 seconds.’ No, lean into that stretch, hold for 30 seconds to a minute. Instead of stretching each joint 10 times, I say to do two or three stretches for 30 seconds to a minute for your calves, hamstrings and quads. Yeah, you may spend about five minutes stretching, but you’re getting a nice static, prolonged stretch in the tissue, which is much better than a quick or ballistic stretch. Tissues actually remodel and adapt better over time so a prolonged stretch is much better than short, quick stretches.
For a runner in particular, which areas and stretches are the most important to focus on?
I think calves, definitely. They’re taking a big brunt, because your heel is striking and you’re pushing off of your toes. If I had to pick just a few, these are the four muscle groups to stretch: calves, quads, hamstrings and gluteus. There are some stretches for your hips that combine a little bit of both, getting a little bit of the IT band and the glutes at the same time. My advice to runners would be to take the extra time to stretch. I get a lot of patients who tell me ‘I don’t have time to stretch. I just have to jump into my activity.‘ I like to tell patients that without stretching they are running the risk of causing an injury, and then they won’t be running for a period of time. Why not take the time to stretch?
In general, what style of stretching do you recommend or what is the latest thinking on the type of stretching that is best? (active vs. dynamic, etc).
You’re going to see a lot of conflicting research on it. I think it’s good to do a combination. Because when you do an athletic activity, when you are running for example, you are dynamically stretching those muscles constantly during the run. I think that’s a great way to stretch the muscle, but I also think it’s very important to statically stretch muscles, especially if you are an individual that tends to have tighter hamstrings or tighter calves. Yes, dynamic stretching is good to get your muscles used to the activity that you are about to perform, but I think it’s very important to take the time to statically stretch that tissue over a period of time.
How do you feel about yoga as a means of stretching?
I think yoga is great. I think it’s great exercise, and it’s great for stretching. Depending on what kind of yoga you’re doing, it can also be great for core strengthening. Some people don’t think so, but go to a yoga class and you will sweat like you wouldn’t believe. You are getting static as well as dynamic stretching, and you will feel a difference. When I consistently go, I feel the difference in my flexibility. I recommend it to patients.
OrthoCarolina is one of the nation’s leading independent academic orthopedics practices serving North Carolina and the southeast since 1922. They provide comprehensive musculoskeletal care including operative and non-operative care, diagnostic imaging and rehabilitative therapy. They are widely known for musculoskeletal research and training, and their physicians have specialized expertise in foot & ankle, hip & knee, shoulder & elbow, spine sports medicine, hand, pediatric orthopedics and physical medicine and rehabilitation.
1915 Randolph Road Charlotte, NC 28209 704-323-3000
Extensive locations all over North Carolina. For a location near you, see the website here.
