Is static stretching beneficial for endurance runners to improve performance, reduce risk for injury, and prevent delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMs)?
Static stretching is most commonly defined as, “involves lengthening a muscle until a gentle tension is felt, and holding that position for a period of time, typically 30 seconds.”
Static stretching is a practice that has been so ingrained in the athletic culture for many decades with the belief that it is effective for improving performance, reducing injury risk, and preventing DOMs.
Current research evidence definitively reports that these beliefs are INCORRECT.
The most current evidence suggests that static stretching DOES NOT have an impact on running performance, overuse injury risk prevention, or reducing DOMs. There are no studies that suggest static stretching can improve running economy at all. In fact, static stretching before running can impair performance. Static stretching immediately prior to running reduces mechanical efficiency and reduces muscular stiffness as well as resulting in an increase in muscle units recruited to perform the same movement. This means you will require more oxygen demands for the same amount of work thus being less economical.
Endurance athletes require very little flexibility to perform well. Studies show that runners who are less flexible have better running economy than more flexible runners. Runners that are less flexible have more stiff muscles and tendons enabling them to recoil and spring back up from the ground after initial ground contact more quickly. So, In some ways this quick turnaround allows you to be more economical and faster. In addition, the stiffer your muscles and tendons are the less stretch at initial ground contact meaning less energy lost. *WARNING* - this is not a license to never work on mobility or tissue integrity. There is a point when being too tight and immobile will land you a visit to our office for help!
The gains of static stretching last approximately 30 minutes providing only short-term benefits. Once you stretch you do gain some flexibility, but after about 30 minutes your muscles, joints, and tissues revert to their resting state. It can be valuable to perform stretching immediately before your training session if you find that you are too stiff to get into the positions needed for your activity or sport. But, for long distance running you do not need high levels of flexibility like you would with gymnastics
The most effective form of stretching to improve long term mobility while also leading to permanent changes in flexibility is loaded stretching. Loaded stretching elongates the muscles by increasing the amount of muscle fibers. Loaded stretching is when you perform exercises where you are using heavy weights but also going into a stretched position with that heavy weight then coming back up by contracting that muscle from that stretched position. An example of this is raising up from the bottom of a loaded calf raise performed on step or elevated surface.
What about static stretching for injury prevention?
Runners most commonly suffer from overuse injuries. In fact, up to as many as 75% of runners deal with an overuse injury every year. Research shows that stretching does nothing to reduce the risk of overuse injuries. So, what will reduce risk for overuse injuries in endurance athletes? Evidence shows that participating in progressive heavy resistance training with an eccentric bias twice a week will reduce the risk for overuse injuries. For more on this refer to our blog post “Strength Training for Runners”.
So as an endurance athlete, what is worth your time? According to the British Journal of Sports Medicine, a dynamic warm-up can help with running performance and progressive heavy resisted strength training can reduce injury risk.
If you are looking for a good warm up prior to running, research suggests participating in a 3 part warm up:
5-10 min easy running
6-8x dynamic lower body movements (ie leg swings, lunges, A skips)
3x short efforts at race pace (if you are going to be doing speed, hill or interval work)
If you experience stiff or tight muscles while running, stopping to stretch, foam roll, or self massage can be used to reduce these sensations in the short term but will not correct the root cause of the issue in the long term. Joints and muscles start to feel stiff or tight because of high-volume repetitive movements or training overload (too much too fast too soon). This is most likely because your muscles are not strong enough to keep up with the demanded workload of your run or training.
Again, engaging in specific well-programmed strength training exercises and progressing their running at a sensible rate is the best way to avoid injury, improve performance, and prevent excessive muscle tightness.
Static stretching is also ineffective to reduce the intensity and duration of post-exercise soreness, aka DOMS. Some runners use static stretching to reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness after strenuous runs, but research doesn’t support this idea either. I suggest you take on other forms of recovery methods to manage DOMS, such as active recovery and cross training.
If runners choose to perform static stretching before and/or after training, they can do so with the understanding it will not enhance performance nor reduce risk for injury or DOMS and can actually hinder performance.
If you’re struggling with excessive tightness, want to learn how to incorporate strength training, have a custom strength plan made for you, or dealing with injury - schedule an appointment today.
We offer run strength classes on Wednesday’s and Friday’s - $25 drop in! Dr. Colleen does 1-1 physical therapy and can build you a custom strength training program to iron out any of your weaknesses!
Citations:
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2019/11/06/bjsports-2019-101169
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311376816_Impact_of_stretching_on_the_performance_and_injury_risk_of_long-distance_runners#pfd
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20798666/