Dr. Stephen M. Pribut's Sport Pages

Stretching

While many runners neglect stretching, some may overstretch. Surveys of runners have shown that there seem to be two types of runners who have reported more injuries than others. Those who do not stretch very much and those who spend an inordinate amount of time stretching both seem to have significantly more injuries. This is not necessarily a causal relationship. The fact that a survey has shown that an individual who spends much longer than his peers stretching responds to a survey question reporting many injuries might also imply that he is stretching in response to his injuries. But then again, too much of a good thing might not be good.

When should I start stretching? When should I not?

If you are currently injured, now is probably not a great time to start stretching. If your achilles tendon is sore don't start on a high level stretching program to try to improve it. You may end up contributing to the statistics which demonstrate that achilles tendonitis is frequently a long lasting, chronic problem. The reason you should not start stretching with an acutely sore body part is that your stretching will probably contribute to continuing to tear the muscle or tendon fibers during your stretching of it. One of the signs of this will be an increase in pain following your stretching. Let the darn thing heal a bit before trying to stretch it. First, use a heel lift, avoid hills, decrease your stride, and burn any shoes with any gaseous substance used for shock absorption in the heel. Decrease the intensity and duration of your training runs. Once you are feeling better, probably in about 3 to 6 weeks you can begin a light and easy stretching regimen. A similar rationale may be applied to other body parts that are injured.

Dr. Pribut's Most Hated Stretches

My pet peeve stretches are those that excessively stretch the Achilles tendon. The two stretches that I disapprove of the most are standing on a step with your heel hanging off and then dropping down to stretch the calf muscle and the one using a towel to pull your foot up to stretch this same area. Both of these stretches may overstretch the calf and achilles. Physiologically the stair stretch breaks the current suggestions of slow and easy stretching. The muscle is being stretched past the point it will ever have to move, the muscle fibers are attempting to contract in this state, both because of the length that they have reached and also to maintain balance. The simple leaning against the wall stretch with one leg bent and forward and one back is just fine. This allows the muscle to be in a relaxed state when stretching.

If I had to pick one more stretch to dislike it would be the hurdler's stretch. This should only be done by hurdlers. It puts a lot of tension on the medial collateral ligament of the knee and does nothing particularly useful for runners.

General Principles

Regular stretching may also help reduce injuries. Runners frequently develop tightness in the posterior muscle groups. This includes the hamstrings and the calf muscles. The quadriceps and anterior shin muscles may become relatively weak, due to muscular imbalance. The abdominal muscles also tend to be weak on runners who do not exercise them.

The calf (achilles) should be gently stretched and so should the hamstrings. The best stretch for the calf muscles is the "wall stretch". I recommend stretching one set of leg muscles at a time. One leg is back, knee straight, the other leg is forward with the knee bent. The leg that is back is being stretched. Ten repetitions holding for 10 seconds each is ideal. There are several different stretches to choose from for the hamstrings: Forward bends with the knees slightly bent, knee to chest or leaning forward with the leg out straight in front of you all work. It is important to not aggravate your back while performing hamstring stretches. The FAQ on Stretching is a good source of information about a variety of aspects of stretching. Bob Anderson's book of stretching is also quite thorough.

Stretching early in the morning can be difficult before you have loosened up. It is also hard to stretch before your muscles have warmed up. Be very gentle when stretching prior to a run. If you have had achilles tendonitis or tight calf muscles, that you have for the most part recovered from and are on a maintainance stretching program, you might find it helpful to stretch about 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile into your run. The muscles will have warmed up and be better prepared to be stretched.

George Sheehan recommended a revised set of his "magic six" in several of his columns and in his book "Running To Win", Rodale Press,1991. Follows is a slightly modified version of Dr. Sheehan's Magic Six:

Magic Six, Plus Two

Wall Push-Up: This is basically the calf stretch described above. My version stretches one leg at a time. Stand with the rear foot approximately two to three feet from the wall. The rear leg should be straight, the front leg is bent and your hands touch the wall. Feet point straight ahead, heels are on the ground. Hold for 10 seconds, switch legs, repeat 10 times.
Hamstring Stretch: Straighten one leg, place it, with the knee locked, on a foot stool. Bend your body and bring your head towards the leg. Hold this position for 10 seconds. Switch sides, repeat 10 times.
Knee Clasp: Lie on a firm surface. A carpeted floor or grass is best. Bring both knees to your chest. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 5 times. This stretches the hamstrings and lower back.
Chest Push-Up: Lie on the floor with your abdoman pressed flat on to the floor. Place your hands flat on the floor, beneath your shoulders. Push your chest up with your arms and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 5 times.
Backward Stretch: While standing straight, place the palms of your hands against the small of your back. Tighten your buttocks and bend backwards. Hold for 10 seconds, relax, repeat 5 times.
Shin Splinter: This is performed to strenthen the shins. Sit on a table with your legs dangling over the side. Place a 3 to 5 pound weight over your toes. Flex your foot at the ankle (bend it up). Hold for 6 seconds, repeat 5 times.
Leg Extension: This is performed to strengthen the quadriceps. Seated
Bent Leg Sit-Up: This strenthens the abdominals. Dr. Sheehan recommended that the sit up be a gradual one rather than a rapid thrust forward. It should feel as if you are moving forward one vertebrae at a time. Lie on the floor with your knees bend. Come forward to a postion 30 degrees from the floor. Lie back and then repeat 20 times.

Since almost no runner will perform 8 exercises, even if disguised as 6 + 2, I have selected 4 of the above exercises that really should be done and 1 more to do if you have "runner's knee". I call these the:

Hopeful 4, Plus One:

Wall Push-Up: This stretches the achilles and calf muscles one leg at a time. Stand with the rear foot approximately two to three feet from the wall. The rear leg should be straight, the front leg is bent and your hands touch the wall. Feet point straight ahead, heels are on the ground. Hold for 10 seconds, switch legs, repeat 10 times.
Hamstring Stretch: Straighten one leg, place it, with the knee locked, on a foot stool. Bend your body and bring your head towards the leg. Hold this position for 10 seconds. Switch sides, repeat 10 times.
Knee Clasp: Lie on a firm surface. A carpeted floor or grass is best. Bring both knees to your chest. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 5 times. This stretches the hamstrings and lower back.
Bent Leg Sit-Up: This strenthens the abdominals. Dr. Sheehan recommended that the sit up be a gradual one rather than a rapid thrust forward. It should feel as if you are moving forward one vertebrae at a time. Lie on the floor with your knees bend. Come forward to a postion 30 degrees from the floor. Lie back and then repeat 20 times.
Straight Leg Lifts: This is performed to strengthen the quadriceps. Lying on the floor. Flex one knee to approximately a right angle. Lift the other leg rapidly to between 30 and 60 degrees. Lower and repeat 10 times. Switch legs, repeat 5 times and work up to 10 sets of 10 repetitions. This is best performed while watching the evening news or "sports extra."

Return to top of sport pages

Return to home page