How important is stretching?

[RCizzle65]

Well my left groin has been hurting recently, I think it's been due to me adding knee bend to my serve, is that just due to me having a weak groin? Or not stretching?

[Chas Tennis]

I believe

1) Always warm up first, even for doing only stretches.
? ) Quick, light, dynamic stretching before exercise.......still undecided. ?
2) Static stretching after exercise, especially for quads & hamstrings.
3) Separate stretching to correct postural problems that, over time because of our lifestyles, have seen certain muscles become short & tight.
4) When injured - Doing stretches or exercises designed for preventive conditioning when injured might make the injury worse or prevent the best healing.

In particular, I discovered that my rectus femorus was tight/short and probably also that my piriformus is tight, based on the feel of the range of motion. The hip joint muscles are especially important for balance and movement. They affect performance. The hip muscles also affect the alignment of the knee. If the knee is misaligned the risk of injury & arthritis increases. I am sure that all joints that do not have the proper ranges of motion increase the risk of injury. Ranges of motions for the hip joint due to tight piriformus and tight rectus femorus are not easy to understand or evaluate. Finding medial specialist knowledgeable enough to properly evaluate your posture is not easy. I believe that a very considerable percent of the chronic joint conditions - attributed to aging - is not due to aging but to poor posture.

Also, my calves need stretching.

Bottom line for me is that the most important part of stretching is to correct postural problems that have resulted from my lifestyle.
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Example, tight rectus femorus, this applied to me -

Stretch the rectus femorus using the regular quad stretch with the hip in extension (extension - line between the trunk and upper has the leg back). Here is the reason and some special stretches for those with tight/short rectus femorus.

http://www.mrtherapy.com/articles/article3.html

Warning: Hip flexor stretches can put stress on the lower back.

Example, tight calf muscles caused me plantar faciitis and mild Achilles pain.

Make sure you stretch both the Gastrocnemius and Soleus. Most tennis players I see only stretch with a straight knee - that stretch can miss the Soleus.

See http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=436205 reply #2
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Search injuries such as plantar fasciitis and Achilles for stretches to prevent these injuries.

[Chas Tennis]

Originally Posted by RCizzle65

Well my left groin has been hurting recently, I think it's been due to me adding knee bend to my serve, is that just due to me having a weak groin? Or not stretching?

I got an injury there. I had warmed up on the seated lat pull down machine using lighter weights (40%? 1 rep max.) and thought that I had warmed up all necessary muscles. Then I went to near 1 rep max. weight and gave a very hard pull. It was the only pull that lifted me off the seat and stressed the muscles/tendons that keep my trunk and upper leg at 90°. I felt an immediate slight pain. These muscles had been missed in my warmup. That was the only time that I recall ever getting an immediate injury because I was not properly warmed up.

I did not know if I had a muscle/tendon pull or a hernia. The slight injury, just noticeable, lingered for almost a year, then it disappeared.

[movdqa]

One stretch that I do is on the tennis court. Just before serving, I lift the left arm up as in a ball toss and hold it stretched for a moment. Then I drop the right arm down with the racquet in hand. Then I bring the racquet to the back scratching position and grab the top with my left hand and pull down. And finally I put the racquet in the position where it would normally strike the ball for the serve and stretch the arm up there. Then I take practice serves.

I have done that for many years and it's gotten rid of any issues related to warming up on serves.

Tennis uses the back muscles a lot and stretching those (I like to grab the back of my knees while sitting on a chair and pull the stomach and chest into the knees) before a match can help to loosen you up.

[superfittennis]

Exactly correct Mr. Hancu!

Originally Posted by Marius_Hancu

Hugely important AFTER the match.
Before, just warmup.
Read my sticky, the section on stretching.
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=52164

[TheTsongaKid]

Stretching afterwards is good, not really before.

[fuzz nation]

Although a lot of opinions about warming up are in transition these days, I'm beyond my "warrior years" now at age 46, so I'm trying to keep myself more healthy more often.

I've seen significantly better recovery from day to day when I deliberately stretch well immediately after I'm done on the courts. Even before I get in my car to head home, I try to hit the fundamentals which include my quads, lower back, calves, etc. If I also get a decent stretch right before bed, I routinely feel better when I put my feet on the floor in the morning.

I also think it's smart to get my muscles and cardio "switched on" before I go full speed on the courts, but I don't use the same warmup routine every day.

[Surecatch]

Originally Posted by Surecatch

I think it may depend on individual physical and age factors. In my forties, I do not stretch too much before a match. I tend to believe that for me, the story on static stretching being possibly detrimental is valid. I do just a few basic twists of the joints, swivel the hips a little, and bend over a couple times. That's it. I do make sure the muscles are warmed before match play.

To clarify though, I think that stretching is greatly beneficial as a general practice. I'm rehabbing my back and shoulder right now and I stretch for about fifteen minutes three times a day, some days. I at least do it in the mornings and in the evenings. It is not only greatly beneficial to my overall condition, it feels really good too.

I highly recommend safe daily stretching, regardly of match schedule, etc..

[RCizzle65]

Hmmmm, so could my groin injury be due to not stretching?

[luishcorreia]

I took the leve I tennis coach course this year, and one of the things the instructor told us (and he's a university teacher and does research), is that, statistically, there is no evidence that someone that does not do warm up, has more injuries than someone that does.

It does not mean that you shouldnt do warm up, because it also prepares you for the workout (e.g. performance), but it appears to have no correlation to the number and severity of the injury.

I have no info. about the streatching..

[Chas Tennis]

Originally Posted by luishcorreia

I took the leve I tennis coach course this year, and one of the things the instructor told us (and he's a university teacher and does research), is that, statistically, there is no evidence that someone that does not do warm up, has more injuries than someone that does.
.............

I've consistently heard just the opposite, always warm up. Do you have some links discussing this point or the statistics?

[luishcorreia]

Originally Posted by Chas Tennis

I've consistently heard just the opposite, always warm up. Do you have some links discussing this point or the statistics?

Like I said, the recommendation is to always warm up. But what they found is that players that do not warm up using physical exercises do not have more injuries.

I was surprised too. I always heard "always warm up". But its just a statistic... its not a recommendation.

I always warm up.

I have no links, no. Just something the prof. said.

[floridatennisdude]

Originally Posted by luishcorreia

I took the leve I tennis coach course this year, and one of the things the instructor told us (and he's a university teacher and does research), is that, statistically, there is no evidence that someone that does not do warm up, has more injuries than someone that does.

It does not mean that you shouldnt do warm up, because it also prepares you for the workout (e.g. performance), but it appears to have no correlation to the number and severity of the injury.

I have no info. about the streatching..

3 out of 5 detailed research studies here disagree with the info you got and another 2 studies were inconclusive. http://www.jsams.org/article/S1440-2...051-X/abstract

I'd fact check a professor that states something so odd. It's probably just a belief he has that he cannot prove with data.

Even purely on common sense, I don't get how someone can conceive that warming up isn't a wise move to prevent injury. I'm pretty sure I would tear my shoulder again if I went out and tried to hit a first serve with zero warm up. I do a fairly good job of warming up before going on court and take 12-15 practice serves at 60-75% before starting a match.

[LeeD]

Perhaps, should we listen to our own bodies, instead of a bunch of eyeglass wearing non athletic scientists who only compile and analyse information?
THINK... if you're gonna run full speed for 200 yards, should you warm up?
If you are gonna throw something as far as you can, first try, are you gonna warmup?
If you're gonna hit your hardest first serve, do you do so straight out of bed?
Forget the statistics and scientist, who don't play tennis. Think for yourself.
As for stretching...your are an athlete. TRY IT. It works for some, is avoided by other's. I learned this in 6th grade little league, around 1959.
When will YOU learn?

[r2473]

Originally Posted by LeeD

I learned this in 6th grade little league, around 1959. When will YOU learn?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYii6nxhvUk

Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the flowers gone?
Young girls have picked them everyone.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?

[LeeD]

Yeah, funny thing, that first day in LL tryouts. We all expected a structured warmup and stretch routine, like the pros did on TV. But, coach lectured us on the importance of listening to our bodies, that some players need warmups and stretching until they sweat, while other's play better when the engine is a little cool.
He stressed how important it was for us to perform on the field, during actual play, and that we all had already gone thru years of phyiscal ed., and that we should know how our bodies operated.
EVERYONE warmed up, a few stretched.

[SystemicAnomaly]

If you really feel a need to stretch prior to tennis, do so before you get to the courts. Considerable evidence in the past 2 decades indicates that static stretches will reduce muscle performance (both speed & strength) for about 1 hour (possibly longer with extensive stretching and perhaps only 30 minutes or so for light stretching). There is no evidence that static stretches immediately prior to sports/exercise will prevent injuries. In some instances, extensive static stretches just prior to exercise/competition may actually increase the likelihood of injury.

Once you get to the courts, warmup up. It is not a bad idea to include dynamic stretches as part of your warmup. Do some sort of leg swinging to dynamically stretch the groin. After tennis or exercise, perform some static stretches as part of your cool down.

[floridatennisdude]

Originally Posted by LeeD

Yeah, funny thing, that first day in LL tryouts. We all expected a structured warmup and stretch routine, like the pros did on TV. But, coach lectured us on the importance of listening to our bodies, that some players need warmups and stretching until they sweat, while other's play better when the engine is a little cool.
He stressed how important it was for us to perform on the field, during actual play, and that we all had already gone thru years of phyiscal ed., and that we should know how our bodies operated.
EVERYONE warmed up, a few stretched.

The best source for fitness performance is usually a group of little leaguers.

[Chas Tennis]

An interesting point about stretching ligaments vs muscle-tendons -

In the reference Stretching Scientifically(2003), 4th Ed, T. Kurz distinguishes between muscle-tendon stretching and stretching the ligaments at a joint. [Ligaments connect bone to bone.] He says that stretches aimed at elongating ligaments for adults may lead to lose joints and be hazardous.........very interesting discussion. There are many insightful discussions and observations in this book that I have not seen in any other stretching references.

In another area of research - Over the last several years there is biomechanical research that indicates that the muscle-tendon-fascia combination may not be as important for elasticity as the basic muscle cell itself. As best I understand it when elasticity is measured on isolated muscle cells the same elastic properties can be observed in a single basic cell. That is, the muscle overall structure/facia/tendon may not be as important as has been thought. ( I'm not sure if there are serious controversies with the new conclusion. ?) A protein molecule in the muscle cell itself called Titin may play the main role in elasticity. See last paragraph on Titin- http://muscle.ucsd.edu/musintro/contractions.shtml

[FastFreddy]

Originally Posted by superfittennis

Exactly correct Mr. Hancu!

Printed in NSCA, NASM that stretching may reduce muscle sorness, improve muscle perfomance and reduce injury. The important word is may. It has now been proven that stretching does none of these. Some people use stretching as a part of warming up for a match. Warm up is about getting the mind ready for sports comp. Instead of doing stretching just do some jumperope to get ready.

Sometimes with tennis outside with rain delays u get zero warmup and I played fine. I found the same with injury my shoulder was so bad I served zero warmup serves and served fine during the match. The dude I was playing said wow no serve warmups your serve must be dailed in. I got into his head before the match. As far as cool downs go light run or cycle 20 mins to get rid of any muscle stiffness.

Some people swear dynamic before and static after. The only reason I can see for stretching is if u need to increase your rom for your sport or u r losing some rom from your workload. Just remember there is no warmups in life.

Freddy NASM PES, CES, NSCA CSCS