- or at Least Stop Stretching the Lower Back Into Flexion and Rotation!
The evidence about stretching is a bit hazy, but certainly points in a
particular direction. Stretching does not do what we used to think it
does. I'll refer you to the Save Yourself blog by a skeptical PT, Paul
Ingraham.
He is sometimes a bit over the top and may throw out the baby with
the bathwater, but I basically agree with what he is saying
about stretching.
1 To quote: "
In a nutshell:
Stretching just doesn't have the effects that most people hope it does.
Plentiful recent stretching research has shown that it doesn't warm you
up, prevent soreness or injury, enhance performance, or physically
change muscles. Although it can increase flexibility, the value of this
is unclear, and no other measurable and significant benefit to
stretching has ever been proven."
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