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Stretching Not Proven to Prevent Sports Injury, CDC Researchers Say

Before your start your workout, or get in the game, you have to stretch, right?  Maybe not, say researchers who found no reduction of injury risk during exercise from stretching before or after workouts.

Staff Report

April 29th, 2004

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), More than 10,000 people in the United States receive treatment in emergency departments each day for injuries sustained during sports, recreation and exercise activities.  These activities account for one-fifth of all emergency department visits for injury.

At the same time, numerous studies have shown that exercise and recreational activity can have significant health benefits, including reduction in heart disease, diabetes, depression and many other serious health concerns. 

If you work out, you have probably spent a great of time bent over, twisting, stretching in the firm belief that you must stretch out your muscles before you work out in order to prevent injury.  Over the last few years, many in the sports world have begun to include warm-up sessions prior to pre-workout stretching, but the belief that stretching before sports is a requirement has not been seriously questioned by most in the recreational and competitive sports world.

In the March issue of the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, researchers from the CDC led by Dr. Stephen Thacker presented a meta-analysis of all published studies examining the link between pre- and post-workout stretching and injury. 

The authors conclude, “There is not sufficient evidence to endorse or discontinue routine stretching before or after exercise to prevent injury among competitive or recreational athletes.  Further research, especially well-conducted randomized controlled trials, is urgently needed to determine the proper role of stretching in sports.”

The analysis doesn’t prove anything about the benefits or risks of stretching, but it does question the long-held dogma that stretching is an effective prophylactic for exercise-induced injury.  Don’t change your routine now, and make sure you check with your doctor about what is appropriate for your fitness level, but keep your ears and eyes open for new research on what is the best way to make sure that you stay on the court and out of the emergency room.

 “The Impact of Stretching on Sports Injury Risk: A Systematic Review of the Literature,” Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, March 2004.

“Preventing Injuries in Sports, Recreation, and Exercise,” National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed on April 27, 2004.