Stretching: What Marathoners Don’t Know Can Hurt Them (A Better Way)

Stretching is good for marathoners, right? Not so fast.

First, there are many types of stretching that compete for your attention. Second, there are five types of tissues that stretching can hurt. (My jaw dropped when I learned this.) Third, there are five reasons to stretch that sound good but aren’t. Fourth, there is a reason to stretch that deserves a “So what?” from marathoners. Fifth, there is one good reason to stretch, and almost nobody talks about it. Finally, I’ll conclude by summarizing what to do about your stretching.

What is stretching?

Competing for your attention are many activities that people refer to as stretching. “Static” and “dynamic” are two common words for categorizing stretching.

• Static stretching includes passive stretching, active stretching, PNF stretching, and isometric stretching.
• Dynamic stretching includes ballistic stretching, active isolated stretching, and resistance or load stretching.

Rather than discuss these techniques’ pros and cons, let’s look at what they’re supposed to help.

How stretching affects five types of tissues

[Tweet “Stretching SEEMS good for joint capsules, ligaments, fasciae, tendons, and muscles.”]
But, unless performed by professionals, stretching usually cannot help these types of tissues. And, stretching can hurt, if it has any effect at all.

Let’s look at each tissue type.

Joint capsules

A joint capsule is an envelope that surrounds a synovial joint.

Examples of synovial joints include:

• the saddle joint of the thumb;
• the ball-and-socket joint of the hip;
• the plane joint between tarsal bones in the foot;
• the hinge joint at the elbow and in 2nd and 3rd knuckles;
• the condyloid joint between the hand and a non-thumb finger.

The outer layer of a joint capsule keeps the bones together. The inner layer of a joint capsule seals the cavity that contains the synovial fluid.

According to Joseph Mercola, D.O., “When you crack your knuckles, the joints become looser and have more mobility for a short period afterward.”

As Dr. Mercola explains,

“When you ‘crack’ your knuckles, or any other joint, it expands the space between your bones, creating negative pressure that draws synovial fluid into the new gap. This influx of synovial fluid is what causes the popping sound and feeling when you crack a knuckle. If you continually crack your knuckles, the synovial membrane and the surrounding ligaments will loosen, making it easier and easier for your joints to crack.”

Verdict:
[Tweet “Frequent stretching can be bad for your joint capsules, such as in finger joints.”]

Ligaments

An articular ligament connects bone to other bone to stabilize a joint. There are other types of ligaments, but let’s use “ligament” to refer to articular ligaments.

Ligaments have little elasticity and low blood-flow. Sudden trauma can overstretch a ligament, but bit-by-bit stretching can do this, too.

As Dr. Mercola wrote, repeated knuckle-cracking stretching will loosen the surrounding ligaments. If you stretch a ligament more than about 10%, it doesn’t return to its original length. Worse, overstretching a ligament tends to tear it instead of to lengthen it.

The worst-case scenario for a ligament is a tear. For reference:

• a torn ligament is always a sprain;
• a torn muscle is always a strain.

Verdict:
[Tweet “Frequent stretching can tear your ligaments.”]

Fasciae

A muscle fascia surrounds a muscle to separate and stabilize it. There are other types of fasciae (e.g., for organs), but let’s use “fascia” to refer to a muscle fascia.

As noted by Jill Murphy, DPT, the plantar fascia and the IT-band fascia are common sources of fascial pain.

According to physiotherapist John Miller,

“Your plantar fascia is a thick fibrous band of connective tissue originating on the bottom surface of the calcaneus (heel bone) and extending along the sole of the foot towards the toes. Your plantar fascia acts as a passive limitation to the over flattening of you arch. When your plantar fascia develops micro tears or becomes [inflamed,] it is known as plantar fasciitis. … Plantar fasciitis symptoms are usually exacerbated via ‘traction’ (or stretching) forces on the plantar fascia. In simple terms, you[r] plantar fascia is repeatedly overstretched. The most common reason for the overstretching [is] an elongated arch due to either poor foot biomechanics ([e.g.,] overpronation) or weakness of your foot arch muscles.”

The iliotibial-band fascia, on the outside of your thigh, is also called the fascia lata.

According to Dr. Murphy,

” …fascia is typically NEVER injured in isolation – there is always a muscle, joint, tendon, and perhaps ligaments in the area also affected.”

She also notes that the plantar fascia and fascia lata develop in infants only as they crawl, stand, and walk! Worse, the IT band will disappear over time in an adult who becomes wheelchair-bound!

Former massage therapist Paul Ingraham documented that IT-band stretching does not work. As he wrote,

“No researchers have studied the problem properly, and preliminary data are underwhelming. Not only is the IT band a difficult structure to stretch, but it is doubtful that IT band tightness is even a problem that needs solving.”

In contrast, you can overstretch your IT bands during workouts. To avoid this, Dr. Murphy advises not increasing your distance, speed, or weight — pick one — by >10%/week.

Verdict:
[Tweet “You can overstretch your plantar fasciae and your IT bands, if you’re not careful.”]

Tendons

A tendon ties a muscle to a bone.

• Energy-storing tendons, such as the Achilles, have elasticity that stores and releases energy. These tendons stretch and return to their normal length during a movement.
• Positional tendons, in contrast, help to position limbs (such as fingers when writing).

“Muscle stretch training” was the focus of a Journal of Applied Physiology article in 2014.

Runner’s World summarized the results:

“The study…looked at the separate contributions of muscle and tendon to the increased range of motion[:] … the muscle itself seemed to get less stiff while the tendon was completely unchanged. … stretch tolerance seems to be the key player: ‘The logical conclusion, therefore, is that whereas some musculo-tendinous factors might influence ROM [range of motion], stretch tolerance is the major influencing factor.'”

In other words, …

• Muscle stretch training has no effect on the length of energy-storing tendons.
• “Some of the key effects of stretching are in your brain,” as the subtitle of the Runner’s World article put it.

Worse, static stretching can damage your tendons, as Dr. Joseph Mercola has written. Also, wrong movements, falls, and sports injuries can overpull a tendon.

Verdict:
[Tweet “You can damage tendons with static stretching and wrong movements.”]

Muscles

There are many muscle groups, so muscle stretching is not a one-size-fits-all topic.

For example, Paul Ingraham has documented major muscles that you cannot stretch:

• Masseter and temporalis (jaw muscle);
• The subocciptals (for neck flexion);
• Supraspinatus (for lifting the arm to the side);
• Pectoralis minor;
• Thoracic paraspinals;
• Supinator (for rotating the forearm to turn the palm upward);
• Lattisimus dorsi;
• The gluteals;
• The quadriceps;
• Tibialis anterior (thick muscle of the shin);
• The foot arch muscle.

What about the muscles that you can stretch? Like moments of athletic intensity, strong stretching can cause muscle strain.

A muscle strain — also called a pulled muscle — is any traumatic tearing of muscle. Where muscles meet tendons is where muscle strains occur. Muscle cramps, muscle knots, and delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) are not strains.

Muscle knots, also called trigger points, are amenable to massage. In contrast, massages are worthless for muscle strains. A therapist cannot massage away the tear in a muscle, as Paul Ingraham notes.

Verdict:
[Tweet “Strong stretching can tear your muscles.”]

Five unsupported reasons to stretch

With all that tissue research behind us, let’s look at unsupported reasons to stretch. Paul Ingraham has documented five of them. I’ll give the highlights; read Ingraham’s article for the details.

• To warm up: Warming up means becoming ready for activity. Warm-up routines do seem to protect against overuse injuries and accidents. But, stretching is not an effective warm-up routine.
• To prevent DOMS: Ingraham advises readers to think of DOMS as a tax on exercise. Massage does not prevent DOMS, and stretching does not prevent DOMS.
• To prevent injury: Stretching did not prevent injury in several studies. Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine found no proof in a literature review. American Journal of Sports Medicine found no proof in a 1,020-soldier study. And, a prospective 2,700-runner study by Simon Fraser University found no proof.
• To enhance performance: Acute static muscle stretching before exercise does not enhance performance. That was the conclusion of a massive review of peer-reviewed scientific articles. And, researchers in Perth, Australia, found that stretching between sprints reduced performance!
• To prevent and treat contractures: Ingraham defines a contracture as “the unlovely process of muscle and other soft tissues ‘seizing up’ in response to neurological problems or prolonged immobilization.” University of Sydney researchers reviewed 35 studies with 1,391 participants. They concluded that stretching was ineffective for preventing or treating contractures.

One so-what reason to stretch

Paul Ingraham also documented a “So what?” reason for most athletes to stretch.

• Greater flexibility: Yes, athletes in some fields need huge flexibility. Jean-Claude Van Damme needed it to perform an “epic split” between two Volvo trucks. Ballerinas, contortionists, gymnasts, and other martial artists need huge flexibility, too. But, they can injure their ligaments and joint capsules to get this much flexibility. For example, a Web search for “ballet flexibility injuries” will return many matches. For the rest of us, Ingraham asks, “So what?” Greater flexibility may give you greater fitness to perform an epic split. But, it won’t give you greater health, and it can hurt joint stability.

One good reason to stretch

Turning one more time to Paul Ingraham’s article, there is one good reason to stretch.

• Stretching feels good. Ingraham analogizes that stretching “scratches” the internal “rash” of muscle soreness. This explains why it feels good to stretch, as long as a stretch is not extreme.

What to do

Here’s my “Three Bears” guide to stretching for marathoners:

• If you are not stretching as much as your fellow marathoners do, then stop beating yourself up about it.
• If you are stretching so much or so often that anything hurts, then stop doing it and see a doctor.
• If you are stretching because it feels good, then keep doing it!

And, here are my stretching do’s and don’t’s for marathoners:

• Do stretch for comfort.
• Don’t stretch for greater flexibility.
• Don’t stretch to treat or prevent contractures.
• Don’t stretch to enhance performance.
• Don’t stretch to prevent DOMS.
• Don’t stretch to warm up.
• Don’t stretch to avoid injury.

If you have a contracture, then see a doctor. To enhance your marathon performance, look at techniques other than stretching. See DOMS as a tax that you pay for exercise. Warm up by moving your body. Finally, to avoid injury, check out Injury-Avoidance Habits for First-Time Marathoners and Half-Marathoners. It’s handy for veteran athletes, too.

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Image Credit: Pixabay