It is time to start to debunk some myths about stretching and get the record straight.

I came to Hong Kong seven years ago with a mission to convert the static/passive stretching fraternity into a more active and dynamic variety.

I was indeed a lone voice in the wilderness. After all, stretching is the one aspect of health and fitness that is sorely misunderstood by the industry professionals.

Everyone back then had their own idea how long a stretch should or ought to be held. A range from 10 seconds all the way to 3 minutes. Ouch! I hear you say. No wonder people get sore after stretching, it hurts like the blazes to have muscles eccentrically contracted for that long (like a tug of war between the passive stretch and active natural reflex to contract). If muscle tissues are weak and unstable (hands up all those who have such weaknesses!) then micro-tears are very likely. These are like miniature rips that bleed and require collagen to re-seal them. That is when the stiffness sets in!

We all have our own inimitable and very recognizable walking pattern (Oh, there goes Charlie Chaplin again!). Some people externally rotate their hips some pronate and invert their ankles. Many have a pelvis which is tilted, torqued and rotated. In other words most people we know have an asymmetrical gait and therefore posture. This suggests that we are unnecessarily over-working some body parts and under- working others. Our body is made up of a strong bone structure which works like a huge kinetic chain allowing us to move freely and absorbs all the shock from the impact of walking, running and sitting (1.5 times the body weight when walking and 3 times that when running!). When one link in that chain is not functioning correctly you have the potential to overload the joints, muscles, fascia and other structures. It leads to a classic series of compensations that will eventually cause pain and dysfunction.

Of late, static stretching has been getting a bad rap. In the recent October, 2004 edition of Runners World magazine, fresh evidence about static stretching (long hold) has emerged, suggesting that those who engage in static stretching prior to a race are more likely to suffer injuries than those who didn’t stretch at all. That tug of war I was referring too happens at the musculo-tendonous junction where muscles are anchored to the bones. Micro tearing and ischemia (lack of oxygen) are very common with people who statically stretch. After a muscle has suffered micro-tears, it will take a good six weeks to repair to full physiological function!!
In light of this new information why do we still see so many athletes, prior to their event, placing their leg up on a fence and leaning forward to touch their toes holding for 10 seconds or more?

Let’s face it, in the past we were all taught to stretch statically just like every other reflex mechanism that we have in our neurological system. Until we are all made
aware of the potential for injury and are shown a more safe and therapeutic method of lengthening muscles and fascia, people will continue to repeat what is familiar to them. Why change it if you have always done it this way?

How indeed should one stretch safely, therapeutically and scientifically?

The method we use at the Stretch Flexibility Studio is called Active Isolated Stretching, which has been successfully used on Olympic athletes and professional sportspeople in the USA for the past 35 years. The main principle of AIS is that you only stretch a muscle which is completely relaxed, as you are placing your body in the most comfortable anatomical position for that particular stretch. Most people who statically stretch are in fact stretching loaded muscles (weight bearing). For example, leaning against a wall with one leg stretched backwards attempting to stretch your calves is a weight-bearing stretch. In other words the muscle you are trying to stretch is contracting as it is actually holding you up, and therefore it cannot be effectively stretched. You are fighting against your body’s natural reflex mechanisms.
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With every movement we make, there is a key muscle that drives the motion of that limb (i.e. contracts) while on the opposite side of that joint there is a muscle that has to switch off. (i.e. relax). This is the essence of Active Isolated Stretching. Actively contracting one muscle to fully relax the one you want to stretch makes much more sense. Besides it doesn’t hurt to stretch this way and you will not traumatize the muscles or tendons. Now you have isolated exactly the part of the muscle that requires specific lengthening and which could be causing an imbalance or asymmetry at the knee joint, hip joint or any other body structure.

I was giving the first lecture in AIS in Warwickshire (UK) last week. The audience was largely made up of triathletes. Knees were the big issue with this group. We focused on stretching the lateral hamstring and ilio-tibial band, one of the hardest tissues to stretch. The effect of stretching those muscles using Active Isolated Stretching gave them instantaneous relief. Most of the resistance had been removed from the knee joints. For rebalancing their knees, I suggested strengthening the exact opposite muscles which as it happens turned out to be poorly toned and very mushy quadriceps...

Good symmetry in posture and gait is the key! Active Isolated Stretching with its easy two second hold, which inhibits the “Stretch Reflex” (a natural protective reflex mechanism to prevent over-stretching), is without doubt the most therapeutic stretching tool for pre-sport preparation and post-sport rehabilitation.

Aaron Mattes, the founder of AIS, continues to advance the field at the Sports and Rehabilitation Clinic in Florida. There has had tremendous success in dealing with advanced multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy cases where reprogramming of the neuromuscular (reflex) system can effect changes to whole patterns of movement.
Research on neuromuscular re-patterning is ongoing and is likely to produce more exciting results in the near future.