The Benefits of Dynamic Stretching

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Dynamic stretching has become increasingly popular stretching technique for athletes of all ages. Dynamic stretching is a controlled movement that involves an active range of motion for each joint in the body. It involves stretching while the athletes are actively moving. Dynamic stretching is used to improve flexibility in motion and does so by resembling movements you would normally make in your sport. In comparison, static dynamic stretching involves an athlete stretching their muscles in a stationary position. Track athletes normally have extensive warm up and stretch routines before their meets, and believe that these stretches lead to enhanced performance and a decrease in injury. By performing dynamic stretches instead of stationary stretches it is thought that an athletes range of motion of their joints increase and blood and oxygen flow increases to the brain, leading to an increase in performance.
We have millions of athletes of all ages in our country today and it is important to find out what is best for them to optimize their performance and prevent injury. According to the CDC more than 2.6 million children aged 0-19 years old are treated each year for sports and recreation related injuries. If even some of these injuries could be prevented by stretching before an athletic event, it is worth doing research on such a topic. Conducting a research study on track athletes aged 14-22 years old who specialize in sprinting, we then can apply what we have learned here to other sports that involve sprinting. By studying track athletes sprinting performance after carrying out different types of stretches, we can determine whether dynamic stretching is really beneficial to the athlete. This type of research can help us keep m...

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...ies in athletes. This study found that stretching did not show any protecting effect against injury. Strength training and proprioception training were found effective in prevention of injuries of football athletes. This study has findings that are consistent with others who studied similar thoughts. In conclusion stretching really not beneficial to injury prevention and is only found to help performance when preformed correctly.
Overall most of these studies found that static stretching before an event was found to have little to no effect on sprinting performance. Dynamic stretching was found to be more beneficial but only when performed correctly for the right sport. By performing a research study on specifically track athletes we can find what type of stretching is best for athletes that involve sprinting to better optimize their performance and prevent injury.

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