- Passive stretchinguses either gravity or force by another
body part or person to move a body segment to the end
of its range of motion or beyond — the reason this form
of stretching can so easily cause injury. We sometimes see
football players stretching one leg by having another
player lean on it.
Ballistic Stretching
The second basic type of stretching is called ballistic. This is a “bounc-
ing” method, and is the most common type done by both beginners
and seasoned athletes. It makes use of the body’s momentum to
repeatedly stretch a joint position to or beyond the extreme ranges of
motion. Because this method is more rapid than static stretching, it
activates the stretch reflex, which increases tension in the muscle,
rather than relaxation. This can result in micro-tearing of muscle
fibers with resultant injury. Ballistic stretching is the type most people
say they don’t do, but really are doing. That’s because most people
are in a hurry when stretching.
Flexibility refers to the relative range of motion in a joint. This is
related to the tension in the muscles around the joint, those that move
or restrict the joint. The risk of injury is increased when joint flexibil-
ity is increased too much or is greatly diminished, or when imbalance
in joint flexibility exists between left and right (or front and back)
sides of the body (which usually corresponds to muscle imbalance as
discussed later).
When it comes to flexibility, don’t assume more is better. Studies
show that the least flexible and the most flexible individuals were
more than twice as likely to get injured compared to those whose
joints had moderate flexibility.
People who stretch generally are injured more often than those
who don’t stretch. That’s been my observation during more than 30
years of treating patients, and the opinion and observation of many
other professionals in all fields. In addition, scientific studies support
our observations. Halbertsma and Goeken, in a study of men and
women 20 to 38 years of age with tight and stiff hamstrings, state that
“stretching exercises do not make short hamstrings any longer or less
stiff.”
210 • IN FITNESS AND IN HEALTH