Richard Dominguez, an orthopedic surgeon at Loyola University
Medical Center and author, also disapproves of stretching.
“Flexibility should not be a goal in itself, but the result of... training.
Strengthening the muscles around a joint naturally increases flexibil-
ity. If you can bend a joint beyond your ability to control it with mus-
cle strength, you risk either tearing the muscles, tendons or ligaments
that support the joint, or damaging the joint through abnormal pres-
sure on it.” Among the specific stretches Dominguez says are most
damaging are the yoga plow, hurdler’s stretch, toe touching and the
stiff-leg raise. The types of injury created by stretching aren’t associ-
ated with just the muscle being stretched. The tendons and ligaments
associated with that muscle, and even the joint controlled by that
muscle, are at risk.
There’s also a chemical factor to consider. Repetitive exercise,
such as walking, swimming, biking and other activities, results in the
production of chemicals that increase inflammation. Adding stretch-
ing increases the potential for even more inflammation.
Many athletes stretch to help performance. But studies show stat-
ic stretching doesn’t improve athletic performance and may actually
hinder it. For those who require a wider range of motion, proper
stretching may be necessary. These include dancers, sprinters and
gymnasts, but usually not most people doing aerobic exercise.
Case History
Randy began his morning with 10 minutes of stretching. The
first 15 minutes of his bike workout was spent riding up hills
from his house out of the valley. When he first used a heart
monitor, his rate surged to 180 within five minutes. Randy
couldn’t imagine how any of that was related to his low-back
pain. But by performing manual muscle testing, we discovered
that Randy’s hamstring muscles were overstretched, and there-
fore were not helping to support his low back. The first recom-
mendation was to stop stretching his already overstretched
hamstrings. Within a couple of weeks Randy’s low-back pain
improved. This was followed by the difficult task of adjusting
his morning ride to include a warm-up, and to avoid going
directly to the hills, with the resultant high heart rate. The solu-HEART-RATE MONITORING • 211