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Summary According to a study, it makes no difference if you stretch or not before a run, because stretching won't affect your risk of injury.
There is a lot of controversy about this. I just wanted to know whether stretching before going for a run would be beneficial for recreational runners,” said Dr. Daniel Pereles, from George Washington University.Dr. Pereles, and his colleagues conducted a randomized trial involving 2,729 volunteers. All were at least 13 years old and all usually ran at least 10 miles per week. For three months, runners in one group stretched for 3 to 5 minutes immediately before a run. Those in the non-stretch group ran in their usual fashion. The runners kept all other aspects of their routine the same and self-reported any injuries that prevented running for at least one week.According to the study, injury rates were 16 percent in both groups. In addition, the runners found that starting or abandoning a pre-run stretching routine was more hazardous than just sticking with a usual routine. The most significant risk factors for injury were a history of chronic injury or recent injury in the past four months, and a higher body mass indexRunners, who usually stretched and were assigned to the no-stretch group, had a 40 percent increased risk of injury while non-stretchers who were randomized to the stretch group had a 30 percent increased injury risk. Dr. Pereles concluded that you get used to your routine and if you change it, youre more likely to get injured.
