Why Invest Your Time Warming-Up And Doing Stretching And Mobility Exercises? - Part 1A
of muscles in the front of the leg do not become so strong. This imbalance runs the risk of several injuries: the calf muscle getting stronger can cause: pulled muscles, Achilles tendonitis, heel spurs, and calcaneal bursitis. The anterior tibial group of muscles can develop shin splints, myositis or tendonitis.
The need for an exercise program to prevent injury:
This has two parts:
1. A stretching program is required for the muscles which become tight e.g the calf
2. A strengthening program is necessary for muscles which do not receive adequate stimulation from your exercise program e.g. the muscles in the front of the leg.
By the way, further information about injuries and their prevention can be found at:
The Virtual Sports Injury Clinic - offering info on over 90 sports injuries, find a physiotherapist or sports injury therapist
New Balance Web Express - Foot Health Clinic injury prevention
Sports Medicine, injuries, training exercise conditioning treatment prevention About.com http--www.sechrest.com-mmg-reflib-foot-anatomy-index.html#anatomy
COMPOSITION OF A MUSCLE/RISK OF INJURY
Focus Question: What role do muscle fibres play in a muscle's degree of flexibility?
Muscles are made up of tubes - the red and white muscle fibres. These tubular fibres are divided into sections. These sections are elastic. The obvious analogy is with an elastic band - it is stretchy and flexible. Let's say that during exercise the muscle fibres extend, and after exercise they contract. This is one reason for the stiffness that you experience when you get up in the morning after training the previous day.
Question: If your muscle fibres have shortened, what could sudden strenuous exercise do to the muscle fibres?
a. Nothing?
b. Nicely stretch the muscle fibres out?
c. Break or tear them as in a 'pulled muscle' injury?
d. Increase the width of the fibres thereby increasing your muscular strength?
N.B. This can not only happen to the muscle, but also to the tendons which surround the muscle.
Do Stretching Exercises Really Prevent Injury?
Focus Question: Can you get injured whilst doing stretching exercises? Do you still need to do them? If so, why?
I have noticed that there is some ambiguity in the literature which I have read as to whether or not stretching and mobility exercises actually prevent injury. Frank Horwill in 'The Complete Middle Distance Runner' states that during a warm-up routine injury prevention cannot be guaranteed and that athletes have been known to get injured whilst warming up. Injuries resulting from stretching are probably caused by too aggressive
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