The rules for safe stretching “A controversial stretch? Is the person healthy, fit and physically active? Are they elderly, overweight and unfit? Are the hamstrings and lower back 100% healthy? These are some of the considerations one should undertake on deciding whether the stretch can be performed safely and effectively.
As with most activities, there are rules and guidelines to ensure that they are safe. Stretching is no exception.
Just as there are no good or bad exercises, there are no good or bad stretches: only what is appropriate for the specific requirement of the individual. So a stretch that is perfectly OK for one person may not be OK for someone else. For example, a person with a shoulder injury would not be expected to do push-ups or freestyle swimming, but that does not mean that these are bad exercises.
The stretch itself is neither good nor bad. It is the way the stretch is
performed and whom it being performed on that makes stretching either effective and safe, or ineffective and harmful.
When choosing a stretch, there are a number of precautions and checks we need to perform before giving that stretch the OK.
1 Firstly, make a general review of the individual. Are they healthy and physically active, or have they been leading a sedentary lifestyle for the past 5 years? Are they a professional athlete? Are they recovering from a serious injury
? Do they have aches, pains or muscle and joint stiffness in any area of their body?
2 Secondly, make a specific review of the area, or muscle group to be stretched. Are the muscles healthy? Is there any damage to the joints, ligaments, tendons, etc? Has the area been injured recently, or is it still recovering from an injury?... ...Runner’s knee (Chondromalacia Patellae)
Softening and degeneration of the articular cartilage of the patella (knee cap) in athletes is usually a result of overuse, trauma, or abnormal forces on the knee. In older adults, it can be a result of degenerative arthritis. Pain under the knee cap and a
grating sensation when the knee is extended are possible signs of this condition.
Anatomy & physiology
The underside of the patella is protected by articular (hyaline) cartilage which is made up of collagen fibres and water. The cartilage can become damaged and softened by repetitive micro-trauma due to overuse or abnormal load bearing on the knee. This degeneration makes the surface rough instead of
its usual smooth surface which causes additional inflammation and pain...” The article continues with further information on safe stretching and runner’s knee. It is abridged and reproduced courtesy of THE ANATOMY OF OF SPORTS INJURIES by Brad Walker, Lotus Publishing. For SPECIAL OFFER for Yoga & Health readers, please see page 48 of the July 2009 issue. top of page | 
