A Critical View of Static Stretching and Its Relevance in Physical Education.

Stretching before activity has been a customary part of most physical education classes (PE), with static stretching typically the preferred method due to its ease of implementation. Historical and implicit support for its continued use is due in part to the sit-and-reach test and flexibility as one of the components of health-related fitness. This paper examined the use of static stretching in K–12 PE settings by reviewing the effect of flexibility on its related benefits. The results suggested that (a) static stretching has not been shown to reduce injury risk or muscle soreness; (b)some stretching protocols have demonstrated reduced strength and performance; (c) low back pain is not correlated to trunk flexibility; (d) cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness, and body composition have been identified to correlate with future health-related benefits, and flexibility has not. Static stretching reduces activity time in PE and provides little useful health benefits besides flexibility. Physical educators should use dynamic stretching instead.