Does static stretching before running prevent injuries?

A competitor is reflected in a mirrored wall as she stretches after taking part in 'Vertical Rush' a race up the stairwell of Tower 42, the tallest building in the City of London.

Stretch before your work out to prevent injuries, right? Hold that hamstring. A study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports seems to indicate that static stretching actually has no relationship to injuries. Some 3000 runners were looked at, with 1500 stretching and 1500 foregoing the stretching routine…the results: an equal number of injuries. Have we been wasting our time stretching? Get ready for the answer: no warm up necessary.

Stretch before your work out to prevent injuries, right? Hold that hamstring. A study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports seems to indicate that static stretching actually has no relationship to injuries. Some 3000 runners were looked at, with 1500 stretching and 1500 foregoing the stretching routine…the results: an equal number of injuries. Have we been wasting our time stretching? Get ready for the answer: no warm up necessary.

Guests:

Dr. Daniel Pereles, Orthopedic surgeon in Maryland

Malachy McHugh, Director of Research, Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma, Lenox Hill Hospital in New York