* Fitness & conditioning *

Stretch away from injury

By Dr Sally Lark, an expert in sports injuries and
physiotherapy

Why is it important to stretch?

Stretching helps reduce injury on the field and in the gym, and aids in the recovery after
activity.

Sprinting, changing direction and passing at an angle require rugby players to be supple.
Stretching improves suppleness, helps muscle recovery after physical activity and can also
help reduce injuries.

Flexibility does not mean you have weaker muscles, it means you are
more mobile and agile. Increasing your mobility can be an advantage,
making you more elusive on the field. Great players like Shane Williams
and Conrad Smith dart and move so quickly that the opposition often
don’t know which way they will turn.

It is important to stretch prior to and after all physical activity, whether it is a training
session or playing a game. For example, rugby forwards need flexibility in the shoulders to
be able to link in the scrum and ruck, while backs need flexibility in the muscles of their legs
to be more mobile in order to sprint and change direction quickly.

One of the most common injuries sustained in the rugby game is hyper-
extension of the arm, which can strain or tear muscles that stabilise the
shoulder. This injury typically happens in the tackle. Stretching of the
shoulder helps reduce the risk of damage to the muscle in this type of
injury.

When to stretch
Stretching should be part of your preparation before the game. It helps to prepare your
players physically and psychologically for the onslaught to come.

Pre-game stretching typically covers the main muscles to be used in the game, such as the
large muscle mass of the legs and shoulders.

Following the game, stretching can be carried out after showering or bathing when the
muscles are warm and relaxed.
A warm up should be performed prior to stretching, otherwise you can
do more harm than good. Think about stretching a rubber-band that has
been kept in an icebox. When it is stretched cold it is more likely to snap,
but if it is warmed first it is more easily stretched and won’t break.

Similarly, you should never stretch cold muscles!

Dynamic and static stretching

There are different methods of stretching.

Dynamic stretching is always used before training or playing. It uses movements through the
full range of motion expected in the game. It may well include high stepping, or rapid
jumping from a crouched position to prepare the muscles for explosive action.

This type of stretching should be used after the slower more sustained active stretching in
the warm-up that always includes game-type movements

Stretching after training or a game helps remove some of the lactic acid in the muscles, and
release some of the muscle and tendon tightness. The best type of stretches then, or for
rehabilitation following an injury, are static stretches. These are slow stretches held at
maximum stretch for 20-30 seconds.

There has been some research to suggest that stretching prior to activity
reduces performance, but this was after static stretching rather than
dynamic stretching.

Static stretches can be active (muscle action is required to carry them out) or passive (there
is no muscle activity involved).

Active stretching is typically carried out solely by the player themselves, while passive
stretching usually requires the player to be totally relaxed with someone else, such as a
therapist, stretching limbs and muscles for the player.

Both active and passive static stretching should be applied to warm muscles following
training or playing.

Dr Sally Lark is an expert in sports injuries and physiotherapy. She has worked with
Premiership, 1st and 2nd division rugby clubs in Wales, and now lectures on sports therapy
and rehabilitation at Massey University, New Zealand.

* Fitness & conditioning *

Stretching schedule guidelines

By Dr Sally Lark, an expert in sports injuries and
physiotherapy
Requirements for stretching are different in the off-season and in the playing season.

Off-season
During the off-season, training should have a comprehensive stretching and strengthening
regime. The stretching should be carried out every day even when the players are not
undertaking strength training.

In-season
During the playing season you can reduce the number and type of stretches to the major
muscle groups: calf, quadriceps, hamstrings, lower and upper back (the upper back will
inevitably include shoulders).

Stretches should still be carried out every day, even for players who are not actively playing
or training.

In the “Stretching guidelines” below, four main stretches are given for pre-game, and a
series for post-game.

Stretching guidelines
  Forwards Backs
Off-season Shoulder (stretches Shoulder (stretches
and and
strengthening)Rotator strengthening)Rotator
cuff (stretches and cuff (stretches and
strengthening) strengthening)

Ankle (mobility and Ankle (mobility and

strengthening) strengthening)

Neck (stretches and Neck (stretches and

strengthening) strengthening)

Core stability Core stability

Quadricep Quadricep

Hamstring Hamstring
 Gastrocnemius Gastrocnemius

Soleus Soleus

Back Back
Playing season QuadricepsHamstrings QuadricepsHamstrings

Gastrocnemius Back

Soleus Shoulders

Rhomboid

Pectoral

Trapezius
Pre-game QuadricepsHamstrings QuadricepsHamstrings

Shoulders Back

Neck Shoulders
Post-game QuadricepsHamstrings QuadricepsHamstrings

Gastrocnemius Gastrocnemius

Soleus Back

Rhomboid Shoulders

Pectoral

Trapezius

Ankle

Neck

Back

Dr Sally Lark is an expert in sports injuries and physiotherapy. She has worked with
Premiership, 1st and 2nd division rugby clubs in Wales, and now lectures on sports therapy
and rehabilitation at Massey University, New Zealand.