Benefits

A study of soccer players showed a group who did dynamic warm up exercises and static stretches had fewer knee injuries than one that did neither.One review suggests that there are many beneficial stretches that can improve range of motion (ROM) in athletes, especially runners.It is also suggested that one stretching exercise may not be enough to prevent all types of injury, and that, multiple stretching exercises should be used to gain the full effects of stretching.It has also been suggested that proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching yields the greatest change in range of motion, especially short-term benefits.Reasoning behind the biomechanical benefit of PNF stretching points to muscular reflex relaxation found in the musculotendinous unit being stretched.[clarification needed] Others[who?] suggest that PNF benefits are due to influence on the joint where the stretch is felt.