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\"Two previous randomised trials on the effect of stretching on injury risk showed no effect, and a series of very small laboratory trials ... also showed no effect,\" says Dr [Rob Herbert], a senior research fellow at Sydney's The George Institute for International Health. \"So the effect is very small, and it's so small there's not a particularly compelling case for it being an important intervention,\" Dr Herbert says. \"Light activity preceding intense activity might be a sensible thing to do,\" says Dr Herbert, who also confesses to not stretching before he exercises.

Rob Herbert, a senior lecturer in the school of physiotherapy at the University of Sydney in Australia, reviewed five studies involving healthy young adults, including two studies he helped design on 2,630 soldiers in basic training. Two studies evaluated stretching before exercise; three looked at stretching after a workout. In all five, the subjects reported that stretching did very little to reduce muscle soreness. As for reducing injuries, the two studies on the soldiers in training show that stretching did not do much good.

Do you stretch before or after your workout - or not at all? Whatever you do, there's probably scientific evidence to support your strategy. To stretch or not to stretch is one of the most hotly- debated subjects in the sports science arena and the latest ammunition from the anti-stretch camp comes from a controversial Australian study, published in the British Medical Journal, which systematically reviewed a number of studies on the effects of stretching on muscle soreness, injury risk and sports performance. [Rob Herbert]'s study isn't the first to suggest stretching prior to exercise is of limited - if any - benefit. A large-scale study of army recruits in 2000 looked at pre-workout stretching and its influence on injury incidence and found the effect to be insignificant. A subsequent review, in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2001, concluded that there was no scientific evidence that pre-exercise stretching prevented acute or chronic injuries or improved performance. As Rob Herbert says: \"If stretching before exercise is a hassle for you, don't bother.\" However, many experts still recommend stretching after exercise, a practice Herbert also poo-poos. Lorna Lee Malcolm, fitness director at Reebok Sports Club, London, believes Herbert has disregarded the positive effects of stretching. \"It may not reduce the level of post- workout muscle soreness or even reduce the incidence of injury, but when you consider most of us spend hours sitting down, to redress the balance you need to lengthen and stretch. To fail to do so has detrimental effects on posture and alignment, whether you're a sports person or not.\"

In all five, the subjects reported that stretching did very little to reduce muscle soreness. As for reducing injuries, the two studies on the soldiers in training show that stretching did not do much good. Dr. Thomas Best, a Canadian scientist and sports-medicine physician at the University of Wisconsin, has performed dozens of experiments stretching rabbits in his lab. (The rabbits are euthanized before he stretches their hamstrings in a machine.) He did the research with rabbits because he was interested in discovering what types of stretching might prevent specific injuries. He found that rabbits' muscles do not get longer and that they gain no other measurable benefits from stretching.

In all five, the subjects reported that stretching did very little to reduce muscle soreness. As for reducing injuries, the two studies on the soldiers in training show that stretching did not do much good. Dr. Thomas Best, a Canadian scientist and sports-medicine physician at the University of Wisconsin, has performed dozens of experiments stretching rabbits in his lab. (The rabbits are euthanized before he stretches their hamstrings in a machine.) He did the research with rabbits because he was interested in discovering what types of stretching might prevent specific injuries. He found that rabbits' muscles do not get longer and that they gain no other measurable benefits from stretching.

In all five, the subjects reported that stretching did very little to reduce muscle soreness. As for reducing injuries, the two studies on the soldiers in training show that stretching did not do much good. Dr. Thomas Best, a Canadian scientist and sports-medicine physician at the University of Wisconsin, has performed dozens of experiments stretching rabbits in his lab. (The rabbits are euthanized before he stretches their hamstrings in a machine.) He did the research with rabbits because he was interested in discovering what types of stretching might prevent specific injuries. He found that rabbits' muscles do not get longer and that they gain no other measurable benefits from stretching.