Before delving into the benefits of stretching before and after each workout routine, it's important to prioritize safety and take necessary precautions. Start with a warm-up routine targeting specific muscle groups, gradually increasing your range of motion. Listen to your body and avoid overexertion. These precautions ensure a safe and effective stretching routine.

Harvard Medical School suggests these six tips for safe stretches:

1. Warm up first. Much like taffy, muscles stretch more easily when warm. It can be as simple as marching in place with arms swinging for five minutes or dancing to a few songs. Moist heat packs or a warm shower are effective first steps, too.
2. Feel no pain. Stretch only to the point of mild tension, never to the point of pain. If a stretch hurts, stop immediately! Reset your position carefully, then try again. With time and practice, your flexibility will improve.
3. Pay attention to posture and good form. Posture counts whether you're sitting, standing, or moving. Good form translates to better gains in flexibility and less likelihood of injury when stretching tight muscles.
4. Focus on the muscle being stretched. You'll notice that oneside of your body often is tighter than the other. Work on balancing this over time.
5. Breathe. Breathe comfortably while stretching or use yoga breathing. Whatever you do, don't hold your breath while you are holding a stretch.
6. Practice often. You'll make the best gains if you stretch frequently, daily, or on as many days of the week as possible. At the very least, aim to do stretches two or three times a week.

Pre-Workout

Before a workout, stretching can help prepare your muscles for activity by increasing blood flow. This increased circulation provides more oxygen to the muscles, which boosts energy levels and reduces fatigue. Stretching also helps to increase flexibility and range of motion by loosening tendons and muscles. This can help you move more freely during your workout and reduce the risk of injury.

In addition, gentle stretching can help ease pain from chronic injuries, such as those caused by repetitive strain or overuse. By loosening up the muscles and tendons, stretching can help reduce stiffness and soreness, allowing you to exercise more comfortably and effectively. This can be especially helpful for those with conditions such as arthritis or chronic back pain.

Post Workout

After completing a workout, it is essential to cool down to help your body recover and prepare for the next workout. Cooling down plays a crucial role in helping to reduce the buildup of lactic acid in your muscles. Lactic acid is produced during high-intensity workouts and can lead to muscle soreness and fatigue. By cooling down, you allow your body to gradually return to its resting state, which helps to minimize the risk of pain and injury.

In addition to reducing lactic acid buildup and injury risk, cooling down also helps to relax tense muscles and alleviate post-workout muscle soreness. This is because cooling down helps to increase blood flow and oxygen to the muscles, which aids in the recovery process.

Lastly, cooling down also helps to return your heart rate to a normal rate. During a workout, your heart rate increases to meet the demands of your body. By cooling down, you help your heart rate gradually return to its resting rate, which is beneficial for your overall cardiovascular health.

Overall, stretching before a workout can contribute to improved performance by increasing flexibility, range of motion, and blood flow. This can help you achieve better results from your workout and reduce the risk of injury. So, be sure to take a few minutes to stretch before and after your next workout to reap the many benefits that stretching has to offer.

To schedule your comprehensive biomechanical evaluation contact us today or call our Sports Medicine Podiatry Center and book an appointment with one of our podiatric sports medicine specialists at (610) 522-9200.

Dr. Lee S. Cohen and Associates, Sports Medicine Podiatry Center treats painful conditions of the feet, ankles, knees, legs, hips, and lower back in athletes and individuals of all ages, provides specialized injury and prevention treatment of the lower body extremities, biomechanical performance enhancement, and general podiatric foot and ankle medical treatment solutions for individuals and their families serving South Jersey and Philadelphia and surrounding areas with offices conveniently located in Marlton, N.J. and Ridley Park, PA.

Although it is most associated with runners or running, Achilles tendonitis is common among participants and players across many sports and activities including dancing, tennis, racquetball, basketball, soccer, and many more. As part of this discussion, I’ll be reviewing and describing some of the factors that contribute to Achilles Tendonitis as well as some of the causes, preventative measures, diagnosis, and treatment options.

Man with Achilles tendonitis pain holding heel
Achilles tendonitis occurs in nearly 8-10% of all athletes.

What are some of the causes of Achilles tendonitis?

Repetitive impact loading activities seen as overuse, jumping, and ballistic movements are responsible for many of the cases.

One of the major causes of Achilles tendonitis is poor foot mechanics or excessive pronation. Excessive pronation sets the body up for most of the painful lower extremity injuries.

In the excessively pronated foot, the subtalar joint collapses. This causes the tibia to rotate internally and thus the femoral segment follows. As this occurs, the pelvis also tilts anteriorly and puts the hamstrings under constant tension. The lower back develops an exaggerated lordosis and the upper back positions in an exaggerated kyphosis. The head and neck assume an anterior head carriage. As a result, the body is pre-loaded for a disaster to happen. The level at which the symptoms develop is usually at its weakest link.

In reference to the Achilles, as the foot pronates it abducts the leg as the leg is rotating internally and creates a wringing-out effect on the Achilles (similar to the wringing out of a washcloth). But in this case, instead of water, what is being wrung out is the blood supply to the Achilles structure. 

When this occurs, the Achilles tendons as well as the muscles involved in the myotendinous junction become irritated, undernourished, and develop crepitus, which then develops into painful tendonitis. Keep in mind that tendonitis is a precursor to a tear.

Additional contributing factors:

Overtraining, a sudden increase in the intensity of training, changes in surfaces, the addition of hills, improper shoe gear, and fluoroquinolone antibiotics have also been shown to be possible causes of Achilles tendonitis.

Clain and Baxter have classified Achilles tendonitis into two anatomical categories. They have described them as insertional Achilles tendonitis involving the enthesis and the non-insertional disorder, which involves an area of 2 to 6 cm. proximal to the calcaneus. In their experience, (and in mine) non-insertional Achilles tendonitis seems more common in the younger more active athletes, which may be due to the higher intensity and the inability to slow down the velocity of excess pronation compared to the older athletes, who are less intense, less active, and/or overweight. It has also been proven that after the third decade, the vascularity of the Achilles tendon is dramatically reduced.

In addition, we have seen a correlation between severe pronators and Achilles tears, regardless of the age of the athlete.

Prevention and rehabilitation.

The most important aspect in preventing and rehabilitation of Achilles injuries involves a comprehensive biomechanical examination of the lower extremity and the utilization of a proper orthotic device to control abnormal pronation.

How does a properly prescribed custom orthotic work?

A properly designed and executed biomechanical orthotic device puts the heel in a perpendicular position to the ground. It also levels the anterior facet of the calcaneus, so the talus cannot slide so far forward and medially, which creates an increase in uncontrollable pronation. Therefore, slowing the velocity at which pronation occurs. This is important in prevention, not only in Achilles issues, but it also protects the muscles of the leg, the ACL, the anterior hip, and the lower back from injury.

To schedule your appointment call our office at (610) 522-9200 or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Dr. Lee S. Cohen & Associates, Sports Medicine Podiatry Center offers general podiatric foot and ankle medical care for individuals and their families, as well as specialized treatment for athletes relative to the lower body extremities, serving South Jersey and Philadelphia and surrounding areas with two convenient office locations in Ridley Park, PA. and Marlton, N.J.