To stretch or not to stretch

An alert reader sent me a link to an article about pre-run stretching. In a recent study runners were divided into 2 groups; no matter what their normal routine was, one group was to stretch before runs and the other was not to. The study showed that runners who stretched were just as likely to get injured than those who didn't! And here's the most interesting finding:

Non-stretchers who started stretching had a 22% increased chance of injury compared to non-stretchers who stuck with their routine, while stretchers who stopped stretching had a 40% higher chance of injury.

If you switch your normal behavior, you increase your chances of injury, but we're not sure why this is.

Whatever the reason, it's nice to know that we non-stretchers are finally off the hook.

Gotta run...