Meta-analysis of the acute effects of stretching on high intensity sprint performance

Abstract

The literature on the effects of stretching on sprint performance is controversial. This meta-analysis aimed at examining the outcomes of the studies using different stretching protocols prior to sprint efforts. The search was conducted in several databases, using combinations of the following keywords: sprinting and stretching. Inclusion criteria included studies with males aged over 16 years irrespective of the sport, fitness level and assessment procedures performed. After the evaluation of the selected studies, 11 were considered appropriate for the analysis, resulting in 62 cases to be studied. The effect size (ES) and delta percentage (Δ%) were considered as dependent variables. The study design, type of stretching, assessment protocol, number of sets, sport, fitness level and previous practice of stretching were considered as factors. The results suggest that: a) dynamic stretching (DS) significantly improves performance when compared to static (SS) (p < 0.001) or mixed (MS) (p < 0.002) stretching methods; b) there are significant differences in ES and Δ% between runs with change of direction and linear races (up to 20 m, p = 0.003, and above 20 m, p < 0.009); c) performing multiple tests provides better results than a single test after the warm-up and stretch (p = 0.001), and d) performing a single bout of stretching is less harmful to performance than two (p = 0.016) and three (p < 0.001) bouts. Therefore, it is possible to obtain small gains in high-intensity sprinting performance by using DS when compared with SS, MS or no stimuli.