Active Isolated Stretching (AIS) is the preferred method of stretching taught to patients at Woodbeck Family Chiropractic. AIS is superior to other methods of stretching because it does not cause tissue damage and works with the inherent stretch reflexes in your muscles.

When I first started playing soccer in grade school, the prevailing method of stretching was ballistic stretching. Thankfully, ballistic stretching has long since been abandoned. Ballistic stretching involved bouncing into and out of a stretch. This method of stretching would often cause muscle soreness and sometimes outright muscle tears.

Following ballistic stretching, static stretching became popular. Static stretching is still very popular today. It involves easing into the stretch position and holding a gentle stretch for 30 to 60 seconds, sometimes longer. Proponents thought that static stretching would prevent muscle damage by eliminating the rapid movements of ballistic stretching.

However, static stretching decreases blood flow through the stretched muscle creating a lack of oxygen (ischemia) and the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscle. Irritation or injury of the stretched muscle could potentially result, mimicking the effects of muscle trauma.

On top of that, muscles have an inherent stretch reflex that is activated after rapid changes in muscle length or after roughly 3-4 seconds of a sustained stretch. The stretch reflex causes a slow contraction to meet the force of the static stretch. In other words, the two forces play a tug-of-war that could potentially lead to tissue damage.

Active isolated stretching focuses on short repetitions of stretching to prevent localized ischemia and initiation of the muscle's stretch reflex. The muscle opposing the stretched muscle is fully contracted to allow for the stretched muscle to completely relax, further reducing the potential of muscle injury.

Steps to perform a proper Active Isolated Stretch:

1. Forcefully contract the muscle(s) opposite the muscle(s) you wish to stretch.
2. Bring the stretch to the point of light irritation, not to the point of pain. You are encouraged to use a rope or a towel to give yourself more leverage in the stretch.
3. Gently hold the stretch for 1.5 - 2 seconds, providing less than 1 lb. of assistance.
4. Release the stretch and return to the starting position.
5. Repeat steps 1 - 4 for a total of 10 repetitions.

It is important to breath properly while stretching. Always exhale while stretching and inhale while relaxing. You may build up to performing 2 - 3 sets as your body acclimates to the new stretching routine.