Herbert, R.D. and de Noronha, M. (2007)

Researchers have suggested that stretching before or after exercise in young, healthy athletes has little or no effect on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) - that painful ache many people feel the day after taking part in vigarous exercise.

The researchers assessed whether stretching could reduce stiffness, and concluded from numerous research projects that the estimated effects of stretching were extremely small, and that the studies were all remarkably consistent, suggesting that stretching before or after exercise does not prevent muscle soreness in young healthy adults.

Please note this study does not consider the potentially beneficial effects that stretching may have on injury prevention, or on improving flexibility in athletes with reduced flexibility.

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2007) Issue 4. Art. No.: CD004577. DOI 10.1002/14651858.CD004577.pub2

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Thijs, Y., Tiggelen, D.V., Roosen, P., Clercq, D. and Witvrouw, E. (2007)

Anterior Knee Pain - pain at the front of the knee - is often referred to as patellofemoral pain. This study was carried out at the Belgian Royal Military Academy during a six-week basic military training period, which aimed to see whether there were any factors associated with the way in which the participants walked that could predict patellofemoral pain.

84 officer cadets (65 men and 19 women) without any knee or lower leg problems were studied, and had measurements taken at the start of the six-week programme on how the pressure varied through their feet during walking. Any knee pain during the programme was investigated and diagnosed by a sports doctor.

During the six weeks, 36 of the officer cadets developed patellofemoral pain (25 male and 11 female). It was found that in the earlier assessment these people tended to walk with greater initial pressure on the outside of their feet, moved quickly forward to put pressure on the 4th toe, and then slowly transferred the weight over to the inside of the foot when rising onto the ball of the foot.

This study would therefore suggest that people who have this type of walking style are more likely to develop this type of knee pain.

Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine (2007) 17:6 437-445

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Girard, O., Eicher, F., Fourchet, F., Micallef, J.P. and Millet, G.P. (2007)

Different playing surfaces may have an effect on which part of the foot receives the most load, which could therefore have an impact on injuries and repetitive stress to the small joints that make up the foot and ankle complex.

This study compared tennis players on grass and clay surfaces using a complex array of sensors inside the shoes of the players. In particular, two aspects of tennis were studied - Serve & Volley (SV) and Baseline Play (BA).

When considering the whole foot, the average force was lower on clay than on grass, but the length of time where the foot was in contact with the ground was longer.

Playing on grass increased the forces going through the toes, whereas playing on clay caused higher forces at the mid-foot region.

This study shows that playing on different surfaces alters the biomechanics in the foot, which could have relevance to injury prevention and rehabilitation.

British Journal of Sports Medicine (2007) 41: 733-738

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Ranson, C. and Gregory, P.L. (2007)

This study described the impact of shoulder injuries on professional cricketers during the 2005 England and Wales first class season. 23% of those surveyed had experienced a shoulder injury in the 2005 season.

The study concludes that professional cricketers generally play on with shoulder injuries without missing matches, though their performance (particularly during fielding) is often comprimised.

Physical Therapy in Sport (2007) Article in Press Corrected Proof

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