Princeton's Ask The Doctor September/October 2019

FAMILY GENERAL DENTIST

666 Plainsboro Rd., Suite 645 • Plainsboro, NJ 609-275-0022 • Drpaterson@comcast.net www.plainsborodentalarts.com ALL ages, and ALL aspects of dentistry! INCLUDING COSMETIC AND IMPLANT DENTISTRY

Peter Paterson, DMD Kimberly Minassian, DMD Ariane Seto, DMD

STATIC AND DYNAMIC STRETCHING: Keys for Sports Performance Summer is over, and throughout New Jersey kids are returning to school—and sports. Football, cross country, soccer and a host of other sports have begun. But no matter the sport, it is critical that athletes avoid injury in practice and play. One of the best injury prevention methods is stretching. But did you know there are different ways to stretch? Which way is the best? Which do you use when? Read on. Warm Up: Dynamic Stretching Warmups are a vital part of both practice and play. A good warmup gets the blood flowing and allows players to practice sport-specific skills. One component of warming up is dynamic stretching. Dynamic stretching is active and full of movement. You won’t see anyone straining at the waist to touch their toes for long pe- riods. The goal of dynamic stretching is to take the joints through their full range of motion. Research suggests that dynamic stretch- ing before athletic events may increase strength, endurance, agility and work capacity. Cool Down: Static Stretching When you think of the word “stretching,” you’re probably thinking about static stretching, with toe touches, side bends and classic yoga poses. The goal of static stretching is to lengthen the muscles, not necessarily to increase joints’ range of motion. Muscles are more apt to stretch when they’re warm, which makes static stretching the perfect cooldown after practice or play, when you’ve just worked your muscles hard. Static stretching before an activity may actually have a negative impact on performance, according to some research. Save the downward dogs and forward bends for after practice or a game. Sports Performance Experts

University Orthopaedic Associates is New Jersey’s leading orthopaedics practice. Our sports medicine specialists and our Sports Performance Center can help you get back on the field to feel and perform your best. Call 855-UOA-DOCS or visit us on the web at uoanj.com.

ASK THE DOCTOR

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019