Washington, July 28: This new research may seem slightly stretched, but, in fact, is not. Experts now opine that holding a stretch for a short period of time is a better deal than holding it for a relatively longer time span, according to a report in Healthscout.
Researchers at the Medical College of Ohio embarked to find out whether the total time spent each day or the duration of a stretch was more beneficial, a report in the Baltimore Sun was quoted as saying. They then concluded that ideally, a stretch should last from 15 seconds to two minutes.


The study included interviewing 23 healthy students and staff members to carry out hamstring stretches, twice a day. The volunteers stretched one leg six times for 10 seconds, with a five-second rest in between, and stretched the other leg twice, holding it for 30 seconds each time. At the end of the day, they had accumulated a total stretch time of two minutes.

After six weeks of following this routine, measurements by a physical therapist found that the range of motion in both hips had improved equally well. Bureau Report