Whilst researching my subject area I find myself flying about all over the place, one text leads me to another and before I know it I've added another 10 sources to my (already bulging) bibliography...but are they all specifically relevant to my inquiry? And just how big is this going to get?
That said, I found the following in one of the books I've been reading and I hope it might make people feel better about their lack of (dancer) flexibility. If 47% of one's hip stiffness, for example, is something they can safely do little about then maybe they will change their focus on the way they approach the issue. Michael J Alter says in his book 'Sport Stretch':
"A question of great interest to all athletes is the
relative importance of various tissues in joint stiffness. The joint capsule
(i.e., the saclike structure that encloses the ends of bones) and ligaments are
the most important factors, accounting for 47 percent of the stiffness,
followed by the muscle's fascia (41 percent), the tendons (10 percent), and
skin (2 percent). However, most efforts to increase flexibility through
stretching should be directed to the muscle fascia. The reasons for this are
twofold. First, muscle and its fascia have more elastic tissue, so they are
more modifiable in terms of reducing resistance to elongation. Second, because
ligaments and tendons have less elasticity than fascia, it is undesirable to
produce too much slack in them. Overstretching these structures may weaken the
integrity of joints. As a result, an excessive amount of flexibility may
destabilize the joints and increase an athlete's risk of injury."
Sports Stretch
Alter, Michael J (1998). Sports Stretch. 2nd ed. USA: Human
Kinetics . Part 1. Pg 8
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