Balancing Act: Stretching and Strengthening Leg Muscle Pairs to Prevent Injury

How does the leg's skeletal-muscle structure govern your body's movement? Muscles run from one bone to another, spanning one or more joints. The muscle itself does not attach to the bone, but rather uses a cable-like bridge called a tendon. Any means of propulsion, be it hiking, biking or in-line skating, requires the complex harmonized cooperation of muscle, tendon and joint. When you ask a body part to move, one muscle (agonist) contracts, while its opposing partner muscle (antagonist) relaxes. These simultaneous actions work together to prevent extreme joint movement, conserve energy, improve efficiency, prolong endurance and reduce impact. A healthy athlete maintains this balance. However, if either muscle of a pair becomes stronger than its partner, the likelihood of injury to the muscles, tendons and connected joints increases. Muscle-pair imbalance is one of the most common underlying reasons for athletic injury.