Fitness experts differ on benefits of stretching

A lot of these studies judge stretching vis-a-vis sports performance or susceptibility to injury. But how about just judging it as a way of bringing blood flow and relaxation to taut muscles/joints?

The Japanese are nuts about stretching. I remember a tennis instructor at my local court in Tokyo who would give 1 hour lessons. During the first 15 minutes, he made all his students do stretching exercises. I used to think, "These people are getting ripped off. They're paying to learn tennis techniques."

I guess Japanese coaches, etc. like stretching b/c they can make their charges do the exact same thing at the exact same time, which is what Japanese society is all about, really.

I suffered from chronic back pain for most of my life, following an injury to my lower back in childhood. I finally found a chiropractor who used the activator method to properly align my spine. Once my muscles and ligaments were used to being in the correct position, I learned to snap everything back into place with stretching exercises. I now do all kinds of strenuous physical work and haven't had to visit the chiropractor for two years. I take a few minutes to relax and stretch whenever I feel stressed, and highly recommend this!