How to do it
- Skip the long holds before a run. They didn't prevent soreness or injury in the trials.
- Start easy instead. The first few minutes slow, then build. That's my advice; the review didn't test warm-ups.
- Stretch if you like how it feels. Just don't count it as injury insurance.
- Already injured? See a physio. This finding is about healthy people.
What the stretch doesn't do
- Stretchhold and count
Static stretching means holding a muscle at length for a set time. That's what the trials tested.
- Sorenessbarely moves
Across five studies, the drop in muscle soreness was small and could have been chance.
- Injuryno useful drop
In trials with army recruits, stretching before training didn't usefully cut injuries.
- Youget the minutes back
This is about healthy people. An existing injury is a different question; see a physio.
Why it works
Holding stretches around exercise is supposed to stop you getting sore or hurt. In trials it barely did either. Evidence: solid The drop in soreness was small and could have been chance, and in army recruits, stretching before training didn't usefully cut injuries. Evidence: solid
So the minutes can go somewhere else. Starting slow is my suggestion for where; nobody in this review tested it. Evidence: worth trying
The long readEvery step of the chain, each study with its numbers, and what's still unproven. 1 min read.
What happens in your brain
This chain is what the trials measured in the body, not brain areas.
The stretch. Static stretching means holding a muscle at length for a set time. That's what was tested. Evidence: solid
Soreness barely moves. Across five studies of moderate quality, stretching cut later muscle soreness by a small amount that didn't reach statistical significance. Evidence: solid
Injury risk doesn't usefully drop. In trials with army recruits, stretching before training didn't cut injuries by a useful amount. Evidence: solid
You get the minutes back. This applies to healthy people. Evidence: solid An existing injury is a different matter.
The proof
- A 2002 review in the BMJ pooled five studies of moderate quality on stretching and muscle soreness; three stretched after exercise, two before. A day later, soreness was 0.9 points lower on a 100-point scale, not statistically significant. Evidence: solid
- The same review pooled two trials in 2,630 army recruits. Stretching before exercise cut injury risk by about 5%, not a useful amount, and possibly chance. Evidence: solid
How to do it
- Skip the long holds before a run or a game. They didn't prevent soreness or injury. Evidence: solid
- Start easy instead: the first few minutes slow, then build. The review didn't test this; it's common sense, not a finding. Evidence: worth trying
- Stretch if you like how it feels. Just don't count it as injury insurance.
- For soreness after a long run or a match, see cold water after a run.
Watch out
This is about healthy people, and about soreness and injury, not about flexibility. Evidence: solid The injury trials were in army recruits. Evidence: solid If you have an existing injury, see a physio. Don't go by a general rule.