November 12, 2026Recovery9 min read

Stretching Before Exercise: What the Evidence Says About Injury and Performance

Stretching before or after exercise does not prevent injury or ease soreness. It does increase range of motion, and holds under 60 seconds do not lower performance. Here is the research and the limits of it.

BY ALI SHAFIEI, RPT

Many runners, gym-goers and team-sport players stretch before and after training because a coach told them to. Reviews of controlled trials now show what stretching does, and some of the older advice has changed.

Reviews of controlled trials find that stretching before or after exercise does not prevent injury or reduce muscle soreness, and that it does increase range of motion. Medstar Sport Physio in North Vancouver advises a warm-up with movement first, and stretching when a tight muscle limits how far you move.

Stretching before exercise does not prevent injury

A systematic review is a search for every trial that tests one question, followed by a combined result. The first one on this topic, by Herbert and Gabriel in the BMJ in 2002, found that stretching before exercise does not seem to give a useful reduction in injury risk. It combined two studies of army recruits. The hazard ratio, which compares injury risk with a control group, was 0.95. A ratio of 1.0 means no change in risk.

One of those studies was a randomized trial by Pope and colleagues. A randomized trial uses chance to decide who gets which treatment. The team assigned 1,538 male army recruits to stretch or not stretch for 12 weeks. Both groups did active warm-ups, and the stretch group also held one 20-second static stretch for each of six leg muscle groups. Of 333 lower-limb injuries, 158 were in the stretch group and 175 in the control group. Stretching had no clear effect on injury risk.

The newer evidence agrees. Lauersen and colleagues ran a meta-analysis, which combines the numbers from many trials. It covered 25 trials, 26,610 participants and 3,464 injuries. Stretching showed no benefit (risk ratio 0.963, likely range 0.846 to 1.095, which is where the true value probably lies). A risk ratio below 1.0 means fewer injuries. Strength training (0.315) and balance training (0.550) did lower injury risk. Warm-up programs that combine strength, balance and jumping are a separate subject, covered in our article on ACL injury prevention warm-up programs. A 2016 review by Behm and colleagues also found no clear effect of static stretching on all-cause or overuse injuries, and no data on dynamic stretching.

Long static holds lower force and short holds do not

Static stretching means holding a muscle in a stretched position. Dynamic stretching means moving a joint through its range, such as a leg swing.

The older advice was to stretch before sport. By 2012, Kay and Blazevich wrote that the benefit of pre-exercise stretching had been questioned after reports of lower force and power after a stretch. Their review of 106 trials found no harmful effect from holds under 30 seconds (combined change of -1.1%) and no significant effect from holds of 30 to 45 seconds (-1.9%). A drop in force became likely with holds of 60 seconds or longer. Simic and colleagues combined 104 studies in 2013 and advised against static stretching as the only warm-up activity.

The 2016 Behm review tested performance minutes after stretching. Static stretching changed it by -3.7% and dynamic stretching by +1.3%. Holds of 60 seconds or longer lowered it by 4.6%. When studies added dynamic activity after the stretch, the review saw no clear effect.

The newest review gives a different result for athletic performance. Warneke and Lohmann in 2024 combined 83 studies with 2,012 participants. They found a small loss in maximal strength tests of single muscles, and a larger loss for holds of 60 seconds or longer. Athletic performance in general was not harmed, and jumping improved by a small amount in adults. The authors wrote that the results do not support earlier advice to leave static stretching out of warm-ups before jumping or sprinting.

In short, the older advice said to avoid static stretching before sport. The newer reviews find that long holds can lower force in the stretched muscle, and that short holds followed by movement leave athletic performance unchanged.

A warm-up with movement helps performance

Fradkin and colleagues in 2010 combined 32 studies of warm-ups that included more than stretching. A warm-up improved performance in 79% of the measures examined. Their 2006 review looked at injury. Of five high-quality randomized trials, three found fewer injuries with a warm-up and two found no effect. The authors concluded that the evidence is insufficient to endorse or stop routine warm-ups.

For the hamstrings, a 2023 meta-analysis by Cai and colleagues combined 27 trials and found that one session of static or dynamic stretching gave similar short-term gains in range of motion.

A practical order built from these reviews: light jogging or cycling, then movements that copy your sport, such as leg swings and lunges, then your session. If you like to hold a stretch, keep each hold under 60 seconds and follow it with movement. A foam roller is another warm-up tool, covered in our article on foam rolling.

Stretching after exercise does not ease soreness

Delayed-onset muscle soreness is the ache that peaks a day or two after unfamiliar or hard exercise. The 2011 update from Cochrane, an international group that reviews medical evidence, included 12 studies. Stretching before exercise lowered soreness one day later by half a point on a 100-point scale, and stretching after exercise by one point. The authors concluded that stretching does not produce clinically important reductions in soreness in healthy adults.

Newer reviews agree. Afonso and colleagues combined 10 trials with 229 participants in 2021. Stretching after exercise had no effect on strength recovery or on soreness at 24, 48 or 72 hours compared with rest. A 2025 meta-analysis by Zhang and colleagues combined 15 studies with 465 participants and found no clear effect on soreness, strength, performance or flexibility. It called stretching safe and practical.

Stretching after a run can stay in your routine if you enjoy it. Our article on heat versus ice covers other ways to manage soreness.

Stretching increases range of motion within 10 minutes a week

Range of motion is how far a joint moves. Behm and colleagues in 2023 combined 47 studies. A single session of stretching gave small gains compared with no activity, including in hamstring and calf tests. The 2016 Behm review found that the gain typically lasts under 30 minutes.

Regular stretching gives a larger gain. Konrad and colleagues in 2024 combined 77 studies and found a moderate increase in range of motion compared with controls. Static stretching and PNF stretching, a method that alternates tightening and relaxing a muscle, gave greater gains than dynamic stretching. For the hamstrings, a 2016 meta-analysis by Medeiros and colleagues of 19 trials found that static stretching improved flexibility in healthy young adults. After 2 to 6 weeks without stretching, a 2025 review found range of motion lower than at the end of the program but above the starting level.

Ingram and colleagues in 2025 combined 189 studies with 6,654 adults to find the dose. Gains were greatest at a total of 4 minutes of stretching per session and 10 minutes per week, with no added benefit beyond those totals. Intensity, age, sex and weekly frequency made no difference, and adults with poor flexibility at the start gained more. Behm 2023 found no link between stretch duration and gain, so the reviews do not agree.

A first plan that fits these findings: hold each stretch for 30 to 45 seconds, the range where Kay and Blazevich found no significant effect on force. Repeat until the session adds up to 4 minutes, and stop at 10 minutes for the week. Intensity did not change results, so there is no reason to push into pain.

When stretching is a poor idea

A fresh muscle tear needs assessment before any stretching. Sudden sharp pain while sprinting or lifting, a pop, or bruising are the usual signs. The evidence on stretching an injured muscle is thin. A Cochrane review of hamstring injury rehabilitation found two trials with 104 participants. In one, 80 elite athletes who stretched four times a day instead of once returned to full activity 1.8 days sooner. The other, with 24 participants, found re-injury in 8% with exercise for movement dysfunction and 64% with stretching and strengthening. The authors concluded that current practice cannot be supported or refuted. Our article on hamstring strain rehab covers strength programs for this injury.

Tension that fades when you release a stretch is expected. Sharp or burning pain, or numbness and tingling, is a reason to stop and have it assessed. A swollen, warm calf needs a doctor before any stretching. HealthLink BC lists swelling, warmth and tenderness in the calf as symptoms of a blood clot in a leg vein. Call 911 for sudden shortness of breath or coughing up blood.

Hypermobility, where joints move beyond the usual range, needs a different plan. Palmer and colleagues describe exercise as the main part of care for these conditions, and a 2024 review of 28 studies found that therapeutic exercise and motor function training are effective. The stretching reviews above studied healthy people, so they do not show whether stretching helps here. Our article on strengthening for hypermobility explains the options.

What the research cannot tell you

The follow-up is short. Tests took place 3 to 5 minutes after stretching on average, and the training programs lasted 5 to 15 weeks.
The people studied are mostly alike. The Ingram studies had an average age of 26.8 and 61% male participants.
Study quality is uneven. The Cochrane soreness review rated all 12 studies at moderate or high risk of bias.
The injury trial tested one routine, a 20-second hold per muscle group, so the lack of benefit applies to routines like that one.

Where stretching fits in your plan

Choose stretching for the reason it works, which is range of motion. A muscle that stays tight for weeks, tightness with pain, or the same injury returning each season are reasons to look for the cause. A physiotherapist can check strength, joint movement and training load.

Go to the Lions Gate Hospital emergency department or call 911 for sudden severe pain with a deformed limb, inability to put weight on a leg, or sudden numbness and weakness.

You do not need a referral to book physiotherapy in British Columbia. The clinic is at 1325 Marine Drive, North Vancouver, BC V7P 3E5. You can book at medstar.janeapp.com or call (604) 988-5411. Physiotherapists in BC are licensed by the College of Health and Care Professionals of BC, and you can check any name in its public registry.

This article is general information, not personal medical advice, and is not a substitute for assessment by a regulated practitioner. A regulated practitioner can confirm whether the patterns described apply to you.

Sources

Common questions

Frequently asked questions.

Should I stretch before exercise?

Stretching is optional. Reviews of controlled trials find that it does not prevent injury, and a warm-up that includes movement improved performance in a 2010 review of 32 studies. If you like to stretch, keep each hold under 60 seconds and follow it with movement, such as leg swings or light jogging. A 2016 review found no clear loss of performance when stretching was followed by dynamic activity.

Is static or dynamic stretching better before exercise?+

Neither has clear proof of being better for injury. For performance, a 2016 review found that dynamic stretching improved results by 1.3 percent on average, while static stretching lowered them by 3.7 percent when tested right after the stretch. A 2024 review found that static stretching did not harm athletic performance in general. Holds of 60 seconds or longer carry the most risk of lower force.

Does stretching prevent injury?+

The trials say no. A 2014 meta-analysis of 25 trials with 26,610 participants found no injury benefit from stretching (risk ratio 0.963, range 0.846 to 1.095). Strength training lowered injuries to a risk ratio of 0.315 in the same review. A trial of 1,538 army recruits also found no clear effect of stretching before exercise on injury risk.

Does stretching after exercise reduce soreness?+

No clear effect has been found. A 2011 Cochrane review of 12 studies concluded that stretching before, after, or both does not produce clinically important reductions in muscle soreness in healthy adults. A 2021 meta-analysis found no effect on soreness at 24, 48 or 72 hours compared with rest. A 2025 meta-analysis of 15 studies agreed. Stretching after exercise appears safe if you enjoy it.

How long should I hold a stretch?+

For stretching before sport, holds under 60 seconds avoid the loss of force seen with longer holds. A 2012 review found no significant effect on force for holds of 30 to 45 seconds. For flexibility, a 2025 review found no added gain beyond 4 minutes of total stretching in one session or 10 minutes per week. The reviews do not agree on how much the length of one hold matters.

How often do I need to stretch to become more flexible?+

A 2025 meta-analysis of 189 studies found that gains stopped rising beyond a total of 10 minutes of stretching per week. It found that weekly frequency did not change the result, and a 2024 meta-analysis found that neither frequency nor volume played a clear role. Gains fade when you stop. In a 2025 review, range of motion was lower 2 to 6 weeks after training ended than at the end of the program.

Will stretching make me weaker or slower?+

Long holds can lower force in the stretched muscle. A 2024 meta-analysis of 83 studies found a small loss in maximal strength tests of single muscles, and a larger loss for holds of 60 seconds or longer. The same review found no harm to athletic performance in general and a small gain in jumping in adults. Short holds followed by movement carry little concern.

How do I loosen a tight hamstring or calf?+

Regular stretching has the best support for increasing range of motion. A 2023 meta-analysis of 47 studies found gains in hamstring and calf tests after a single session, and a 2016 review of 19 trials found that static stretching improved hamstring flexibility in healthy young adults. A tight muscle that hurts or keeps returning needs assessment, because strength and load may be the cause.

Should I stretch a pulled muscle?+

Not on your own before it has been assessed. Sudden sharp pain, a pop, or bruising needs assessment first. A 2012 Cochrane review of hamstring injury rehabilitation found only 2 trials with 104 participants, so the best stretching dose for an injured muscle is unproven. A physiotherapist can set how and when to stretch, and usually adds strength work.

Should I stretch if I am hypermobile?+

Strengthening has more support. Hypermobility means joints already move beyond the usual range, and the stretching reviews tested healthy adults, so they do not show whether stretching helps. A 2024 review of 28 studies found that therapeutic exercise and motor function training are effective for hypermobility spectrum disorder and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Ask a physiotherapist to design the program, and stop any stretch that makes a joint feel unstable.

Do I need a referral to see a physiotherapist about tight muscles?+

No. In British Columbia you can book physiotherapy without a referral. At Medstar Sport Physio, 1325 Marine Drive in North Vancouver, you can book online at medstar.janeapp.com or call (604) 988-5411. Some extended health plans ask for a referral before they reimburse you, so read your policy. Sudden severe pain, numbness or weakness needs a doctor first.

Written by

Ali Shafiei, RPT

Ali Shafiei is a Registered Physiotherapist with 10+ years of clinical experience in musculoskeletal, neurological and sports rehabilitation. North Vancouver.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Individual presentations vary, and assessment findings and treatment plans differ from person to person. If you are experiencing severe symptoms, neurological changes (numbness, weakness, bowel or bladder changes), or a significant trauma, contact your physician or emergency services. Care at Medstar Sport Physio & Health is provided by practitioners registered with their respective British Columbia regulatory colleges.

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stretching
warm-up
static-stretching
dynamic-stretching
injury-prevention
muscle-soreness
range-of-motion
north-vancouver