Stretching to prevent or reduce muscle soreness after exercise

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Exercise Physiology
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Many individuals incorporate stretching into their fitness routines.
• Commonly, stretching is performed pre- or post-exercise to mitigate injury risk, alleviate soreness, and enhance performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the scientific literature on the effects of pre- or post-exercise stretching on the development of delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive search of multiple electronic databases was conducted up to April/May 2006.
• Included studies were randomized or quasi-randomized trials assessing the impact of pre- or post-exercise stretching on muscle soreness.
• Methodological quality was assessed, and effect estimates were pooled using meta-analysis.

Main Results:

• Ten studies were included, primarily laboratory-based with young, healthy adults.
• Pre-exercise stretching showed a very small reduction in soreness (0.5 points on a 100-point scale) one day post-exercise.
• Post-exercise stretching also demonstrated a minimal reduction in soreness (1.0 point on a 100-point scale) one day post-exercise.

Conclusions:

• Current evidence suggests that muscle stretching, whether performed before or after exercise, does not significantly reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness in young, healthy populations.
• The reviewed studies were generally small and of questionable methodological quality.