Stretching is beneficial after exercise
While stretching is commonly recommended after exercise to improve range of motion and flexibility, systematic reviews and meta-analyses suggest it provides little to no benefit for reducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) or accelerating overall muscle recovery compared to passive rest.
The claim is specific and empirically testable, passing Step 0. The retrieved literature presents conflicting evidence: some primary studies (e.g., [1], [8]) find positive effects for specific outcomes like flexibility or DOMS reduction, whereas higher-quality syntheses such as systematic reviews and meta-analyses (e.g., [5], [7]) report no significant differences between stretching and passive recovery. Therefore, the balance of evidence is contested.
Zulaini, N S Harahap, N S Siregar, Zulfahri. Effect Stretching and Recovery on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) After Exercise. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1811/1/012113
This study found that post-exercise stretching and recovery helped reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
José Afonso, Filipe Manuel Clemente, Fábio Yuzo Nakamura, Pedro Morouço, Hugo Sarmento, Richard A Inman, Rodrigo Ramirez-Campillo. The Effectiveness of Post-exercise Stretching in Short-Term and Delayed Recovery of Strength, Range of Motion and Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.. 2021. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.677581
This systematic review and meta-analysis found no significant effect of post-exercise stretching on strength recovery or DOMS compared to passive recovery.
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Ming Wei, Xin Liu, Siyu Wang. The impact of various post-exercise interventions on the relief of delayed-onset muscle soreness: a randomized controlled trial.. 2025. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2025.1622377
This study noted that static stretching offered notable benefits in enhancing joint range of motion during post-exercise recovery.
Anthony Barnett. Using recovery modalities between training sessions in elite athletes: does it help?. 2006. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200636090-00005
This review concluded there is no substantial scientific evidence to support the use of stretching to enhance between-training session recovery in elite athletes.
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