Stretching is (or should be) part of the routine of almost everyone who exercises — and even of those who don’t.
After all, each profession, whether being an athlete or spending a day at a desk, places high demands on the human body, each in its own way. A footballer who practices 300 shots a day does not necessarily face greater demands than someone making 3000 mouse clicks. In fact, the footballer may get through the season without injuries, while the “office athlete” might be calling the physiotherapist after just two weeks.
Stretching is an excellent way to correct or delay the onset of some movement dysfunctions caused by daily activities. But is simply “stretching” the muscles enough? Is that really what happens? Or is there something else at play?
Do stretches actually… stretch?
The truth is that, contrary to what the name suggests, stretches don’t actually lengthen the muscle. At least not in the way we usually perform them.
Many people say they feel looser, freer, more flexible, more “everything”… And it’s true. But it’s only virtual.
What we actually trigger inside the muscles each time we stretch is an influence on two microscopic structures called the Muscle Spindle and the Golgi Tendon Organ. Without going into detail, they are responsible for controlling how much tension the muscle is under and how much it is allowed to stretch.
So the result of stretching is more like a “reset” in the nervous system, telling the muscle it can remain stretched in that way without a problem. If you measured the muscle with a ruler before and after stretching, it would show exactly the same length, even if you stretch regularly.
The only real way to permanently lengthen a muscle is to increase the amount of time it is held in a stretched position. And the truth may surprise you. It takes around 20 minutes or more. Only after that can there be actual deformation of muscle tissue. 20 (!) minutes. Far from the 20, 30 seconds, or even 1 minute that most people usually stretch.
So, is it not worth stretching in the usual way?
Of course it is.
There are benefits from a neurological perspective and even specifically for pain. After heavy use (after a gym workout or a day spent mostly sitting in the same position), the muscle will feel tighter because it was either heavily used or held in the same position for long periods. Stretching provides feedback to the muscle that it can relax and, more importantly, that the stretched position is a normal position to be in.
In addition, stretching momentarily creates space between the tissues beneath the skin (other muscles, fascia, ligaments, bone), which can help reduce pain if these are compressed due to swelling (edema) from inflammation, for example.
And should you always stretch before exercise, or after?
Let’s break it down.
First of all, just as never stretching is harmful, always stretching can also be. It’s important to understand that stretching means pulling on biological tissues – muscles, tendons, and more. So if these are fragile, either because of a small tear or because they’ve just been under intense strain, stretching immediately may not be a good idea.
Whether you should stretch before or after exercise is another matter.
There are two types of stretching: static and dynamic. Since we are discussing the first type (static), let’s stay focused on that. Before exercise, no — you should not stretch statically. Without going into complex explanations, it negatively affects performance and increases the risk of injury.
After exercise, it depends. If the effort was very intense (especially if prolonged), the risk of injury afterwards rises considerably. There is also evidence suggesting recovery may take longer in these cases.
If the effort was moderate (a workout at your usual level), then go ahead and “stretch”. There will be no problem.
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