Stretching does not reduce DOMS

However, an article in The British Journal of Sports Medicine stated that “stretching  does not produce important reductions in muscle soreness in the days following exercise".(Henschke and Lin 2011). The researchers at the University of Sydney, Australia  reviewed many recent studies of stretching, hoping to determine whether the practice prevents people from getting sore after they exercise.

For many runners, stretching is an activity they would rather not have to do. After finishing a run it can feel tedious to then have to go through a stretching  routine but stretching also has its loyal followers who are sure that it does some good.

It would seem that both camps have valid points. One example cited by the study said that 32% of people who didn’t stretch reported muscle soreness after exercise compared to 25% of people who did stretch. In another example showed just a half point difference on a 100 point scale of discomfort.

The authors interpretation of the data was that stretching did reduce muscle soreness but only by a tiny amount.

Henschke, N. & C. C. Lin (2011) Stretching before or after exercise does not reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 45.