Stretching stops you getting hurt. Right?

Meta-analysis of randomised trials. 26,610 people. trials ran from ~12 weeks to ~1 season/12 months; literature searched to January 2013.

Many trials, added up. In each one, chance decided who did what.

Who: 25 RCTs: army recruits, recreational and elite athletes (mostly soccer/football, also basketball, handball, floorball) and one internet-based general-population trial; 13 trials in adults, 11 in adolescents, 1 both

Strength training cut sports injuries to less than a third. Stretching: no protective effect

Only three tests checked stretching.

More to know, from our read of the paper:

• Stretching estimate rests on only 3 trials: two in Australian army recruits (Pope 1998, 2000; pre-exercise calf/leg stretching) and one internet-based trial (Jamtvedt 2010) with self-reported injuries and ~38-44% compliance. Authors say their data do not support stretching for injury prevention 'neither before or after exercise', but note this narrow base
• 'No evidence of benefit' for stretching is not 'stretching is useless': flexibility, performance, soreness etc. were not assessed
• Strength estimate rests on only 4 trials (n approx. 7,000), each targeting a specific injury: hamstring injuries in elite male soccer (Askling n=30; Petersen n=942, Nordic hamstring), overuse anterior knee pain in military recruits (Coppack n=1,502; program had 4 strength + 4 stretching exercises), ACL injuries in girls' soccer (Waldén n=4,564; a neuromuscular warm-up incl. squats/lunges/landing technique). Not 'all injuries' and not gym lifting in the general public
• 'Reduced to less than 1/3' = pooled RR 0.315 (CI 0.207-0.480) for these targeted injuries; CI allows roughly a 52% to 79% reduction
• Overall estimate highly heterogeneous (I2 = 70%); authors call the overall number 'clinically useless' for that reason

Scientists added up 25 tests where chance decided who got an exercise plan (a meta-analysis of 25 randomised trials, 26,610 athletes and army recruits). Stretching plans showed no clear effect on injuries, but only 3 trials tested stretching. Strength-training plans cut injuries to under a third in 4 trials, each aimed at specific leg and knee injuries (hamstring, ACL, knee pain), mostly in soccer players and recruits. Flexibility and soreness weren't tested, so this doesn't mean stretching is useless.

We read the abstract and the full text of this paper and checked every number on this page against it (18 facts, checked on 2026-10-01). The study design is named above. Cohort and other observational studies are described as linked, not proven. Found an error? Email theis@onestudyaday.com.