Myth Buster:

Stretching Alone Will Fix/Prevent My Injuries

Stretching is often perceived as the ultimate injury prevention tool as well as a primary strategy for recovering from injury.

While it plays a role in general physical health, relying on stretching alone to heal or prevent injury is a common misconception.

First, we need to address the meaning of flexibility versus mobility. Flexibility is the ability of a muscle to be able to lengthen, which is the typical goal behind stretching. This is different from mobility, which refers to how well a joint moves through its full range of motion. Mobility takes into account your ability to express the controlled movement throughout the required full range of motion.

Mobility not only requires aspects of flexibility, but also requires ACTIVE motor control, coordination, and strength/stability. Therefore you can be flexible but still have poor mobility — and poor mobility is often where the injury risk lies.

When you’re injured, the root cause is rarely just “tight muscles”. It’s often a combination of muscle imbalances, poor movement patterns, joint restrictions, or lack of strength and stability. Stretching may temporarily relieve tension, but it doesn’t correct these underlying issues.

The same applies to injury prevention. Simply doing static stretches before or after a workout won’t “bulletproof” your body. What actually helps is a program that includes strength training, dynamic mobility work, and proper recovery. Strength and control around a joint, not just how far or deep you can stretch a muscle, are what can help reduce the incidence of injury.

Think of stretching as one tool in your toolbox. It’s useful, but not enough on its own. To truly support injury recovery or prevention, you need to combine flexibility, mobility, stability, and strength.

Next time you feel a twinge or want to protect yourself from injury, don’t just hit the mat for a long hamstring stretch. Stop to consider what your body actually needs - better movement patterns, stronger support muscles, and joint mobility that lets you move freely and safely.

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