SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1674871
This article is part of the Research TopicAcute Interventions and Recovery Strategies for Enhancing Human Exercise PerformanceView all 3 articles
Effects of post-Exercise Stretching versus No Stretching on Lower Limb Muscle Recovery and performance: A Meta-Analysis
Provisionally accepted
- 1Inha University, Michuhol-gu, Republic of Korea
- 2Daegu University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
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Background: Post-exercise stretching is widely employed in athletic and rehabilitation settings to promote recovery and performance. However, its physiological benefits remain controversial due to inconsistent findings across randomized controlled trials. Objective: To evaluate the effects of post-exercise stretching compared to no stretching on lower limb muscle recovery and performance indicators, including muscle soreness, strength, flexibility, performance, and pain threshold. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in eight databases up to July 20, 2025. Randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, and crossover trials comparing post-exercise stretching (static, dynamic, or PNF) with no stretching were included. Data were synthesized using random-effects models, and effect sizes were expressed as standardized mean differences (SMDs). Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool. Results: Fifteen studies (n = 465 participants) were included. Post-exercise stretching showed and statistically non-significant effects on muscle soreness (SMD = −0.06, 95% CI: [−0.32, 0.19], p = 0.63), strength (SMD = 0.27, 95% CI: [−0.14, 0.68], p = 0.19), performance (SMD = 0.18, 95% CI: [−0.11, 0.46], p = 0.22), flexibility (SMD = −0.06, 95% CI: [−0.31, 0.20], p = 0.67), and pain threshold (SMD = −0.02, 95% CI: [−0.41, 0.37], p = 0.93). Sensitivity analysis and Egger’s test indicated robust results and no publication bias. Conclusions: Post-exercise stretching, when used as a standalone recovery intervention, does not significantly improve soreness, strength, performance, flexibility, or pain threshold. While physiologically safe and practical, its effectiveness may be limited, warranting integration with multimodal recovery strategies in future applications.
Keywords: Post-exercise stretching, Muscle recovery, Athletic Performance, Athletic adaptation, Meta-analysis
Received: 28 Jul 2025; Accepted: 11 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Chen and Xing. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Taofeng Xing, Daegu University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
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