Stretching before you run doesn't prevent injuries

Static stretching — the classic one: grab your foot behind you and hold for thirty seconds — has been taught for decades as the way not to get injured. When the trials testing it were reviewed, the result was clear: there’s moderate to strong evidence that it does not reduce the number of injuries.

Of the four randomised trials included in that review, all four concluded that static stretching beforehand did not reduce injuries.

What does seem to work

Warming up by moving. A warm-up with movement — brisk walking, knee lifts, butt kicks, some hip mobility — does show positive effects on injury incidence in the studies, unlike static stretching.

That’s why Own Lane sessions always start with five minutes of walking. It isn’t filler: it’s the warm-up.

And stretching afterwards?

No problem there: if you enjoy it and it feels good, go ahead. What you can’t expect is for it to protect you from injury, or to prevent soreness. One honest caveat: the same review found preliminary signs that static stretching might reduce one specific type of injury, musculotendinous ones. “Preliminary” means exactly that — don’t take it as proven.

What to do tomorrow

• The five minutes of walking at the start are the warm-up. Don’t skip them.
• If you want to add something, make it movement, not holding positions.
• Stretch afterwards if you feel like it, without expecting it to protect you from anything.