Patients often ask whether they should stretch before or after exercise. Traditionally, static stretching exercises were done prior to sporting activity. This pattern has changed in recent years. Several studies show that static stretching prior to activity may increase the risk of injury, since cold stretching would be counterproductive if it exceeds the appropriate level of intensity. It would also lead to a decrease in physical power and endurance, which would also affect sporting performance. If you stretch before sport, you will run less and get more fatigued.

The best thing to do before sport is a series of dynamic exercises to activate the muscles, increasing blood flow and joint mobility. Running at a low intensity or joint balance exercises may be suitable before sport.

After physical activity, muscle tone and fatigue increase due to exercise. The best thing to do is to stretch to normalise muscle tone, re-establish muscle blood flow and prevent future injuries. Stretching should be gentle, without being painful, because if we do it with great intensity we could produce muscle micro-tears. After stretching, we recommend applying local cold. It acts as an anti-inflammatory and has an analgesic effect.