Research summary · Training and performance
Repeated stretching matters more than a brief session for shortened hamstrings
This synthesis included 84 studies with 1,059 athletes and 3,008 non-athletes who had clinically confirmed hamstring shortening but no active musculoskeletal injury. It compared stretching methods and modelled total stretching time against range-of-motion changes.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis
- Journal
- Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine
- Population / context
- Flexibility training · Athletes and non-athletes
What the publication reports
Static stretching improved active knee-extension range in athletes by about nine degrees versus no intervention. Dose-response patterns were nonlinear: repeated programmes were more likely than a brief single session to exceed the review's detectable-change threshold. This does not establish one universal optimal dose.
Limits and interpretation
Most studies had high risk of bias or methodological concerns, and certainty varied widely by outcome. Findings concern people with restricted hamstring flexibility; improved range of motion is not proof of fewer injuries or better sporting performance.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Optimal stretching dose for improving range of motion in non-athletes and athletes with hamstring shortening: a dose-response meta-analysis
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42551249DOI: 10.1016/j.rehab.2026.102153Reader discussion
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