How Long Should You Actually Hold a Stretch?

By Dr. Anthony Dileo (Osteopath)

Stretching is not just about pulling a muscle longer — it is about training your body to become more flexible.

Stretching is one of those things almost everyone has been told to do.

Stretch before exercise.

Stretch after exercise.

Stretch your hamstrings.

Stretch your hip flexors.

Stretch because you are stiff.

Stretch because you are sore.

Stretch because someone on the internet said your psoas is ruining your life.

But here is the useful question: How long should you actually hold a stretch — and what is stretching really doing?

The short answer is that 20–30 seconds is a very reasonable place to start.

The more interesting answer is that stretching is probably less about physically “pulling a muscle longer” and more about training your body to tolerate, control and access more range of movement.

That is how I often explain it to patients in clinic. Stretching is a form of flexibility training. In the same way strengthening gradually teaches tissue to tolerate and produce more load, stretching gradually teaches the body to tolerate and access more range.

You are not just yanking on a rope. You are asking the muscle, tendon, joint, fascia and nervous system to become more comfortable in, and adaptable to, a position.

And, like most training, it works best when it is consistent, tolerable and matched to the person.

The 30-second answer

For most people, a simple starting point is: Hold a gentle static stretch for 20–30 seconds. Repeat it 2–4 times. Do it several days per week. You should feel tension, not pain.

Research suggests many different stretching durations can improve range of motion, but 30–60 seconds is commonly recommended for improving passive range. A recent review also noted there is no single magic duration that clearly beats all others.

A 2025 dose-response review found that static stretching improves flexibility in adults, with no extra benefit seen beyond about 4 minutes per session or 10 minutes per week for a muscle group.

So you do not need to turn stretching into a second job. The real key is not one heroic stretch. It is repeated, calm exposure over time.

So, does stretching actually work?

Yes — if the goal is to improve flexibility or range of motion.

A 2025 international expert consensus found that both acute and longer-term stretching can improve range of motion and reduce stiffness. However, the same consensus also found that stretching does not meaningfully improve posture, does not substantially build muscle, is not a complete injury-prevention strategy, and does not acutely enhance post-exercise recovery.

That is probably the most practical summary of stretching: Stretching is useful. It is just not magic.

It can help you move further. It may help you feel less restricted. It may be useful in rehab. It may help you access positions you currently avoid. But it will not fix every ache, prevent every injury or undo eight hours of sitting with one determined hamstring stretch.

Are you actually lengthening the muscle?

Sometimes people imagine stretching like pulling Blu Tack or lengthening a piece of elastic. That is probably too simplistic.

A 2025 systematic review found that static stretching can reduce overall stiffness, and that longer-term stretching can increase stretch tolerance. Interestingly, neither acute nor chronic static stretching appeared to significantly change muscle fascicle length.

Translated into normal language: You may be becoming more flexible because your body becomes less stiff and more tolerant of the position — not simply because the muscle has been permanently stretched longer.

That is why I like the phrase flexibility training. You are training the system.

The muscle, tendon, joint capsule, connective tissue, nerves and brain are all involved. The nervous system is constantly deciding how safe, familiar or threatening a position feels. Stretching gives the body repeated exposure to that position, ideally in a way that feels controlled rather than forced.

This is also why forcing a painful stretch is rarely clever. If the body feels threatened, it may guard more, not less.

Should I stretch before exercise?

It depends what you are about to do. Before exercise, the goal is usually not to become more flexible. The goal is to prepare the body for movement.

That is why I usually recommend a warm-up rather than a long static stretching routine before sport or training.

For example:

Before running: walk, jog, calf raises, leg swings.

Before tennis: side steps, trunk rotation, shoulder movement.

Before gardening: walking, squats to a chair, hip hinges.

Before footy, netball or basketball: dynamic movement, change of direction and gradual acceleration.

A 2024 systematic review found that both static and dynamic stretching can improve lower-limb range of motion during warm-up, but dynamic stretching was more favorable for activities involving jumping and performance.

So, before explosive activity, I would usually choose: dynamic warm-up first, static stretching later if needed. A long, intense static stretch immediately before sprinting, jumping or heavy lifting is usually not the best use of time.

Does stretching prevent injury?

This is where stretching has probably been oversold. Stretching alone does not appear to be a strong injury-prevention strategy.

A large systematic review of exercise interventions found no clear beneficial effect for stretching alone, while strength training, proprioception and combined exercise programs showed stronger effects for reducing injuries.

That does not mean stretching has no role. It just means we should not pretend it does everything. If someone keeps straining their calf, the answer is usually not just “stretch your calf more.”

We may need to consider:

• calf strength

• ankle range of motion

• training load

• recovery

• footwear

• running technique

• previous injury

• balance and control

• how quickly activity was increased

Stretching might be part of the plan. It is rarely the whole plan.

Does stretching help soreness after exercise?

Probably not much. Delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, is the soreness that often appears 24–48 hours after unfamiliar or harder exercise.

A Cochrane review found that stretching before or after exercise has little or no clinically important effect on muscle soreness in the week after activity. So if you return to the gym after six months, do five sets of lunges, and then walk downstairs sideways for two days, stretching may feel nice — but it probably will not magically erase the soreness.

Gentle movement, time, sleep, food, sensible activity and gradually building capacity are usually more important.

Can stretching help pain?

Sometimes, yes. Stretching can be helpful when pain is associated with stiffness, sensitivity, reduced movement confidence or a genuine loss of range.

For example, gentle stretching may help someone who feels restricted through their hips after sitting all day. It may help someone with limited ankle movement. It may help someone who feels guarded through the neck and shoulders.

But stretching is not always the answer. In clinic, I often see people who have been aggressively stretching an area because it feels “tight.” Sometimes that tightness is not a simple flexibility problem. It may be protective tension, nerve sensitivity, weakness, overload, stress, poor sleep, or a joint that does not like the position being forced.

A useful rule is: A good stretch should feel tolerable, relieving or mildly uncomfortable — not sharp, nervy, pinchy or threatening. If stretching consistently makes symptoms worse, it is probably the wrong tool, the wrong dose, or the wrong target.

Static stretching, dynamic stretching and PNF

There are a few different ways to stretch.

• Static stretching is the classic version. You move into a stretch and hold it. Example: holding a calf stretch against the wall.

• Dynamic stretching involves controlled movement in and out of range. Example: leg swings, arm circles, walking lunges.

• PNF stretching usually involves a contract-relax approach.

Example: gently contracting the hamstring against resistance, relaxing, then moving into a slightly greater range.

None of these is automatically best. The best choice depends on the person, the goal and the timing.

For general flexibility, static stretching is simple and useful. Before sport, dynamic stretching usually makes more sense. In rehabilitation, contract-relax or PNF-style stretching can be useful when applied carefully.

What about foam rollers and spiky balls?

Foam rollers and spiky balls often live in the same cupboard as stretching straps, resistance bands and good intentions. They can be useful — but probably not for the reason many people think.

Foam rolling may temporarily improve range of motion and may help reduce post-exercise soreness. A 2020 systematic review found foam rolling increased range of motion and appeared useful for recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage.  A 2024 systematic review found foam rolling had small to moderate effects on muscle soreness after exercise, though the authors also noted limitations in the quality of the evidence.

What foam rollers and spiky balls probably do not do is permanently “break up scar tissue,” “smash knots,” or dramatically “release fascia” in the way they are sometimes advertised. I often describe them as a volume knob, not a repair tool. They may turn down sensitivity. They may make an area feel less guarded. They may create a short window where movement feels easier.

But you still need to use that window well. That might mean walking, strengthening, mobility work, rehab exercises or simply moving with more confidence. A few practical tips:

• Use gentle to moderate pressure.

• Avoid turning it into a pain competition.

• Try 30–90 seconds on an area.

• Avoid rolling directly over fresh injury, bruising, swelling, irritated nerves or bony points.

• If symptoms feel sharper, nervier or worse afterwards, it is probably not the right tool.

Spiky balls can be useful for areas like the feet, glutes or upper back. But more pressure is not automatically better. The goal is not to punish the tissue into submission.

Why do I still feel tight if I stretch all the time?

This is one of the most common questions I hear. There are a few possibilities.

• You may not be stretching consistently enough.

• You may be stretching the wrong area.

• You may be stretching too aggressively.

• You may need strength through range, not more passive flexibility.

• You may be dealing with sensitivity rather than shortness.

• Or your daily habits may be recreating the stiffness faster than stretching can change it.

For example, someone may stretch their neck every day but spend eight hours at a laptop, sleep poorly, clench their jaw and carry stress through their shoulders. The stretch is not necessarily wrong. It is just outnumbered.

This is why assessment matters. The question is not only: Which muscle is tight? It is: Why does this area feel tight for this person?

Stretching for older adults

Stretching can be very useful for older adults, especially when the goal is to maintain mobility for daily life. Things like walking, gardening, getting out of chairs, reaching overhead, getting up from the floor and feeling confident moving all rely on available range of motion.

But stretching should not sit on its own. The Australian 24-hour movement guidelines recommend that adults include moderate to vigorous physical activity, muscle-strengthening activities at least two days per week, functional activities targeting mobility, balance and coordination, and regular light physical activity.

That is a much better model than stretching alone. For older adults, I usually think in terms of mobility + strength + balance + confidence. Stretching can support that. But it should not replace strength, balance or functional movement.

My practical stretching advice

Here is the simple version I would give most patients.

• If you want to improve flexibility: Hold a gentle stretch for 20–30 seconds, repeat 2–4 times, and do it several days per week for a few weeks.

• If you are warming up for sport or exercise: Use dynamic movement first. Prepare the body for the activity you are about to do.

• If you are stretching after exercise: That is fine if it feels good, but do not expect it to prevent soreness.

• If you are stretching for pain: Keep it gentle. If it worsens symptoms, stop and reassess.

• If you are trying to prevent injury: Do not rely on stretching alone. Include strength, balance, gradual loading and sport-specific preparation.

• If you use foam rollers or spiky balls: Use them to reduce sensitivity and improve comfort, not to attack the tissue.

When should you be careful?

Avoid aggressive stretching if you have:

• sharp pain

• pins and needles

• numbness

• unexplained weakness

• significant swelling

• recent trauma

• worsening symptoms

• nerve-like pain down the arm or leg

If a stretch creates burning, tingling, electric pain or symptoms that travel, it may not be a simple muscle stretch. That is a good time to get assessed.

An osteopathic perspective

From an osteopathic point of view, stretching is not just about one isolated muscle. Human movement involves joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, nerves, circulation, coordination, balance, pain sensitivity and psychology.

That is why two people can do the same stretch and have completely different responses.

One person’s hip flexor stretch may be exactly what they need. Another person may need glute strength, lumbar control, walking volume, better load management, or reassurance that their back is safe to move.

In clinic, I use stretching as part of a broader plan. That may include hands-on treatment, exercise, strengthening, activity modification, pacing, education and referral when needed.

Stretching is not the hero of every story. But used well, it can be a very helpful character.

Final take-home

Stretching works — but mainly for improving flexibility and range of motion. It is best understood as flexibility training, involving changes in stretch tolerance, tissue stiffness and nervous system adaptation — not simply pulling a muscle longer.

For most people, holding a stretch for 20–30 seconds is a sensible starting point. Longer is not always better. Harder is not always better. Consistency matters more than intensity.

• Stretch what needs stretching.

• Strengthen what needs strengthening.

• Warm up before asking your body to do something dramatic.

And please do not turn every stretch into a fight. Your body is usually easier to train than it is to force.

References

1. Warneke K, Thomas E, Blazevich AJ, et al. Practical recommendations on stretching exercise: A Delphi consensus statement of international research experts. Journal of Sport and Health Science. 2025.

2. Ingram LA, Tomkinson GR, d’Unienville NMA, et al. Mechanisms underlying range of motion improvements following acute and chronic static stretching: a systematic review, meta-analysis and multivariate meta-regression. Sports Medicine. 2025.

3. Ingram LA, et al. Optimising the dose of static stretching to improve flexibility. 2025.

4. Behm DG, et al. Acute effects of various stretching techniques on range of motion: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Sports Medicine - Open. 2023.

5. Esteban-García P, et al. Does the inclusion of static or dynamic stretching in the warm-up routine improve jump height and range of motion in physically active individuals? A systematic review with meta-analysis. 2024.

6. Herbert RD, de Noronha M, Kamper SJ. Stretching to prevent or reduce muscle soreness after exercise. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Updated 2022.

7. Lauersen JB, Bertelsen DM, Andersen LB. The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2014.

8. Skinner B, et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of foam rolling on range of motion, recovery and markers of athletic performance. 2020.

9. Zhou J, Jia D, Mao J, Xu Y. Preventive effect of foam rolling on muscle soreness after exercise: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. 2024.

10. Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. 24-hour movement guidelines for all Australians. Updated 2026.