As a physical therapist, I’ve had the above question asked of me more times than I can count. Although this seems like a simple question to answer for a physical therapist, a new injury is not usually something that can be “cured” with a “couple of stretches.” Let’s unpack this one. 

It needs to be recognized that human beings are constantly moving using poor motor strategies with various reasonable excuses: they’re in a hurry, they’re forced to move within a confined space, or they didn’t have anyone to help them with a heavy lift, just to name a few.

Not many individuals realize how they have accumulated multiple “micro-injuries,” I like to call them, which force them to adopt alternate ways of moving over time to prevent pain or simply work around a sensation of “blocked motion.” This strategy of finding other ways to move to get the same job done results in a net loss of options for movement. This frequently occurs without a person even realizing what’s happening. Being wired for efficiency, we choose to move through the path of least resistance. This adoption of finding alternate ways of moving works out pretty well for a period of time. However, once a new injury develops within that alternate movement pattern, be it from a direct trauma, overuse, or even doing something that seems like a very minor insult to the system, is when the brain usually begins to recognize pain. 

It needs to be understood that when someone is experiencing a new pain, soreness, or stiffness, it doesn’t always mean that a stretch will fix the problem. A stretch could even make it worse. For example, let’s say that a nerve was stretched beyond its normal range of motion with the latest insult and is now inflamed. Not only is the nerve inflamed, it is sending inflammatory products into its end target tissues! What does this look like you ask? It can involve numbness, tingling, skin hypersensitivity, joint stiffness, muscle soreness, or cramping, just to name a few possible symptoms.

It’s also important to understand that the connective tissue could have been over-stretched through the latest injury. This could have happened because it was already adhered to the surrounding anatomy as a result of one of the body’s previous “micro-injuries” as mentioned above nor have the range available to allow for the motion that was performed. These connective tissue adherences can affect a very localized region or a very broad area, depending on many factors. With that in mind, these connective tissue adherences not only affect the muscles, but also the surrounding nerves, vasculature, and joints. 

Finally, do realize that when joint surfaces are not permitted to move as designed with various rolling, gliding, sliding, shearing, or spinning type movements, movement can feel blocked. Blocked motion is a yellow flag built into the system to tell us that we may not proceed further into that direction. The joint surfaces are simply not articulating in a way to allow the movement being attempted, or a nerve has had all of its available slack taken up and will not permit any further movement to protect itself. Trying to force movement through stretching at this point would cause a compressive force across the joint surfaces and possibly cause more irritation to the joint, not to mention the nerves and other tissues crossing the joint.

In summary, this is not an all exhaustive explanation. There are a number of other factors to consider. However, you as the reader now have a better understanding as to why you may have received a cringe in response to this question if you have ever asked it of a physical therapist. Therefore, to quickly answer the question, the answer is “no!” 

The bottom line is that stretching is not bad or wrong, it’s just not always the best starting point. Your best bet is to have it checked out by a movement specialist, also known as a physical therapist!