Overall, stretching did not provide protection against injury

To stretch or not to stretch? That's a question millions of runners ask themselves daily, but results from a USA Track & Field-sponsored clinical trial involving close to 3,000 runners confirm there is no difference in the risk of injury for those who stretched before running and those who did not.

The study randomly assigned people to perform a specified pre-run stretching routine or to perform no pre-run stretching for a period of 3 months. Those people who completed the study and complied with their group had the same risk of injury (16%) regardless of which group they were in. Overall, stretching did not provide protection against injury.