Should You Stretch a Pulled Muscle?

Pulled muscles are actually tears in the muscle tissue that result from an injury or extreme overuse. There are many treatments for a pulled muscle, including compression, ice and rest. But is stretching a pulled muscle helpful or will it hurt it even more?

When to Stop

• You should never stretch a pulled muscle to the point of pain or you risk re-injuring it.

Avoid Overstretching

• Do not overstretch the pulled muscles. Too much stretching can retear injured muscle fibers.

Relaxing Pulled Muscles

• Gently stretching a pulled muscle may relax the surrounding muscle fibers, which may be tight in response to the injury.

Other Therapies

• Combine stretching of the pulled muscle with other therapies to help the healing process.

When not to Strech

• If the muscle pull is severe, you could do more damage stretching it so it is best to rest and stretch the muscle only after it begins to heal.