#JournalOfSportAndHealthScience

A panel of international experts has released the world’s first comprehensive, evidence-based guidelines for stretching. The report cuts through decades of conflicting advice and challenges common myths. Led by the Chair of Neuromotorics and Movement at the University of Bayreuth, the findings appear in the Journal of Sport and Health Science. The goal is to offer practical, science-backed guidance for athletes, therapists, and everyday exercisers.

Stretching is a familiar habit in Thailand—from Muay Thai warm-ups and pre-dawn jogs in Lumpini Park to community classes for seniors. Yet much traditional guidance on injury prevention and soreness relief may not hold up against current science. The new report arrives as Thailand’s health and fitness scene grows, with yoga in Chiang Mai and football academies in Bangkok incorporating stretching into training.

A team of elite international researchers has published the world’s first comprehensive, evidence-based recommendations for stretching, cutting through decades of conflicting advice and common misconceptions. The research, led by the Chair of Neuromotorics and Movement at the University of Bayreuth, was released this month in the Journal of Sport and Health Science, aiming to give practical, science-backed guidance to athletes, therapists, and everyday people alike (Medical Xpress).

For many Thai readers, stretching is a deeply ingrained daily practice, whether as part of traditional warm-ups in Muay Thai, pre-sunrise runs at Lumpini Park, or as a cherished ritual among the elderly at community exercise sessions. Yet few know that much of the stretching advice they follow—such as stretching to prevent injury or relieve soreness—may not hold up against modern scientific scrutiny. This new report is especially relevant at a time when health and fitness trends in Thailand, from yoga in Chiang Mai to football academies in Bangkok, are booming and often interwoven with stretching routines.