Static Stretch (SS) does not appear to reduce injury risk and any effect on earlier return to sport is of marginal clinical significance. In contrast, a graduated strength training programme appears to significantly reduce injury risk and significantly reduce the time to return to sport after injury.
Therefore, the only area in which SS might seem to offer a specific advantage is in the area of increasing flexibility. However, there remains a lack of evidence that gains are superior to those of a strength training programme. Even if strength training is eventually confirmed as being inferior to SS at increasing flexibility, the fact that strength training improves performance, pain, disability, injury and return to sport rates mean strength training must be a mainstay of athletic development and training, in contrast to SS.