We’ve all been there—fired up by a random surge of motivation, ready to crush our goals. Then, after one intense session of lifting or stretching, BAM—soreness hits.

So, do we push through or rest?

The key is balancing recovery with consistent progress. Here are two solid approaches (using stretching as an example, but this applies to lifting too! ):

Extended Preparation:

Instead of jumping straight into your usual routine, warm up 2-3x longer at a lower intensity. Ease into movement until you feel that buttery loose sensation—then hit your actual stretches with proper intensity. This keeps you moving while minimizing soreness.

Rest, Then Go Hard:

Take a break—nap, eat, or watch a movie. Recover fully. But next session? Go all in. Add an extra set, hold stretches longer, or throw in another exercise. Just don’t overdo it—challenge yourself without injury.

Neither approach is better, but I lean toward extended preparation—it helps build consistency. Either way, remember: some soreness means progress.

So circling back to the original question: Is stretching while you’re sore okay?

Yes, but remember, if you're sore, listen to your body and take the best approach that works for you.

Written by David Thurin
Edited by Lisa McNeil

Lisa approved flexibility course by Movement by David

Do you have specific areas that you’re always rubbing, stretching, foam rolling, using a massage gun on, or your partner works on it, your Massage Therapist works on it, but it never fully releases? Everything you throw at it helps a little. Then it comes back. And sometimes it’s worse than before.

You may want to rethink things a bit and refocus your efforts.

3 Ways Muscles Respond NeurologicallyA normal, healthy muscle has a supple tissue tone feel. With proper functionality it is able to lengthen/relax as well as contract/tighten. The neuro-connectivity is on point.

Weak muscles (not atrophied) have a high tissue tone or tight feel. A good tangent here is to mention that ‘tight’ is a very subjective term as it means different things to different people. These muscles are often fatigued trying to constantly contract as required. There could be a number of factors contributing to weakness such as motor control issues, an actual nerve issue, or simply lack of exercise.

Locked muscles have an excessively high tone with a rigid feel. These muscles can’t relax or lengthen normally. They are in a contracted state as a supportive structure for a synergistic muscle that isn’t functioning well. It’s a helper, a movement hero, that is screaming loudly while it’s carrying more than its fair share. Locked muscles also happen to be my favorite way of assessing the Nervous System.

Which one do you think it is that you keep Hulk Smashing?

Locked Muscles & the Synergists That Love Them
A pretty safe guess is that you have been dealing with locked muscles. No amount of tissue work, stretching, or swearing is going to actually get that muscle to release and stay that way. And you don’t want it to.

Locked muscles are supportive and protective. They are helpers. When you get them to let go, even temporarily, it’s like kicking the legs out from under you. The other muscles that are weak and not functioning well are no longer getting the help they need. Things can very quickly get worse.

A larger compensation pattern can get ramped up creating more issues and that locked muscle will overload itself once more with a vengeance. And possibly call in some more friends to help as well. Good job little buddy! Not so good for you though.

Sweet Talk the Nervous System

In order to get that locked muscle to release or let go you need to find out WHY it is locked in the first place. If your current forms of therapy or self-care are not getting the job done you should get properly assessed by a Therapist that has these skills.

No, you’re not being disloyal to your current Therapist by looking for some outside help. In all honesty, doing so will allow their work to be more effective and beneficial for you. At the end of the day the goal is to help you feel better and move better.
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Concussion Recovery Therapy (CRT) is the world’s first scientifically documented breakthrough for the treatment of TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), brain injuries and concussions. Using the latest in microcurrent technology, the cranial-sutures are treated. Concussion Recovery Therapy combines outside-the-box therapeutic thinking with evidenced based science to produce the world’s first successful brain therapy, ushering in a new era for human health and healing.

CRT is a breakthrough therapy for the treatment of concussions and brain injuries. CRT methodologically applies trans-cranial MPS microcurrent (tCMPS) to reduce the killer stress” cortisol” for improved PCS (post-concussion syndrome) symptomology, persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS), and cognitive functioning test scores (KD,ImPACT)

tCMPS is the active trans-cranial application of concentrated micro-current point stimulation (MPS) into cranial sutures, scars and key calming pressure points. tCMPS is not a passive application, like tCDS (trans-Cranial Direct Stimulation) which is applied with pads or sponges, tCMPS is an active, skilled therapeutic approach. CRT is specifically designed to dramatically reduce the physical causes of STRESS controlling TBI and PCS symptomology, scientifically proven to reduce CORTISOL (stress hormone) and improve cognitive functioning.

Concussions & Stress

It is widely accepted in science that imbalances of the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) are directly linked to wide variety of pain and diseases. Stress or persistent tone of the sympathetic system is directly related to ongoing PCS symptomology and decreased neuroplasticity.

Current research supports the prolonged PCS symptomology as the result of nervous system traumas received during the concussion event. These altered sympathetic and parasympathetic imbalances within the Autonomic Nervous system (ANS) are a critical factor in post concussive syndrome (PCS) recovery.

“Altered sympathetic balance of the ANS is a critical factor in refractory post-concussive syndrome (PCS) recovery.”

Many TBI and concussion patients recovery within weeks, while others may never recover. The difference between these patients boils down to accumulated stress and cortisol. Increased cortisol is directly linked in science to:

• Decreased neuroplasticity (Sale 2008)
• Brain aging (Landfield 1978)
• Refractory TBI and post concussion syndrome, (Condor 2014)
• Hippocampus atrophy and memory (Tatmir 2014)
• Impaired cognitive performance (Lupien 1994)

The ultimate goal of Concussion Recovery Therapy is to improve cognitive functioning and reduced PCS symptomology through STRESS reduction and ANS regulation. Sympathetic stress and cortisol (the endocrine STRESS marker), are directly linked in research to concussions, diminished brain health and poor cognitive functioning. If you are still struggling with PCS or TBI recovery and want an effective therapy for your concussion management program, follow the science!

Read more here: ​https://www.concussionrecoverytherapy.com/

The traditional in-network model for outpatient physical therapy is not sustainable and is not helping facilitate successful outcomes for patients. Insurance companies across the board continue to reduce payment for physical therapy while imposing visit limits, billing and coding restrictions, and denying necessary care altogether. Meanwhile, the quality of care available to patients continues to decrease as in-network practices are being squeezed. Labor, equipment, medical supplies, and space are all more costly than they’ve ever been, and it continues to become harder and harder to offset those costs with these declining and/or denied payments for services. Thus, the healthcare industry as a whole are at a crossroads. Instead of settling for providing sub-standard care and burning out our therapists with almost impossible productivity demands, Momentum decided to put the patient experience back at the forefront of the conversation by adopting a private-pay model.

At Momentum, we believe that any problem can be solved with the right approach to caring for people. Our healthcare system is currently designed to tell us that whatever ails us can only be fixed through medications, injections, or surgery. At Momentum, we know that your body was designed to adapt, survive, and thrive, and sometimes you just need someone to help you get out of your own way and start to move in the right direction. The in-network model simply cannot consistently provide the level of care and attention needed to achieve these goals. Thus, Momentum has chosen to blaze our own trail in order to make sure that our patients can move from pain to performance without any unnecessary hurdles or roadblocks to overcome.

What is the difference between an out-of-network/private pay therapy experience and an in-network therapy experience?
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Below is a direct comparison to help you see how our practice model compares to traditional in-network practices and how we are likely to help you save time and money while helping you achieve your desired result.
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