Whether you’re training martial arts, chasing deeper mobility, or simply pushing a stretch too far, overstretching is common, especially through the adductors.
It doesn’t take much: a slightly cold session, an over-eager weighted stretch, or an unlucky slip into range your tissue wasn’t prepared for.

When it happens, you feel it immediately.
A sharp pull, a deep burn, or that “I’ve gone too far” moment.

At Fitzrovia Body Clinic, this is one of the most frequent mobility-related injuries we treat. And the good news is: the recovery path is extremely reliable if you follow the right sequence.

1. What Actually Gets Injured When You Overstretch

It’s rarely “just a muscle pull”.

Overstretching typically affects:

• Adductor longus / magnus fibres
• Connective tissue surrounding them
• Small fascial adhesions that tear under forced range
• Joint stability (especially the hip) if the stretch was weighted

The symptoms tell you the story:

• A “pinchy” or sharp line in the inner thigh
• Weakness when you try to squeeze inward
• Stiffness that gets worse after sitting
• Bruising or swelling in moderate cases
• A feeling of “looseness” — paradoxically, this is not good
• Long-term: fibrosis, low-grade inflammation, and tighter tissue than before

None of this is permanent.
But you need to treat it like an injury, not a failed flexibility session.

2. The First Step: Stop Forcing the Range

The biggest mistake people make after overstretching?

Trying to stretch it out again.
This only re-irritates the area and delays healing.

Instead:

• Unload the tissue
• Avoid splits, deep lateral lunges, or weighted ROM
• Keep movements small, pain-free, controlled

Your goal is to let the body switch out of protection mode.

3. Settle the Irritation: Heat + Gentle Compression

The adductors respond extremely well to:

• Local heat (hot shower, hot pack, sauna — your specialty)
• Light compression
• Calm walking

This improves circulation, reduces protective tone, and creates a better healing environment.

Avoid aggressive foam rolling. You’ll only chase swelling around.

4. Regain Control Before You Chase Flexibility

This is the stage almost everyone skips.

Before your tissue trusts length again, it needs strength in shortened and neutral ranges.

Start with isometrics:

• Light adductor squeezes
• Hands-together knee “press ins”
• Short-range controlled movements

Why?
Because strength restores safety, so muscles can begin to find their range again.

5. Rebuild Length — Slowly

Once irritation has settled and you can contract without pain, you can return to stretching.

But this time:

• No forcing
• No hanging weights
• No “pushing through the burn”

Use eccentric lengthening instead:

• Cossack squat eccentrics
• Slider adductor eccentrics
• Slow controlled lateral patterns

This restores flexibility while building resilience, not vulnerability.

6. How Massage Therapy Helps

This is where FBC steps in.

Targeted manual therapy can:

• Reduce protective tension
• Break down early fibrosis
• Improve circulation and nutrient delivery
• Restore glide between muscle and fascia
• Re-establish normal neuromuscular tone

In short:
Massage accelerates healing and reduces the chance of re-injury.

We also guide you through the return-to-range process safely — no guesswork.

7. Preventing It From Happening Again

The prevention strategy is simple:

• Warm the tissue
• Strengthen it
• Lengthen it slowly
• Avoid forcing end-range
• Respect fatigue

Flexibility is not a race.
Your adductors respond to consistency, not violence.

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If You’ve Overstretched Recently

Book a session.
Get assessed.
Get treated.
Get a plan.

Overstretching is incredibly fixable — but only if you stop chasing range and start rebuilding it properly.

Fitzrovia Body Clinic

Recovery and Performance

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