No, not to bend it, just to apply some side tension. I use my fingers but don't recommend that to others as you can chop off a couple in the fan if you slip.
You just want to press on it moderately, if the bushings have failed, the pressure makes the noise go away while you press on it. Then you know the shock is bad. Not that it doesn't have damping, just the rubber end bushing fails and makes an awful rattling noise at idle!