Credit score: Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels
Whether or not enhancing your flexibility was considered one of your new yr’s resolutions, otherwise you’ve been impressed watching sure tennis stars warming up on the Australian Open, possibly 2025 has you eager to give attention to common stretching.
Nonetheless, a fast Google search may depart you overwhelmed by all of the completely different stretching strategies. There’s static stretching and dynamic stretching, which might be considered the primary kinds of stretching.
However there are additionally another probably lesser identified kinds of stretching, similar to PNF stretching. So in the event you’ve come throughout PNF stretching and it piques your curiosity, what do it is advisable to know?
What’s PNF stretching?
PNF stretching stands for proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation. It was developed within the Nineteen Forties in the US by neurologist Herman Kabat and bodily therapists Margaret Knott and Dorothy Voss.
PNF stretching was initially designed to assist sufferers with neurological circumstances that have an effect on the motion of muscular tissues, similar to polio and a number of sclerosis.
By the Seventies, its recognition had seen PNF stretching increase past the clinic and into the sporting enviornment the place it was utilized by athletes and health fanatics throughout their warm-up and to enhance their flexibility.
Though the specifics have advanced over time, PNF basically combines static stretching (the place a muscle is held in a lengthened place for a brief time frame) with isometric muscle contractions (the place the muscle produces drive with out altering size).
PNF stretching is usually carried out with the assistance of a companion.
There are 2 predominant varieties
The 2 commonest kinds of PNF stretching are the “contract-relax” and “contract-relax-agonist-contract” strategies.
The contract-relax technique includes placing a muscle right into a stretched place, adopted instantly by an isometric contraction of the identical muscle. When the particular person stops contracting, the muscle is then moved right into a deeper stretch earlier than the method is repeated.
For instance, to enhance your hamstring flexibility, you possibly can lie down and get a companion to raise your leg up simply to the purpose the place you start to really feel a stretch behind your thigh.
As soon as this sensation eases, try and push your leg again in direction of the bottom as your companion resists the motion. After this, your companion ought to now have the ability to raise your leg up barely increased than earlier than till you are feeling the identical stretching sensation.
This system was based mostly on the premise that the contracted muscle would fall “electrically silent” following the isometric contraction and subsequently not provide its ordinary degree of resistance to additional stretching (referred to as “autogenic inhibition”). The contract-relax technique makes an attempt to use this transient window to create a deeper stretch than would in any other case be potential with out the prior muscle contraction.
The contract-relax-agonist-contract technique is comparable. However after the isometric contraction of the stretched muscle, you carry out a further contraction of the muscle group opposing the muscle being stretched (known as the “agonist” muscle), earlier than the muscle is moved right into a static stretch as soon as extra.
Once more, in the event you’re attempting to enhance hamstring flexibility, instantly after attempting to push your leg in direction of the bottom you’d try and raise it again in direction of the ceiling (this bit with out companion resistance). You’ll do that by contracting the muscular tissues on the entrance of the thigh (the quadriceps, the agonist muscle on this case).
Likewise, after this, your companion ought to have the ability to raise your leg up barely increased than earlier than.
The contract-relax-agonist-contract technique is claimed to reap the benefits of a phenomenon often known as “reciprocal inhibition.” That is the place contracting the muscle group reverse that of the muscle being stretched results in a brief interval of decreased activation of the stretched muscle, permitting the muscle to stretch additional than regular.
What does the proof say?
Analysis has proven PNF stretching is related to improved flexibility.
Whereas it has been instructed that each PNF strategies enhance flexibility through adjustments in nervous system perform, analysis suggests they might merely enhance our skill to tolerate stretching.
It is value noting a lot of the analysis on PNF stretching and adaptability has centered on wholesome populations. This makes it troublesome to supply evidence-based suggestions for individuals with medical circumstances.
And it might not be the simplest technique in the event you’re trying to enhance your flexibility in the long run. A 2018 assessment discovered static stretching was higher for enhancing flexibility in comparison with PNF stretching. However different analysis has discovered it may provide better fast advantages for flexibility than static stretching.
At current, much like different kinds of stretching, analysis linking PNF stretching to damage prevention and improved athletic efficiency is comparatively inconclusive.
PNF stretching may very well result in small momentary deficits in efficiency of energy, energy, and speed-based actions if carried out instantly beforehand. So it is most likely greatest performed after train or as part of a standalone flexibility session.
How a lot do you have to do?
It seems that a single contract-relax or contract-relax-agonist-contract repetition per muscle, carried out twice per week, is sufficient to enhance flexibility.
The contraction itself does not should be arduous and forceful—solely about 20% of your maximal effort ought to suffice. The contraction ought to be held for no less than three seconds, whereas the static stretching part ought to be maintained till the stretching sensation eases.
So PNF stretching is probably a extra time-efficient method to enhance flexibility, in comparison with, for instance, static stretching. In a latest examine we discovered 4 minutes of static stretching per muscle throughout a single session is perfect for a direct enchancment in flexibility.
Is PNF stretching the correct alternative for me?
Offering you may have a companion who might help you, PNF stretching might be an excellent choice. It may also present a sooner strategy to develop into extra versatile for many who are time poor.
Nonetheless, in the event you’re about to carry out any actions that require energy, energy, or pace, it could be clever to restrict PNF stretching to afterwards to keep away from any potential deficits in efficiency.
Supplied by
The Dialog
This text is republished from The Dialog beneath a Inventive Commons license. Learn the unique article.
Quotation:
What’s PNF stretching, and can it enhance my flexibility? (2025, January 23)
retrieved 23 January 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/information/2025-01-pnf-flexibility.html
This doc is topic to copyright. Other than any honest dealing for the aim of personal examine or analysis, no
half could also be reproduced with out the written permission. The content material is offered for info functions solely.
