Skip to main content

Stretching....just makes you better at putting up with stretching

So, stretching doesn't stretch the muscle....it just makes you more tolerant of stretching?

Six weeks of sustained 30-min daily stretch does not increase the extensibility of the hamstring muscle of healthy individuals. It does, however, improve stretch tolerance leading to increased joint range of motion without any actual improvements in muscle extensibility.
Regular stretch does not increase muscle extensibility
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
And it is likely that the increase ROM at the joint is the important bit. And that can be achieved in many other ways than static muscle stretching!
July 7, 2010 at 8:01 PM
JamesSteeleII said…
It would be interesting to know the mechanisms underlying this. My undestanding is that ROM didnt increase but the ability to get near that ROM when the subjects tried themselves was improved. I have heard someone mention before that desensitisation of nerves supplying motor units occurs thus increasing ability to tolerate stretching the muscle. This would seem a bit silly though as it is also my understanding that the Golgi Tendon Organs cause the motor units that actively contract the muscle to fire in order to prevent this overstretching. Desensitisation of these nerves would then theoretically lead to decreased force production. Proabably not a good thing. Perhaps it might be due to a change in the actual golgi tendon organs that signal this excitation of motor units, causing less excitation as it were. It seems more likely to me however due to the studies indicating decreased force production after any stretching that its probably a decrease in motor unit excitation. It would be interesting to know whether or not there are any EMG studies examining whether there are any signal difference with or without stretching before exercise.
July 8, 2010 at 1:46 AM
Chris D said…
Muscle length has long been understood to be mostly a neurological phenomenon.

For examples, patients with frozen shoulder syndrome can be moved through a full range of motion under anesthesia.
July 8, 2010 at 8:33 PM
Steven Rice Fitness said…
I'm skeptical about this one- it's completely contrary to long experience doing yoga and bodywork. I'll assume that the study took a very limited look at stretching that doesn't do justice to the whole practice.
July 9, 2010 at 6:35 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dry January

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was taking part in "Dry January".  I didn't make a big song and dance about it, but I decided to go for a calendar month or so with no alcohol.  A few people have asked me about my experience, so here are a few points. Why take a break from drinking? Alcohol is an interesting topic.  As a drug it is widely accepted in society, central to so much of our socialising and leisure.  There seem to be lots of health benefits - so we are told - yet there are also a lot of problems in terms of health, relationships and lifestyle that come from drinking. Over a few years I'd begun to become aware and then concerned that I was drinking too much and too regularly.  I am in a busy and stressful job and sometimes a glass of wine after work to relax is really helpful.  But over time, one glass became two.  Two glasses became ....I might as well finish the bottle.  A habit got established....and was starting to get too e...
7 comments
Read more

So where have I been?

You will have noticed that this blog has been quiet for a while....  There are a few reasons for that, reasons that I thought I'd list here: WORK -  my day job has been incredibly busy and stressful this year. Working 10-14 hour days the last thing on my mind when I got home was putting something on here.  FACEBOOK/TWITTER - I suppose I've been using other channels to do some of what I used to do here. Quick fire posts pointing to interesting studies or news etc tend to get posted to Twitter (@chrishighcock) or to the Facebook Hillfit group http://www.facebook.com/groups/263083947097000/  REASSESSMENT - I've found myself less comfortable with some of the positions I've taken in the past. Sometimes I'm embarrassed by some of the things I've promoted. I'm not Paleo or low carb. I think Tabata and intervals are misunderstood and misapplied. I cannot really claim to be HIT.   I find myselfunable  honestly to post things on here and pretend that I am some sort o...
12 comments
Read more

Taking up space for a brief update

I've a couple of posts in draft that I will get up soon -  an update / reflection on Dry January and some thoughts on the scheduling benefits of short workouts if your life is busy.  Before that though, I am pointing to something else. However, I wanted to highlight something that is coming this weekend that I've been involved in.   Amber Rogers (Gokaleo and author of Taking Up Space ) has been pulling together a bundle of books from various authors with a common theme, one that I've been pushing here recently.   Keep it simple, avoid the hype, be patient, be consistent and flee the gurus.   I've talked before about how we get obsessed with pushing for more and more, when enough is OK.  I've given my view that so much of the health and fitness internet world is more like a gnostic religion than something that will benefit your life. There are other voices out there saying similar things and I'll be pointing to a bundle of books later this week ...
1 comment
Read more