Alternative Flexibility Training.
David G Behm, Jose Carlos Aragão-Santos, Negar Korooshfard and 1 others
PMID 37020433WHAT IT FOUND
Static stretching remains effective for increasing range of motion.
Resistance training and foam rolling also improve range of motion, but static stretching offers additional benefits like pain reduction and balance improvements, particularly when other methods are not suitable.
Key findings
01Resistance training and foam rolling can provide similar increases in range of motion as static stretching, with resistance training showing larger improvements in untrained individuals.
02Static stretching reduces musculotendinous injury incidence, improves balance, and reduces pain when performed for at least 30 seconds per muscle group for a total of at least 5 minutes.
03Local muscle vibration, either alone or combined with static stretching, can increase range of motion, potentially through mechanisms like increased stretch threshold and diminished muscle viscosity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
This is a narrative review, not a systematic review or meta-analysis, so the selection of studies may be biased. The review summarizes findings from other studies and meta-analyses, so the quality of the evidence depends on the original sources. The review does not report patient outcomes or functional improvements, only range of motion changes. The effectiveness of foam rolling for ankle dorsiflexion was not supported, suggesting site-specific limitations.
Declared interests
The work was supported by a Discovery Grant from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada to Dr. David Behm.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that static stretching is inferior to other methods for increasing range of motion. The review indicates that static stretching, dynamic stretching, and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation are similarly effective, and static stretching offers additional benefits like pain reduction and injury prevention that other methods may not provide.