Effect of Stretching on Thoracolumbar Fascia Injury and Movement Restriction in a Porcine Model.
Helene M Langevin, James Bishop, Rhonda Maple and 2 others
PMID 28901961WHAT IT FOUND
In pigs with induced back injury and movement restriction, removing the restriction restored walking speed but failed to restore fascia mobility.
Adding daily passive stretching for four weeks did not improve fascia mobility compared to simply removing the restriction.
Key findings
01Removing the movement restriction restored normal gait speed but did not restore fascia mobility.
02Daily passive stretching was not superior to simply removing the hobble in reversing fascia mobility deficits.
03Fascia mobility decreased in all groups from week 8 to week 12, and no significant differences in change scores were found between the stretching group and others.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study was conducted on pigs, not humans, so direct clinical applicability to patient care is unproven. The passive stretching method used in pigs may not have applied sufficient traction to the thoracolumbar fascia compared to methods used in rodents, potentially limiting the conclusion that stretching itself is ineffective. The authors note that pigs, unlike rodents but like humans, lack a specific subcutaneous muscle layer, which may alter how tissue layers respond to stretching. The study did not measure pain or functional outcomes relevant to human therapy, only biomechanical and structural changes.
Declared interests
The authors report no competing financial interests. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (Extramural).
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that stretching is ineffective for low back pain in humans. The study authors explicitly state they do not conclude that stretching in general is not useful, only that this specific passive method in this animal model was not effective.