Assisted PNF Stretching provides a host of benefits. Whether you are looking to improve mobility or decrease pain, PNF is one of the most effective forms of stretching.
Professionals in bodywork and sports medicine often use assisted stretching to aid clients. Combined with tissue work, the right stretching techniques are key to creating both immediate and lasting results.
PNF-assisted stretching is one of those methods that can make a big impact on mobility, pain reduction, and recovery.
What is PNF Stretching?
Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching is an advanced stretch technique. PNF taps into the nervous system. This produces deeper stretches with the goal of increasing range of motion.
Doctor Herman Kabat originally developed PNF in the 1940s. He wanted a method of therapy to improve both flexibility and strength in individuals with various diseases.
Maggie Knott and Dorothy Voss authored the first PNF book in 1956. Since then PNF stretching has become popular with fitness professionals, athletic trainers, and physical therapists to aid many different types of clients.
Vive manual therapists use PNF stretching with clients to quickly change the tension in muscles. A few of the benefits include:
- Improved range of motion
- Increased active performance
- Decreased stress
- Reduced tension and muscle pain
How Does PNF Stretching Work?
The idea behind PNF stretching is to work with your reflexes and nervous system to change muscle tension. Although there is extensive evidence of the effectiveness of PNF, the mechanisms are not entirely clear.
However, there are several scientifically plausible ways PNF stretching may work.
The most accepted are all based on nervous system changes.
PNF and the Myotatic Reflex
The myotatic reflex is your body’s natural way of protecting your muscles from stretching too far. When your muscles are stretched rapidly the Myotatic reflex kicks in. In addition, it is triggered under high tension. As a result of the reflex, the muscle contracts and limits motion.
It’s possible to overcome this to an extent by slowly stretching and exhaling to decrease tension in the muscle.
PNF Stretching To Reduce Pain Stimulus
Another way that Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation may work is by reducing the sensation of pain.
Not only are the muscles and tendons stretched in PNF, but they are also contracted at this elongated length. Doing that decreases the sense of pain (nociception).
Reducing pain signals to the central nervous system may be one of the ways PNF works.
The Golgi Tendon Reflex
The Golgi tendon reflex (also known as the deep tendon reflex) helps prevent injury. It enables a muscle to respond to increases in tension.
The Golgi tendon organs (GTO’s) are excited by excessive tension. This triggers the deep tendon relfex. Subsequently, the muscles relax and protect the muscle from being over-stretched or torn.
In most day-to-day movements, there isn’t sufficient tension in the muscles to activate the GTO’s deep tendon reflex.
On the other hand, PNF stretching activates the GTO and the reflex.
After that, muscle stretches further.
PNF Stretching and Reciprocal Inhibition
When a muscle contracts, the muscle group on the opposing side of the joint relaxes. This spinal level reflex is known as reciprocal inhibition.
Imagine the biceps and triceps on your arms. When the biceps contract to flex the elbow, the muscle spindle fires. That in turn sends messages to the spinal cord causing the triceps to relax.
During assisted PNF stretching, the therapist may have you contract the muscle group opposite of the one you are stretching. This takes advantage of reciprocal inhibition, making the stretched muscle group relax.
How Is Assisted PNF Stretching Performed?
There are several types of PNF stretches, but they are all designed to take advantage of the mechanisms we discussed above.
The three different types of PNF stretches:
- Contract-Relax Method. Involves contracting, holding, relaxing, and then stretching the targeted muscle group.
- Agonist-Contract Method. The opposite muscle group performs Static or dynamic contractions. This is followed by a static or dynamic stretch.
- Static stretch: the holding of a muscle in an extended position for a period of time
- Dynamic stretch: an active movement that brings joints and muscles through their full range of motion
- https://www.youtube.com/embed/RMErJ6JVCWI?feature=oembed Contract-Relax-Agonist-Contract Method: A combination of CR and AC. (Sometimes called hold-relax-agonist-contraction.)
The process of performing a PNF stretch at Vive typically involves the following;
- The manual therapist positions the target muscles for stretch and tension.
- The individual then contracts the stretched muscle group for 3-5 seconds while the manual therapist supplies enough resistance to not allow movement. This is an isometric contraction.
- The contracted muscle group relaxes and the practitioner stretches the target muscles a little further.
- The person repeats this 3 – 5 times. The manual therapist may instruct you to do a contraction of the antagonist (opposite muscle group) in between.
Enjoy the Benefits of PNF Stretching.
PNF stretching has been proven to improve active and passive range of motion. Not only does it increase flexibility, but it can also improve muscular strength.
It’s based on tapping into the nervous system and this is key for anyone who wants to use their flexibility. Instead of static and passive stretching, PNF is an active stretching technique. This means it helps our flexibility and mobility. (Learn about the difference between flexibility and mobility here.)
In short, if you want to live actively and move better, assisted PNF with a trained professional can have a major impact.
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