Understanding the basics of stretching (CH 1)

Why is it incorrect to believe that if a stretch is not causing pain, it is not working?

If you stretch until it hurts, the body's natural response is to tighten up to prevent any more lengthening, and possibly injury.

What does active isolated stretching use? How can it be performed?

1. Active movement and RI (reciprocal inhibition), but not isometric work, to achieve greater flexibility. 2. It can be performed with a partner as an active assisted technique.

How can ballistic stretching affect the body negatively?

1. Because it may elicit a strong myostatic stretch reflex and leave the muscle shorter that its pre-stretch length. 2. It creates more than twice the tension in the target muscle that a static stretch does. 3. It increases the likelihood of tearing muscle.

How is dynamic stretching achieved?

1. By moving a limb in a slow and controllable manner through its full available ROM. 2. As the dynamic motion is repeated, the speed of the movement increases, as does the available ROM.

What makes a stretch more effective? What does it entail?

1. If the muscle is already warmed. 2. A warm up entails 10 to 15 minutes of light activity, similar to what your exercise will be.

What are the benefits of stretching?

1. It helps prevent injuries 2. Prevents soreness 3. Improves performance 4. Promotes body awareness 5. Stimulates blood flow 6. Is mentally relaxing and centering.

What is the myostatic stretch reflex?

It prevents a muscle from stretching too far too fast, which helps protect the joint from injury.

What is dynamic stretching?

It refers to the ability to actively bring a limb through its full ROM.

What do muscle spindles monitor for?

The rate and length and tension of the muscle.

What is active isolated stretching thought to prevent?

The stretch reflex while activating RI, thereby allowing the target muscle to lengthen more easily.

When is reciprocal inhibition more likely to occur?

When necessary, as during joint movement, and not occur when undesirable, as in joint stabilization.

What is a example of muscle weakness due to inhibition using the pectoralis minor and rhomboids?

1. Hypertonic muscles have a reflexive inhibitory effect on their opposing muscle groups. 2. When the pectoral muscles are locked short, they not only contribute to the eccentric stress on the rhomboids by mechanically pulling on them, they also appear to neurologically inhibit them, making them less able to exert their normal strength and maintain postural balance. 3. It is not common to find the rhomboids regain much of their normal strength and tone spontaneously after the pectoralis muscles are released via stretching.

What does Aaron mattes recommend on how to perform active isolated stretching?

1. Isolating the muscle to be stretched, then actively lengthening it to a point of light irritation. 2. Hold the position for no more than 2 seconds, then return the limb the starting position. 3. This sequence is usually repeated 8 to 10 times.

How can a warm up increase the effectiveness of a stretch?

1. It increases blood flow to the muscles. 2. It reduces muscles stiffness, making the muscles more supple, so they stretch more easily. 3. Increased production of synovial fluid to lubricate the joints. 4. Increased oxygen exchange in the muscle. 5. Increased rate of nerve transmission. 6. More efficient cooperation of the muscles around a joint.

When is dynamic stretching usually performed?

1. It is usually performed as part of a warm-up prior to exercise and typically includes those muscles involved in the exercise activity and typically

What is the function the GTO is thought to do? What do scientist believe their function is?

1. It monitors the load on the tendon. 2. If the load becomes too great, the GTO is stimulated to cause the muscle to relax through neurological inhibition 3. Their effect is task dependent, and may inhibit or excite the muscle in which they are located as well as affecting neighboring muscles.

What is the reason behind stretching BEFORE a workout?

1. Stretch the muscles before a workout to get them ready to perform at their optimum length. This optimum length allows the muscle to develop the most power as they work.

What is passive stretching?

1. Stretching done to the client by a partner. 2. It can be ballistic or static.

What does active stretching mean?

1. The client is doing the work instead of having a partner do it.

What occurs during a passive stretch?

1. The client relaxes and the partner moves the limb being stretched to gain new range of motion.

What do the muscle spindles stimulate when the muscle lengthens too quickly (reflex hammer strikes the tendon)? What does this stretch reflex prevent?

1. The muscle spindle is stimulated and reflexively causes the muscle to contract. 2. It prevents overstretching of the joint.

What is facilitate stretching based on? How are these techniques done?

1. The principles of PNF stretching. 2. Passively or as active assisted exercises.

What does muscle energy technique target? What does it focus on? What does it use?

1. The soft tissues primarily, although it makes a major contribution toward joint mobilization. 2. It uses isometric contractions of the target muscle before the stretch while using minimal muscle force during the isometric phase. 3. It is often done passively.

What is the initiation of a stretch reflex dependent on?

1. The speed and distance the muscle is stretched. 2. Whether the stretch is occurring because the opposing muscle is contracting. 3. If the opposing muscle group is inactive.

What is passive stretching often used for?

1. To increase flexibility at the extremes of ROM, as in gymnastics, where maximum flexibility is crucial for performance. 2. It also may be used when active movement causes pain.

What is reciprocal inhibition stretching used for?

1. To stretch a target muscle by first contracting the opposing muscle. 2. This contraction is thought to inhibit the target muscle by first contracting the opposing muscle. 3. Inhibiting the target muscle neurologically and allow it to be stretched further.

How is ballistic stretching performed? What does it cause? How can this be done?

1. Using rapid bouncing movements to force the target muscle to elongate. 2. Actively or passively.

What occurs during reciprocal inhibition? What does it allow? What is it mediated by?

1. When a muscle contracts, reciprocal inhibition (mediated by the muscle spindle) was thought to inhibit the opposing muscle. 2. This inhibition would allow movement to occur around a joint. 3. A neurological reflex that may cause one muscle to relax when its opposing muscle contracts.

When is a muscle considered hypertonic? How do they feel?

1. When the muscle is short and tight due to habitual concentric action. 2. Fat, or thick and tight to palpation.

What is static stretching? How can it be done?

1. When the muscle to be stretched is lengthened slowly (to inhibit firing of the stretch reflex) and held in a comfortable range for 15 to 30 seconds. 2. As this position is held, the feeling of the stretch diminishes and the client moves gently into a deeper stretch and holds again. 3. Passively or actively.

What is the reason for stretching AFTER a workout?

2. Stretch the muscles after exercise while they are already warm to bring them back to their optimal resting length. As muscles work they repeatedly contract and shorten, and they tend to stay short when the workout is over unless you stretch them again. Post-exercise stretching can be incorporated into the cool-down.

What is autogenic inhibition mediated by? Where is the stretch receptor located?

A stretch receptor called the GTO, which is located within the musculotendinous junction and the tendon.

What is muscle energy technique?

A technique developed in osteopathy about the same time PNF was evolving in physical therapy.

What is an isometric contraction?

A voluntary muscle contraction in which no movement occurs.

What is an isotonic contraction?

A voluntary muscle contraction that causes movement.

What does active-assisted stretching combine?

Active movement by the client with help from a partner. 2. Either to add passive stretch or to provide resistance to motion, thus blending active and passive stretching.

What are the two main types of PNF stretching?

Also called relaxation techniques 1. Hold-Relax 2. Contract-Relax

What is a reflex?

An automatic, involuntary response to a stimulus.

Why is active stretching considered safer than passive stretching?

Because the chance of over stretching and causing injury are greatly reduced when the client controls the force and duration of the stretch.

How does dynamic stretching differ from ballistic stretching?

Because there are no bouncing or jerky movements, only controlled swings of the limb through its comfortable range.

What is the length a muscle should be stretched to?

Just to its soft-tissue barrier (the starting point of a stretch), or the point at which you begin to feel some resistance to further stretching, but no discomfort. (Locked Short)

What does passive stretching require from the partner?

Proper training and good communication skills to avoid injury as the partner cannot fell the sensations of the client and may overstretch the muscle.

When is a muscle considered eccentrically stressed? How does it feel?

When a muscle is overstretched (usually due to postural stress), it will also feel tight, but instead of being short and tight, it is long and tight, or locked long. 2. It stays in a state of eccentric contraction, in which it constantly works to try to return to its initial/normal length. 3. The resulting eccentric stress causes the the muscle to feel tight and sore to palpation. . They feel thin and stringy and tight.

What is an example of autogenic inhibition regarding the quadriceps and hamstrings?

When the quadriceps muscle contracts, the hamstrings would reciprocally be inhibited, thereby allowing the knee to straighten.