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Non-Muscular Structures Can Limit the Maximal Joint Range of Motion during Stretching

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Abstract

Stretching is widely used in sport training and clinical practice with the aim of increasing muscle-tendon extensibility and joint range of motion. The underlying assumption is that extensibility increases as a result of increased passive tension applied to muscle-tendon units. In some stretching protocols, this condition is not always met sufficiently to trigger adaptation within the muscle-tendon unit. For example, there is experimental evidence that both acute and chronic stretching interventions may increase the maximal range of motion in the absence of changes in the passive torque-angle curve. We contend that these results are partly explained by the influence of non-muscular structures that contribute only marginally to the passive torque. The potential candidates are the nervous system and fasciae, which would play an important role in the perception of the stretch and in the limitation of the range of motion of the maximal joints. At least in part, this may explain the lack of a significant effect of some chronic stretching interventions to change passive muscle tension.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by Grants from the Region Pays de la Loire (QUETE Project, No. 2015-09035) and the University of Nantes (Interdisciplinary Project).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Laboratory “Movement, Interactions, Performance” (EA 4334), Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Nantes, 25 Bis Boulevard Guy Mollet, BP 72206, 44322, Nantes Cedex 3, France

      Antoine Nordez, Raphaël Gross, Ricardo Andrade, Guillaume Le Sant & François Hug

    2. Gait Analysis Laboratory, Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine Department, University Hospital of Nantes, Nantes, France

      Raphaël Gross

    3. Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Estrada da Costa, 1499-002, Cruz Quebrada, Dafundo, Portugal

      Ricardo Andrade & Sandro Freitas

    4. School of Physiotherapy, IFM3R, Nantes, France

      Guillaume Le Sant

    5. Benfica LAB, Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Lisbon, Portugal

      Sandro Freitas

    6. Health and Rehabilitation Research Institute, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand

      Richard Ellis & Peter J. McNair

    7. NHMRC Centre of Clinical Research Excellence in Spinal Pain, Injury and Health, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

      François Hug

    Authors
    1. Antoine Nordez
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    Correspondence to Antoine Nordez.

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    Antoine Nordez, Raphaël Gross, Ricardo Andrade, Guillaume Le Sant, Sandro Freitas, Richard Ellis, Peter J. McNair, and François Hug declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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    A. Nordez and R. Gross have contributed equally to this work.

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    Nordez, A., Gross, R., Andrade, R. et al. Non-Muscular Structures Can Limit the Maximal Joint Range of Motion during Stretching. Sports Med 47, 1925–1929 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-017-0703-5

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