The science of stretch therapy

Most stretching protocols are primarily aimed at increasing the range of motion of a joint, and the overall goal is to improve movement patterns involving that joint.

While many factors affect movement patterns, range of motion is a major one. Improved range of motion at joints generally facilitates better movement overall.

Increasing the flexibility of the tissues around a joint will increase its range of motion. These tissues include muscle, tendon, and fascia tissues.

Each of these tissues has different properties. However, the flexibility of each can be improved with various stretch therapy techniques.

Muscle flexibility

Muscle flexibility is affected by several factors. Overall, neural signals to the muscle tissue play a significant role in your muscles’ ability to completely lengthen, or release.

Muscles increase their flexibility in response to techniques like stretching and foam rolling, largely due to the stimulation of receptors that tell your muscles to relax or contract.

The stimulation of these receptors leads to the relaxation of your muscle fibers in the short term. Over time, stretch therapy protocols cause more permanent elongation of your muscles through changes to the resting length of the tissue itself.

Tendon and fascia flexibility

Tendons are the tissues that connect your bone to your muscles. The tendons connect to another tissue called fascia, which surrounds the outside of your muscles, as well as sections within your muscles.

In most cases, a stiff tendon is a good thing. Still, sometimes excessive tightness in the tendons and the fascia connective tissue surrounding your muscles can restrict the normal range of motion.

Techniques such as massage and stretching can increase the extensibility of both the tendons and fascia in the long term.

The research on various stretching techniques is ongoing and occasionally conflicting or inconclusive. Yet, overall, studies suggest that the methods found in stretch therapy improve muscle and connective tissue flexibility when properly and consistently applied

Short-term vs. long-term flexibility

Stretch therapy techniques increase flexibility in both the short and long term. The range of motion in a given area typically increases immediately after a stretch therapy session.

Short-term increased range of motion can improve movement in the following training session, but it will dissipate if stretch therapy ceases.

However, if you continually perform stretch therapy two to three times per week, the range of motion increases become more permanent. Connective tissue structures and resting muscle length will adapt to the stretch therapy and maintain improved flexibility.

These long-term flexibility adaptations are the goal of stretch therapy. As such, you must consistently do your stretching routine to see meaningful improvements.