How to Stretch Like a Pro: PNF Stretching for real results!

Flexibility is important for everyone from athletes to non-athletes to help keep you moving freely and comfortably in your day to day life.

Dr. Rob wants to show you how to get the most out of your stretches with a different stretching technique:

https://youtu.be/w_wfX7caJdw

That little bit of extra flexibility could be what’s standing between you and an injury or being able to put your socks on in the morning without a struggle. But according to research published in the Journal of Sports Medicine not all stretches are created equal!

One of the best ways to see instant results in your range of motion is to do some Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation stretching, or PNF stretching for short.

What is PNF Stretching?

It was a technique developed in the 1940’s by Dr. Herman Kabat to help treat different neuromuscular disorders like polio and multiple sclerosis. It involves stretching and contracting muscles to ‘hack’ your nervous system and improve your range of motion instantly.

How does it Work?

The reason we feel resistance when we stretch, or pain when we stretch too far, is because our brain wants to protect our muscles from tearing. When you stretch to a certain point your brain says ‘that’s enough’ and will contract the muscle to prevent you from stretching more even though your muscles can stretch much farther.

PNF helps overcome this by stretching a muscle to its max and then activating a reflex that will help the muscle relax and stretch a little bit more than it normally would without pain.

Technique:

The most common is Hold -Relax.

• Stretch the muscle and hold for a few seconds
• Contract the muscle without moving by gently pushing against the stretch. The contraction should be about 50% of your full force, ease into it if you need to. This contraction triggers a reflex so for a few seconds you can stretch deeper.
• Relax the stretch then stretch again while breathing out. You should notice the second stretch is deeper than the first

Here are a few PNF stretches we think most people could benefit from:

Neck PNF Stretch

• Tilt your head to the side and use your hand to gently pull into a deeper stretch and hold for a few seconds
• Push your head into your hand and resist the motion, holding the contraction for 5-10 seconds.
• Relax your neck, take a deep breath in and as you exhale stretch your neck again and see how much deeper you can go!

Chest Opening Stretch

• Bring your arm up to shoulder height and position the palm and inside of the arm on the wall surface or doorway. Gently lean forward until you feel a stretch and hold here for a few seconds
• Contract your chest like you’re trying to push away from the wall and hold for 5-10 seconds.
• Relax, take a deep breath in and on the exhale lean forward to deepen the chest stretch.

PNF stretching can be uncomfortable because you’re contracting a muscle when it’s stretched to its max, but it should never cause a lot of pain. If it’s too painful let off the stretch and start from a more relaxed position.

Another way to improve your stretching is to apply heat on the muscle first! You can do this using a hot pack, a warm shower or a hot tub if you have one.

If you have more questions about PNF stretching and how it can help you book an appointment with one of our therapists! Our physiotherapists are great at helping you find the specific muscle that needs stretching or strengthening and providing tailored exercises for you to do!

Click at the top of the page to book your appointment today!