Trial reportEuropean journal of applied physiology2017
The acute benefits and risks of passive stretching to the point of pain.
Trial report in European journal of applied physiology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- Immediate and short-term effects of neurodynamic techniques on hamstring flexibility: A systematic review with meta-analysis.PloS one · 2025Pooled it
- Immediate effects of neurodynamic nerve gliding versus static stretching on hamstring neuromechanical properties.European journal of applied physiology · 2020Trial
- Effect of 12-week dynamic stretching of hamstrings on joint flexibility and musculoskeletal properties.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Article
- Participant and Researcher Perceptions of Stretching Intensity and Muscle Tension in A Hamstrings and Shoulder Stretch in Healthy Young Adults.Journal of sports science & medicine · 2026Article
- Perception-Based Methods and Beyond: A Current Opinion on How to Assess Static Stretching Intensity.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of Home-Based Stretching and Strengthening Training for Improving Flexibility, Strength, and Physical Function in Older Adults with Leg Tightness and/or Suspected Sarcopenia.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Comment on "Effectiveness of Mind-Body Exercise in Older Adults With Sarcopenia and Frailty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" by Wan et al.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2025Article
- The effects of 6-week home-based static stretching, dynamic stretching, or eccentric exercise interventions on muscle-tendon properties and functional performance in older women.Journal of exercise science and fitness · 2024Article
- Effects of static stretching and walking during inter-set intervals of resistance training on muscle fatigue of the quadriceps.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2024Article
- The Effects of Static Stretching Intensity on Range of Motion and Strength: A Systematic Review.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2023Review
- Acute Effects of Different Intensity and Duration of Static Stretching on the Muscle-Tendon Unit Stiffness of the Hamstrings.Journal of sports science & medicine · 2022Article
- Article
- Influence of Aerobic Exercise After Static Stretching on Flexibility and Strength in Plantar Flexor Muscles.Frontiers in physiology · 2020Article
- Involuntary hamstring muscle activity reduces passive hip range of motion during the straight leg raise test: a stimulation study in healthy people.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2019Article
- The EJES-3D tool for personalized prescription of exercise in axial spondyloarthritis through multimedia animations: pilot study.Rheumatology international · 2018Article
- The effects of 4 weeks stretching training to the point of pain on flexibility and muscle tendon unit properties.European journal of applied physiology · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThis study evaluated the acute effects of two different stretch intensities on muscle damage and extensibility.
methodsTwenty-two physically active women (age 20 ± 1.0 years) were divided into two matched groups and undertook eight sets of 30-s passive hamstring stretching. One group stretched to the point of discomfort (POD) and the other to the point of pain (POP). Hamstring passive torque, sit and reach (S&R), straight leg raise (SLR), and markers of muscle damage were measured before, immediately after stretching and 24 h later.
resultsS&R acutely increased and was still increased at 24 h with median (interquartile range) of 2.0 cm (0.5-3.75 cm) and 2.0 cm (0.25-3.0 cm) for POP and POD (p < 0.05), respectively, with no difference between groups; similar changes were seen with SLR. Passive stiffness fully recovered by 24 h and there was no torque deficit. A small, but significant increase in muscle tenderness occurred at 24 h in both groups and there was a very small increase in thigh circumference in both groups which persisted at 24 h in POP. Plasma CK activity was not raised at 24 h.
conclusionStretching to the point of pain had no acute advantages over stretching to the discomfort point. Both forms of stretching resulted in very mild muscle tenderness but with no evidence of muscle damage. The increased ROM was not associated with changes in passive stiffness of the muscle but most likely resulted from increased tolerance of the discomfort.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.