ReviewSports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)2017
Cardiovascular Responses to Skeletal Muscle Stretching: "Stretching" the Truth or a New Exercise Paradigm for Cardiovascular Medicine?
Review in Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
21 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 59 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of post-exercise stretching versus no stretching on lower limb muscle recovery and performance: a meta-analysis.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Pooled it
- The Effects of Stretching Exercise on Levels of Blood Glucose: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.Sports medicine - open · 2024Pooled it
- Physical Exercise Effects on Cardiovascular Autonomic Modulation in Postmenopausal Women-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Peripheral Nerve Responses to Muscle Stretching: A Systematic Review.Journal of sports science & medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Acute self-myofascial release modulates cardiac autonomic function and hemodynamic parameters at rest and reduces cardiovascular stress reaction.European journal of applied physiology · 2024Trial
- Six weeks stretching of lower limbs lowers blood pressure in hypertensive individuals.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Article
- Effect of Manual Massage, Foam Rolling, and Strength Training on Hemodynamic and Autonomic Responses in Adults: A Scoping Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Determinants of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Food Delivery Riders in Eastern Peninsular Malaysia: An Ergonomic Risk Assessment.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Muscular Performance and Blood Pressure After Different Pre-Strength Training Strategies in Recreationally Strength-Trained Women: Cross-Over Trial.Journal of cardiovascular development and disease · 2024Article
- Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between body flexibility and sarcopenia.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2023Article
- Health policy considerations for combining exercise prescription into noncommunicable diseases treatment: a narrative literature review.Frontiers in public health · 2023Review
- Fourteen weeks of multicomponent training associated with flexibility training modifies postural alignment, joint range of motion and modulates blood pressure in physically inactive older women: a randomized clinical trial.Frontiers in physiology · 2023Article
- Changes in the Allostatic Response to Whole-Body Cryotherapy and Static-Stretching Exercises in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients vs. Healthy Individuals.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Article
- 'Comment on: "The Case for Retiring Flexibility as a Major Component of Physical Fitness".Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2020Article
- The Case for Retiring Flexibility as a Major Component of Physical Fitness.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2020Article
- Additional Improvement of Respiratory Technique on Vascular Function in Hypertensive Postmenopausal Women Following Yoga or Stretching Video Classes: The YOGINI Study.Frontiers in physiology · 2020Article
- Physical Fitness and Body Composition in Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2019Article
- Mechanistic insights into the modulatory role of the mechanoreflex on central hemodynamics using passive leg movement in humans.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2018Article
- Stretch your heart-but not too far: The role of titin mutations in dilated cardiomyopathy.The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery · 2018Review
- Association between Resting Heart Rate and Health-Related Physical Fitness in Brazilian Adolescents.BioMed research international · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Stretching is commonly prescribed with the intended purpose of increasing range of motion, enhancing muscular coordination, and preventing prolonged immobilization induced by aging or a sedentary lifestyle. Emerging evidence suggests that acute or long-term stretching exercise may modulate a variety of cardiovascular responses. Specifically, at the onset of stretch, the mechanical deformation of the vascular bed coupled with stimulation of group III muscle afferent fibers initiates a cascade of events resulting in both peripheral vasodilation and a heart rate-driven increase in cardiac output, blood pressure, and muscle blood flow. This potential to increase shear stress and blood flow without the use of excessive muscle energy expenditure may hold important implications for future therapeutic vascular medicine and cardiac health. However, the idea that a cardiovascular component may be involved in human skeletal muscle stretching is relatively new. Therefore, the primary intent of this review is to highlight topics related to skeletal muscle stretching and cardiovascular regulation and function. The current evidence suggests that acute stretching causes a significant macro- and microcirculatory event that alters blood flow and the relationship between oxygen availability and oxygen utilization. These acute vascular changes if performed chronically may result in improved endothelial function, improved arterial blood vessel stiffness, and/or reduced blood pressure. Although several mechanisms have been postulated, an increased nitric oxide bioavailability has been highlighted as one promising candidate for the improvement in vessel function with stretching. Collectively, the evidence provided in this review suggests that stretching acutely or long term may serve as a novel and alternative low intensity therapeutic intervention capable of improving several parameters of vascular function.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.