Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39334218›Full record

ArticleBMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation2024

The effect of six-week regular stretching exercises on regional and distant pain sensitivity: an experimental longitudinal study on healthy adults.

Morten Pallisgaard Støve, Janus Laust Thomsen, Stig Peter Magnusson, Allan Riis

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04919681 (Efficacy of a Stretching Protocol on Regional and Distant Pain Sensitivity), which is not on this map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT04919681 nacompletednot on this map

Efficacy of a Stretching Protocol on Regional and Distant Pain Sensitivity:

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity College of Northern DenmarkRan2021 to 2022Enrolled26ConditionsPain ThresholdArmsStretch exercises
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Trial
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Morten Pallisgaard StøveDepartment of Physiotherapy, University College of Northern Denmark (UCN), Selma Lagerløfs Vej 2, Aalborg East, 9220, Denmark. mps@ucn.dk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6010-4376
Janus Laust ThomsenCenter for General Practice, Aalborg University, Selma Lagerløfs Vej 249, Gistrup, 9260, Denmark.
Stig Peter MagnussonInstitute of Sports Medicine Copenhagen & Department of Occupational and Physical Therapy, Bispebjerg Hospital, building 8, 1st floor, Bispebjerg bakke 23, Copenhagen, 2400, NV, Denmark.
Allan RiisDepartment of Physiotherapy, University College of Northern Denmark (UCN), Selma Lagerløfs Vej 2, Aalborg East, 9220, Denmark.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundStretching exercises are widely used for pain relief and show positive effects on musculoskeletal, nociplastic and neuropathic pain; the magnitude of altered pain sensitivity responses following regular stretching is currently unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effect of six weeks of regular stretching exercise on regional and widespread pain sensitivity and range of motion and the effect of stretching cessation on regional and widespread pain sensitivity and range of motion.

methodsAn experimental single-blind longitudinal repeated measures study. Twenty-six healthy adults were recruited. Regional and distant pressure pain thresholds and passive knee extension range of motion were measured at three points: before (baseline) and after six weeks (post-stretch) of daily bilateral hamstring stretching exercises and following four weeks of cessation (post-cessation) from stretching exercises.

resultsParticipants had a mean ± standard deviation (range) age of 23.8 ± 2.1 (21-30) years. There was a 36.7% increase in regional (p = 0.003), an 18.7% increase in distant pressure pain thresholds (p = 0.042) and a 3.6% increase in range of motion (p = 0.002) between baseline and post-stretch measures. No statistically significant differences were found for regional (p = 1.000) or distant pressure pain thresholds (p = 1.000), or range of motion (p = 1.000) between post-stretch and post-cessation. A 41.2% increase in distant pressure pain thresholds (p = 0.001), a 15.4% increase in regional pressure pain thresholds from baseline to post-cessation (p = 0.127) and a 3.6% increase in passive knee extension range of motion (p = 0.005) were found from baseline to post-cessation.

conclusionsSix weeks of regular stretching exercises significantly decreased regional and widespread pain sensitivity. Moreover, the results showed that the hypoalgesic effect of stretching on regional and widespread pain sensitivity persisted following four weeks of cessation. The results further support the rationale of adding stretching exercises to rehabilitation efforts for patients experiencing nociceptive, nociplastic, and neuropathic pain. However, further research is needed to investigate how the long-term effects of stretching exercises compare with no treatment in clinical populations.

trial registrationThe trial was registered June 1st, 2021 at ClinicalTrials.gov (Trial registration number NCT04919681).

Indexed as

Active stretchingPain sensitivityPain thresholdRange of motionStretching cessation

Identifiers

PMID39334218
PMCPMC11437648

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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.