ReviewEuropean journal of applied physiology2026
What are the neurological, neurovascular, and psychological responses to stretching across the general population?
Review in European journal of applied physiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- We need article reporting standards for quantitative research in sport and exercise science: an educational narrative review.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Review
- Association between college students 'physical fitness index and negative emotional symptoms: an empirical study based on college students in Chongqing City, China.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Stretching is extensively studied and implemented to improve flexibility, as a component of warm-ups to prepare for activity, to mitigate musculotendinous injury risk, improve cardiovascular health parameters, and optimize post-exercise recovery, among others. However, less attention has focused on the effects of stretching on neurological, neurovascular, and psychological outcomes. Stress represents a pervasive element in contemporary life, with chronic mental and physical stress contributing to adverse health consequences. Evidence suggests that a bout of stretching can acutely increase sympathetic activation stimulation. However, following both acute and chronic stretching, direct and indirect measures of stress show improvements, including reductions in heart rate, blood pressure, sympathetic‒parasympathetic control, cortisol release, and psychological stress (e.g., anxiety scales) along with modifications in heart rate variability and other related changes. This review synthesizes current knowledge regarding stretch-induced adaptations to neurological, neurovascular, and psychological parameters and is intended to assist researchers, health and fitness professionals, university level students, and informed fitness enthusiasts. Based on this growing literature base, we propose evidence-based practical applications that still warrant further scientific investigation.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42133057What 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.