Stretching Therapy for Sport and Manual Therapies

By

Jari Ylinen, PhD, Head of Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Jyvaskyla Central Hospital, Keskussairaalantie; Jyvaskyla, Finland

Description

This practical resource examines the research, theory, and practice associated with stretching therapy. Anatomical illustrations and clear descriptions make it easy to learn which muscles are affected by specific treatment techniques. Full-color photographs show correct positioning of the patient and the therapist, with explanations of each movement on the same page or two-page spread.

Contents

1. General Joint Physiology
2. Concepts
3. Joint types
4. Factors affecting joint mobility
5. Factors affecting muscle tension
6. Stretching during immobilization
7. Physiotherapy treatments prior to stretching – superficial heat/deep heat/application of cold/massage/vibration
8. Stretching in sports – warm-up/cooling down
9. Circulation during stretching
10. Effect of stretching on muscle pain after exertion
11. Effect of strengthening exercises on muscle stiffness
12. Effect of stretching on muscle strength
13. Effect of stretching on tendons
14. Importance of back flexibility to body function
15. Factors affecting flexibility – body structure/age/heredity and gender/time of day
16. Muscle-tendon system structure
17. Physiology of stretching – effects on fascia/effects on joint ligaments/effects on tendons/effects on nerves
18. Neurophysiology of stretching – nerve supply to the muscle-tendon system
19. Stretch research – electrical activity in muscles during stretching/viscosity and resistance in connective tissue during stretching
20. Active stretching
21. Static stretching – repetition and duration/ankle flexion/hip flexion/application of static stretching technique
22. Active assisted stretching
23. Contract-relax stretching technique
24. Contract-relax and agonist tension stretch
25. Dynamic stretching
26. Ballistic stretching
27. Comparison of stretching techniques
28. Conclusions of stretching research
29. Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation – PNF
30. Muscle energy technique – MET
31. Strain and counter-strain
32. Functional stretching
33. Stretching in physiotherapy – muscle injury/muscle cramp/recovery following fracture and surgery/burns/spasticity associated with brain trauma/joint inflammation/limited joint mobility/muscle shortening in lower extremity/tennis elbow/chronic back pain
34. Complications of stretching and their prevention – pain due to irritation of joint receptors/strains/hypermobility/nerve trauma/autonomic hyper-reflex/damage to blood vessels/damage to vertebral discs/risk of fracture
35. Stretching as prevention
36. Factors affecting effectiveness of stretching techniques
37. Measuring stretch sensation
38. Measuring stretch force
39. Subjective and objective muscle tension
40. Motivation
* Index to stretching techniques
* Muscles and their stretching techniques
* References
* Index