PNF stretching - as requested

[Bill Glasheen]

Lori M-D asked me to explain the what/how/why of PNF stretching. I'll do the best I can, and give some advanced ways to apply it.

PNF is an acronym for proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation. Now you know why they use the acronym! Proprioceptive means that the stimuli arise from within the individual. The other terms are more common and self-explanatory (to some degree). Another label often used for PNF stretching is "partner stretching", because it is easier (in the beginning) to do it with a partner.

Here is the routine:

1) One does a standard stretch of a muscle or set of muscles. Lets pretend that it is your standard stretch of the hamstrings and gluteus that one does when bending forward.

2) One then "locks" him/herself into the position. This is where the partner can be useful (until you learn how to do this yourself). In the running example, that would mean that a partner firmly holds you in the "folded knife" position by holding your lower back with his/her hands.

3) Next, one performs an isometric (maximal) contraction of the muscles that are being stretched for about 6 or 7 seconds. In this case, your parter is keeping your body in the same (iso) position (metric), while you are contracting your hamstrings and gluteus. You are trying to open your jacknife position, and your partner is holding you where you are. It's important here to remember that one should breathe normally. Valsalvas - under most normal condition - are bad for the blood pressure (short term). Work hard, but breathe normally.

4) Finally, one relaxes and holds the position for a bit.

5) If desired, repeat steps 1-4. One round is enough, but one or two more can help.

What's going on here? Several things. First of all, one of the first things that happen when you stretch is that the stretch reflex (no surprise here) fights you. Good...this is what keeps you from tearing your body apart when you go out on the playing field. All these are spinal-level reflexes that are instantaneous. Well when you fatigue the muscle that you want to stretch, you quiet the nerve traffic going to the muscle(s). Secondly, the act of performing an isometric contraction has benefits in and of itself. It warms the muscle up from the energy needed for the work, which helps the muscles stretch better. It also helps one achieve what I like to call "active range of motion". One learns how to develop strong muscular contractions in this extreme of range of the muscle(s) in question. This is a good thing when it comes time to go onto the playing field.

There is a more advanced version of this called CRAC - Contraction, Relaxation, Antagonistic Contraction. Here is how it goes.

Let's say you are trying to stretch the adductor muscles - those muscles on the inside of your thighs. Well you can do PNF on these by yourself via the following way:

1) Put your back to the wall.

2) Bring your feet in to your groin, and have them facing flat-to-flat. Your knees will be pointing out to the sides.

3) Now use your hands as the "partner" to push the knees down (until the adductor is fully stretched), and then hold the knees/legs in that position.

4) Perform the isometric contraction, and then relax.

That is the Contraction and Relaxation part of CRAC. So...what's with the rest? For every agonist (in this case, it is the adductor which is on the inside of your thigh), there is an antagonist (in this case, it is the abductor which is on the outside of your thigh). So with the Contraction and Relaxation part, you have already partially silenced the nerve traffic to the adductor and warmed it up a bit. Now when you contract the antagonist, well an interesting thing happens.

Our nervous system control of muscles works in a predictable way. When I want to do a simple motion, the nervous system activates the muscles that accomplish what I want, and silence the traffic on the muscles that hinder what I want. If I want to punch fast, I can do so if my tricep nerves fire and my bicep nerves are silenced. This is in effect as long as I am not in danger of hyperextending the joint.

So back to our stretching adductors. When we have silenced the adductor and contract the abductors (the antagonist), the nerve traffic to the adductor is silenced even more. We have a greater ability to fight our body's desire to limit the stretch. Plus...the abductor helps us bring the knees down even more because it works in the same direction of the stretch. Thus our knees will go down noticeably with the antagonistic contraction.

Let me know if you have any questions, comments, etc. on PNF and CRAC.

- Bill

[lori macleod-doyle]

Thank-you Bill San,

Sounds like just what I need. I ,like many others,do not stretch as often as I know I should. I have found that I tend to only get a good stretch when I work with a partner and so I often do not bother when at home alone.(shame on me)
The problem I have is that I seem to have a couple of trouble spots that I don't know how to get to. The area around the shoulder blade is a particular trouble spot. The combination of Uechi and my job ,(hairstylist)really takes its toll.I just can't seem to get this area stretched out and the result is a lot of tension in the upper back region.
The muscle that runs up the side of the lower leg and connects near the knee. (Sorry I don't know the anatomy a little better)and the muscle that comes up the forearm and connects below the elbow. Is there any way to stretch these areas more effectivly? I seem to get a lot of tightness in these areas as well and it causes some discomfort at times. Any suggestions?

[gmattson]

I forget who orginally started the two person leg stretches at our Cambridge St dojo, but whoever it was emphasised that after the stretch, the person whose legs were being extended outward should end the exercise by pulling legs together against the resistance of the stretcher.

Sounds a little like the type of resistance exercise you are talking about.

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GEM

[Bill Glasheen]

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I have found that I tend to only get a good stretch when I work with a partner and so I often do not bother when at home alone.(shame on me)

I get my best stretching done before and after my weight workouts. I do my upper body on upper body days, and lower body on lower body days. As an instructor, I can manage other stretching both before and during the karate workouts. PNF stretching is a great adjunct to kotekitae (arm pounding) and ashikitae (leg pounding). Research shows that there is a synergistic effect between exercise and stretching.

One major point I'm making is that I have a routine. That's what you need. Perhaps you can come early to the dojo (I used to do that) to do supplemental work. Perhaps you can stay late as a warm-down. This reduces the soreness that can follow a tough workout. Just figure some routine that you can schedule like anything else that is important to you (like eating, sleeping, and working).

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The area around the shoulder blade is a particular trouble spot. The combination of Uechi and my job ,(hairstylist)really takes its toll.I just can't seem to get this area stretched out and the result is a lot of tension in the upper back region.

This is a common trouble spot for women, and for anyone who does chest work and no back work. I find this to be epidemic among karateka as they can work their chest with pushups in the dojo, but cannot (or don't think to) work the antagonistic muscles in the back. In any athletic endeavor, agonist and antagonist always work together; it's never wise to get them out of balance with each other. It usually leads to injuries, reduced performance, or chronic pain.

I believe the muscles you are having problem with are the rhomboids. There may be others. First, you should consider some strength exercises - particularly if you do pushups or something similar. The easiest way to do that in the weight room is with the seated row, or a single dumbbell bentover pull. One should be sure to flex the spine with the contraction and relaxation so that you start with a convex-shaped upper back and finish with a concave-shaped one.

There are several stretches that will help you. The main one is easy to do. Keep your shoulder pulled down, and pull your straight arm across your chest. Do it at a level where the forearm is trying to touch the other shoulder. Lock the arm in place with your other arm. Then contract your back muscles as per the PNF method.

Be sure to also do the PNF stretch for the complementary motion that involves pectorals and anterior (as opposed to posterior) deltoid muscles. Again keep the shoulder down and grab a doorframe (thumb up) with your hand at the level of your shoulder. Rotate your body until you feel the pull in your chest. Then proceed with the PNF sequence.

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The muscle that runs up the side of the lower leg and connects near the knee. (Sorry I don't know the anatomy a little better)and the muscle that comes up the forearm and connects below the elbow. Is there any way to stretch these areas more effectivly?

Let me see if I can get some jpeg photos taken, and then I'll talk to Tony about posting them. These can be difficult to describe; a picture would work better.

- Bill

[Bill Glasheen]

George

I believe I used to do this. There are similarities.

- Bill

[Bill Glasheen]

I just wanted to make a general comment about the practical benefits of PNF stretching. I first learned this method from the UVa strength coaches, and I read about it (and variations) from multiple sources. Before I started doing these stretches, I was practicing aikido. There were certain throws that people would do that involved putting a joint in an extreme of range of motion. The way the throw works, one is able to move the person either by pain avoidance, or by creating a solid form in the body the way you can make a chain solid by twisting it. Well there were a few common throws that used to cause pain so severe that I thought I was going to pass out. My partners began to learn these vulnerabilities, and I would often go down quickly in anticipation just to avoid the pain. Jiujitsu tends to emphasize pain over mechanics in some of its throuws.

Well after I started doing the PNF stretches, the pain basically diappears. One really becomes comfortable in all these stretches. I used to really dread the pain that a lateral split stretch would cause. Now I go down without much problem (I'm a few inches off the floor) and I can stay there without any particular discomfort. Practically speaking, this means that I can now "fight" many of the joint locks and throws that a jiujitsu or aikido person would apply on me. Yes, having the moves cranked on my joints repeatedly also helped. But the PNF stretching was the major breakthrough. With the pain/fear factor gone, I am quite comfortable facing such partners. That is very empowering.

- Bill

[RACastanet]

Hello all. Bill G. introduced me to the PNF concept about seven years ago and it led to slow but consistent gains in my flexibility.

My breakthrough in stretching was the CRAC concept. I came upon it about four years ago on an AOL 'interests' site. A dancer/martial artist by the name of Brad Appleton had posted the best info on the subject that I have seen to date. I believe this was Bill's intro to it as well. The improvements were suddenly measureable in weeks, not months or years. They were not incremental either. These were large improvements. Brad and his info have unfortunately disappeared.

CRAC gave me an awareness of the effect of the antagonist muscles. Their use really improves the stretch.

Another benefit is that my inherent flexibility is such that I do not need to warm up before stretching. The stretching is the warmup. The flexibility is with me all the time!

At a summer camp five years ago Jim Witherall told me the stretch was his warmup. At that time I could not conceive that. Jim is without a doubt the most flexible person I've seen. A note - when Jim is done stretching his legs for instance, he does not flex those muscles. He will actually lift and position his leg with his hand instead. Bill, any ideas on why that is?

I stretch about four times a week, two 20 minute hard stretches and two light stretches in between. Hard stretching every day will lead to weakened and torn muscles and connective tissue. Rest is required.

Regards, Rich C.

[Bill Glasheen]

Rich

First of all, Jim Witherall used a relativly simple approach to stretching. His approach is basically passive - one that has been proven for generations in activities like yoga. Jim's abilities are a combination of genetics and his own personal interest in the subject. Spend enough time and interest and energy on something using the simplest methods (combined with exceptional potential) and you are going to get big results.

I think the big reason why PNF and the more involved CRAC can be used as a "warm-up" is because you are warming your muscles up when you contract them. It is two activities in one. Add to that the fact that you are working on strength in your range danger zones and you have multiple benefits. I'm not one for big testimonials about gains with this approach, although I think it has a marginal advantage over the passive stretching approach. I just believe that it has so many other benefits other than improving range of motion.

Recently George and I were having discussions about flexibility. He marveled at the fact that Bruce Hirabayashi (one of my students) had phenomenal flexibility and he could kick like a mule. George commented that often people had either one ability or the other. Well...that's the point. That's what I mean by "active" as opposed to "passive" range of motion. In a perfect world, we want to be both strong and flexibile. There are many approaches to this. Actually with Bruce I started many years ago with simple passive stretching exercises, and we made big gains with him. But we worked on his strength on the back end. Then I introduced him to these more advanced stretching concepts. He does very well these days.

As a final note...I still recommend people do a little bit of activity before jumping into stretching - even the PNF variety. This can be something simple like 5 minutes on an exercise bike, running a few laps around the dojo, some simple calesthenics, etc. The musculoskeletal and cardiovascular system work a lot better with a little bit of "priming". The three Ts of flexibility training are Tension, Temperature (warmups), and Time.

- Bill

[BILLY B]

Very interesting subject...

I have had a recurring problem with my left hamstring - It is very prone to being strained(I'm not sure thats the correct term) If I do hard and fast kicking without being warm - ouch! But only on the left side.

I read on this forum that the reason may be too much horse stance training and lunges with no hamstring work.(which caught my eye because my dojo is "guilty" of that) I started doing squats eight months ago, and about four months ago added leg curls(for the hams), extensions and calf raises.

I thought the hamstring exercises were helping(of course I have been running after the weights which makes me more inclined to stretch afterwards, result: increased frequency and quality of my stretch exponentially)

But... today during hojoundo ouch! left hamstring. rrrr!

Here's a question for the educated among us - Should I stretch this leg while it is still painful? (I can walk fine, its only when I extend my lower leg in the front kick position that I feel pain.) My personal trainer friend says its good to stretch it as long as it is not "pulled" which he does'nt think it is based on the range of motion I still have, and limited pain.