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PERSPECTIVE article

Front. Rehabil. Sci.
Sec. Rehabilitation in Neurological Conditions
Volume 5 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fresc.2024.1505439

Stretching After Spinal Cord Injury: A Call for Evidence for this Common Clinical Practice

Provisionally accepted
Todd E. Williams Todd E. Williams 1*Louis A. Demark Louis A. Demark 2Tinuade A. Olarewaju Tinuade A. Olarewaju 1Kelly A. Hawkins Kelly A. Hawkins 1Emily J. Fox Emily J. Fox 1,2*
  • 1 University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
  • 2 Brooks Rehabilitation, Jacksonville, Alabama, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Stretching is a ubiquitous rehabilitation intervention for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), intended to reduce spasticity, maintain or improve joint range of motion, and prevent joint contractures. Although people with SCI report that stretching is their preferred approach to reduce spasticity, limited evidence supports the use of stretching for people with SCI, including short-term (< one hour) effects on spasticity. Further, the long-term effects and the effects of stretching on motor function have yet to be examined in humans with SCI. Evidence from pre-clinical studies in rats with SCI demonstrates that stretching impairs motor output, reduces spinal cord excitability, and abolishes walking function. This perspective paper discusses evidence of static stretching in humans and rats with SCI regarding the effects on range of motion, joint contractures, and effects on voluntary and involuntary (i.e., spasticity) motor output. Additionally, we aim to challenge assumptions regarding the use of stretching and encourage research to advance the understanding of this common rehabilitation approach. Research is needed to investigate underlying mechanisms of stretch-induced effects and to advance stretching protocols to optimize the potential beneficial effects of stretching for people with SCI.

    Keywords: stretching1, rehabilitation2, motor output3, Spasticity4, walking function5, spinal cord injury6. (Min.5-Max. 8

    Received: 02 Oct 2024; Accepted: 15 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Williams, Demark, Olarewaju, Hawkins and Fox. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Todd E. Williams, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States
    Emily J. Fox, University of Florida, Gainesville, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.