7 Types of Stretching. What's Safest and Most Effective?

Dr. Chelsea Moehlenbrock Author

Dancers need much more flexibility than other athletes, but not all ways of obtaining that flexibility are safe. Last month’s blog discussed some misconceptions around stretching and laid out some of the newer concepts shown in exercise science research that change how we look at stretching. So now let’s look at different types of stretching and discuss safety with them with regards to young dancers:

1) Static Stretching

This is when a dancer sits at end range for at least 30 seconds, sometimes up to a few minutes. This form of stretching is best done after class or rehearsal. Doing static stretching before activity has been shown to reduce the amount of strength and power a muscle can produce by 7-13%. However, this decrease in the muscle’s ability to produce more force may only last 30 minutes. So doing static stretching in the morning will not affect your strength and power later in the day. This temporary change after stretching is likely due to the decrease in neural input to that muscle. However, dancers that prefer to do static stretching prior to class are not going to do any harm by doing so.

2) Dynamic Stretching

This type of stretching actively takes a joint through its fullest range of motion without holding it at end range. This is a great option before dance class because it can assist with improving blood flow and still achieve that feeling of stretching that some dancers need before class without losing temporary strength and power from the muscles.

3) Ballistic Stretching

This type of stretching is not safe, particularly for young dancers or those that have current injuries. This is when a dancer goes to the end range of a stretch and bounces at the end range. This puts a lot of extra tension and stress on the muscles, tendons, joints, and ligaments. This is different from dynamic stretching because ballistic stretching involves bouncing in and out of end range and even pushing past end range in an effort to force more range.

4) Eccentric Stretching

This type of stretching involves taking a muscle and joint into a lengthened state while it is also having to actively work against a load. This is a great way to develop length and strength at the same time. There is some evidence showing that eccentric stretching is more effective than static stretching for improving flexibility. It could be argued that this form of stretching might prevent injuries since strength is being developed at the same time. However, there is no strong evidence to support this yet.

5) Isometric Stretching

This involves going into a passive stretch and then contracting the muscle being stretched against resistance that will not move, such as the floor or a wall. This contraction is held for 10-15 seconds and then the muscle is relaxed and stretched for 20 seconds. This type of stretching is not recommended for growing bodies because of the forces placed on bones and growth plates at end range which can irritate these tissues.

6) Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF)

PNF is a fancy word for a form of stretching that uses contract-relax or contract-relax-contract techniques. For the first method, the muscle that is to be stretched is activated against resistance when it is not fully at its end range and then it is relaxed and pushed into more range of motion and held for 30 seconds. Then it is brought partially out of that new range and contracted against resistance again to repeat the process. This is where it differs from isometric stretching. It does not involve contracting the muscle at the very end range of the joint. The contract-relax-contract technique is similar, but involves contracting the targeted muscle for 15 seconds, which is then relaxed and followed by contracting the opposing muscle for 15 seconds. After that, both muscles are relaxed and a passive stretch is held for 20-30 seconds. This form of stretching has not been shown to improve flexibility anymore than other types of stretching, but everyone’s body is different so this might be a helpful tool for some dancers.

7) Overstretching

This is another type of stretching that is not safe for young dancers. Overstretching involves stretching that takes joints past their functional ability and leads to stress on the ligaments and joint capsules. Oftentimes, this means the ligaments are getting stretched to a point where they no longer support the joint and contributes to hypermobility of that joint. This can lead to permanent damage of these tissues. Check out our other blog that discusses the dangers of overstretching in more detail.

So what are the best stretching practices for young dancers? Here are some recommendations:

• Before class/rehearsal: dynamic stretching with an active warm-up

• After class/rehearsal: static stretching

• Between classes: eccentric stretching as part of a strength and conditioning program

Keep in mind that not all muscles that feel tight need stretching. Our brains can interpret signals from fatigued muscles as tightness. Dancers are likely to feel tight for other reasons too, such as when a muscle is weak, or when a dancer has been in one position for a long period of time, or other lifestyle habits that need some attention, such as diet, stress, and sleep.

Resources:

Bacurau, Reury Frank Pereira, et al.. Acute Effect of a Ballistic and a Static Stretching Exercise Bout on Flexibility and Maximal Strength. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 23(1):p 304-308, January 2009. | DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181874d55

Morrin N, Redding E. Acute effects of warm-up stretch protocols on balance, vertical jump height, and range of motion in dancers. J Dance Med Sci. 2013;17(1):34-40. doi: 10.12678/1089-313x.17.1.34. PMID: 23498355.

Nelson RT. A Comparison of the Immediate Effects of Eccentric Training vs Static Stretch on Hamstring Flexibility in High School and College Athletes. N Am J Sports Phys Ther. 2006 May;1(2):56-61. PMID: 21522215; PMCID: PMC2953312.

Nelson RT, Bandy WD. Eccentric Training and Static Stretching Improve Hamstring Flexibility of High School Males. J Athl Train. 2004 Sep;39(3):254-258. PMID: 15496995; PMCID: PMC522148.