Muscle Stretching - the Potential Role of Endogenous Pain Inhibitory Modulation on Stretch Tolerance

The effect of stretching on joint range of motion is primarily related to changes in the tolerance to stretch, but the mechanisms underlying this change are still largely unknown. The nervous system has an inbuilt ability to modulate the perceived magnitude of afferent noxious stimuli via supraspinally mediated endogenous pain inhibition or facilitation and by engaging endogenous mechanisms pain tolerance in healthy individuals is known to increase. Thus increasing the tolerance to pain could potentially increase range of motion following stretching.