Acute effects of four stretching modalities on range of motion, agility, and power

Abstract

Pre-exercise stretching is near-universal in sport and rehabilitation, yet the comparative acute effects of static (SS), dynamic (DS), proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation contract–relax (PNF-CR), and contract–relax antagonist–contract (CRAC) stretching on range of motion (ROM), agility, and power remain unresolved, with CRAC underrepresented in comparative research. This review compared the acute, single-session effects of the four modalities in healthy adults and youth. Seven databases were searched (January 1985–May 2025) with backward citation chasing; single-session studies measuring ROM, agility, or power immediately post-stretch were eligible, and risk of bias was appraised with PEDro, JBI, NOS, and AMSTAR-2. Seventeen studies were synthesised narratively. For ROM, CRAC produced the largest acute gains (37–47% for hamstrings), followed by PNF-CR ≥ SS > DS. DS was most consistently superior for agility and power; SS impaired both at ≥60 s per muscle; PNF-CR impaired power near-maximally. CRAC preserved agility and power at single-muscle, submaximal dosing. Contraction intensity (15–25% MVC) and the number of muscle groups emerged as candidate moderators. Evidence that multi-muscle CRAC simultaneously improves all three domains rests on a single Level IV study and requires confirmation by an adequately powered four-arm randomised trial.