Stretches

What each stretch lengthens, what it asks of the body, and how the body responds.

Neck

Upper trapezius stretch
A side neck stretch that tilts the head away. What studies found about how it loads the neck muscles, how stiffness and pain sensitivity changed after stretching, and what trials of neck-stretching programmes found.

Cross-body stretch
A shoulder stretch that pulls the upper arm across the front of the body. What studies measured in the deltoid, the rotator cuff muscles and the capsule, how range changed, and the doses trials used.
Doorway pec stretch
A standing chest stretch with the arm on a door frame, wall or corner. What studies measured in the pectoralis minor and major, where their findings on length and posture disagree, and the doses trials used.
Sleeper stretch
A side-lying stretch that turns the shoulder inward. What studies measured in the capsule and muscles at the back of the shoulder, how much inward rotation changed, and the doses trials used.

Wrist extensor stretch
A forearm stretch that bends the wrist forward with the elbow straight and the palm down. What studies measured in the muscles, the shared tendon and the radial nerve, and what studies of people with tennis elbow compared it with.

Wrist flexor stretch
A forearm stretch that bends the wrist and fingers back. What studies of forearm-flexor stretching and wrist-extension positions measured, from muscle stiffness and grip to the median nerve.

Child's pose
A kneeling forward bend from yoga. Trials have tested yoga programmes that had the pose as one item, and the muscle measurements nearest to it come from other positions. What those studies did and found.
Knee-to-chest stretch
A stretch that exercise programmes for the lower back list as knee to chest. In the trials cited here that name it, the stretch was not tested alone. What those trials and studies of lumbar flexion measured.
Upper back stretch
A stretch that pushes the arms forward and rounds the upper back, with extension and rotation variations. What little is measured for the named stretch, and what trials of upper-back programmes found.

Adductor stretch
A stretch that moves the thigh out to the side to lengthen the inner thigh muscles. Which adductors studies found it lengthens, how much range one session added, and what studies of flexibility and groin injury found.
Figure-4 stretch
A hip stretch with one ankle crossed over the opposite knee or thigh, aimed at the piriformis and the other deep rotators. What studies measured in this position and in other piriformis stretch positions.
Hip flexor stretch
A half-kneeling stretch that moves the pelvis forward so the back hip extends. What studies measured in the hip flexors, the pelvis and the lower back, and what changed in walking, running and performance tests.

Hamstring stretch
A back-of-thigh stretch that bends the hip with the knee straight, done standing or lying. What studies measured in the hamstrings and the sciatic nerve, and what trials of hold time, intensity and injury found.
Quadriceps stretch
A front-of-thigh stretch that bends the knee with the hip kept straight or back. What studies measured in the rectus femoris and the vasti, and what they found about knee pain.
Standing IT band stretch
A standing side lean with one leg crossed behind the other, used to stretch the outer thigh. What studies measured in the iliotibial band and the muscle at its top, and what trials of the stretch found.

Calf stretch
A stretch that pulls the foot up toward the shin, with the knee straight or bent. What studies measured in the calf muscles, Achilles tendon and ankle, and what trials of calf stretching found.
Soleus stretch
A calf stretch done with the knee bent. What studies measured in the soleus, Achilles tendon and ankle in that position, and the studies that stretched this way.
Standing shin stretch
A stretch for the front of the shin. No study here that gives its position tested it standing; those stretched the shin lying down or seated, often with the calf. What the studies did and found.

Plantar fascia stretch
A stretch that pulls the toes back toward the shin to tension the band of tissue along the sole. What studies measured in the fascia, muscles and nerves, and what trials in people with heel pain found.