The Theoretical Basis of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation.

Athletic performance, injury prevention, and rehabilitation are areas that have been positively influenced through the intervention of flexibility training programs. The literature already acknowledges that benefits realized through proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation-type stretching are superior to other methods. Despite the widespread use of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation techniques, controversy still exists regarding the underlying mechanisms responsible for the increased range of motion that results when using this type of stretching. Currently, 2 hypotheses exist to account for the resulting gains, one neurophysiological and the other viscoelastic. The purpose of this review is to discuss these hypotheses and suggest a more balanced integrative paradigm. (C) 2000 National Strength and Conditioning Association