Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF)

What is PNF?

PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) is a form of treatment for neurological and musculoskeletal disorders such as reduced range of motion of a joint. More specifically, it is a combined form of stretching, where it is considered one of the most effective stretching techniques.

Its main feature is that in order to perform a set, there must be an alternation of stretching and muscle contraction. It is addressed to everyone, regardless of age, gender and training experience. It is also used by physiotherapists to quickly reintegrate their patients into physical activity and exercise through the optimal gain that this method has in range of motion.

There are 4 PNF techniques:

(To be precise, there are other PNF techniques, but they are mainly for athletes and generally for experienced trainees.)

1) Contract Relax:

This technique begins with a passive stretching (that is, a trainee or the trainee's trainer performs the stretching, with the simultaneous complete relaxation of the trainee's muscle) of about 10 ", Τhen the trainee performs an isometric contraction on the competing muscle for about 6 ”and finally passive stretching is applied again to the agitator muscle for about 30” this time trying to increase the range of motion.

2) Hold Relax:

The second technique is the same as the first technique as far as the first two stages of stretching are concerned (10” passive stretching - 6” isometric contraction in the competing muscle). What is different is the third stage, where this time the practitioner performs a micrometric contraction on the competing muscle to get a wider range of motion.

3) Hold Relax Agonist:

The third PNF technique is similar to the first technique following the same pattern. That is, 10” passive dilation - 6” muscle contraction - 30” passive dilation. However, this time the muscle activation will be done by the agonist muscle (ie, the muscle we want to stretch) by performing a micrometric contraction (that is, when the muscle is activated, its length decreases). This will be done by overcoming the resistance that the teammate or the coach puts with his hands, where he helps to execute the stretch.

4) Hold Relax Antagonist:

The latter technique is quite similar to the previous technique. We use it when the fighting muscle is weak. After a passive stretch of 10 ”the trainee performs an isometric contraction, approximately 6”, on the competing muscle against the resistance of the trainee or the trainer. It then performs a minor muscle contraction of the muscle fighter.

We observe that there are various techniques where the PNF extension method can be performed. It is a technique with several advantages that consists of people with various injuries or even athletes to improve flexibility and flexibility with the ultimate goal of maximizing their performance.