Manual Passive Stretching
A sustained or intermittent external, end-range stretch force, applied with overpressure and by manual contact or a mechanical device, elongates a shortened muscle-tendon unit and peri-articular connective tissues by moving a restricted joint just past the available ROM. If the patient is as relaxed as possible, it is called passive stretching.22 Manual stretching usually employs a controlled, end range, static, progressive stretch applied at an intensity consistent with the patient’s comfort level, held for 15 to 60 seconds and repeated for at least several repetitions.23 Some investigators12,24,25 have found that manual passive stretching increases muscle length and ROM in non-impaired subjects.