All Archived Updates for:

Quite a Stretch

This page lists all 21 updates for one article on PainScience.com, Quite a Stretch For a more general summary of everything new around PainScience — recent updates for all articles, new articles, blog posts, and new study summaries, see What’s New on PainScience.com?

  1. Feb 16, 2021 — Re-expansion — In mid-2020 the article was split up into four separate articles as an experiment. That experiment failed; I decided that it’s better as one mighty article, and restored it to its original state. Technically there’s no new content, but this page is nevertheless “like new” — it has never been this comprehensive before.
  2. Aug 7, 2020 — Major update — Extensive revisions and reorganization, with too many changes to itemize. The stretching for pain and flexibility sections were both substantially revised and expanded. The athletic stretching sections — the original core of the article — were fine-tuned, and unified with the particularly important idea that stretching is not a “pillar of fitness.”
  3. Apr 29, 2020 — More content — Added some examples of stretching being rejected by elite athletes.
  4. Feb 22, 2020 — More information — Added detail about the practical importance of flexibility. Or lack thereof. Weirdly, this update was harvested from a decade-old Facebook comment.
  5. Jan 29, 2020 — Science update — Added an important example, stretching the hamstrings for back pain, with a few relevant references.
  6. Jan 15, 2020 — New section, stretching for injury rehab —
  7. Sep 6, 2019 — New section, stretching dosage — Some new content, and some old content transplanted from other sections. There’s certainly more to do on dosage, but I think it’s a solid summary so far.
  8. Sep 6, 2019 — New section, stretching dosage — Some new content, and some old content transplanted from other sections. There’s certainly more to do on dosage, but I think it’s a solid summary so far.
  9. Jun 22, 2019 — New section, on stretching, inflammation, and aging —
  10. Mar 17, 2019 — Science update — Added five citations showing that stretching can increase flexibility.
  11. Jan 24, 2019 — Reorganized — I’ve shuffled and renamed many sections, plus a bunch of editing, to reflect new priorities for the article going forward: a more comprehensive review of all stretching sub-topics, but especially stretching as a component of injury rehab and treatment for chronic pain. Several significant changes are planned for 2019.
  12. Sep 28, 2018 — Minor addition, flexibility section — Added an anecdote from the world of elite distance running, about Eliud Kipchoge’s inability to touch his toes.
  13. Feb 10, 2018 — Minor addition — “Endorphins” now have a sidebar.
  14. Feb 10, 2018 — Expanded — Added more the nature of soreness and stiffness, and the relevance of stretching (or lack thereof).
  15. Dec 10, 2017 — Science update — Cited Blazevich et al on tolerance of calf stretching.
  16. Nov 23, 2017 — New section — Discussion of four ways that stretching may cause harm, especially for medically vulnerable people.
  17. Oct 2, 2017 — Science update — Added preliminary discussion of evidence on the prevention of muscle strains. (More to come on this topic.)
  18. Jul 15, 2017 — Science update, muscle pain section — Cited and discussed implications of anti-inflammatory effect reported by Berrueta et al.
  19. Jul 15, 2017 — Revised, preventing soreness section — A heavy edit for clarity and brevity.
  20. Nov 18, 2016 — Rewritten — Complex and thorough modernization and other improvements.
  21. Jun 1, 2015 — Upgrade — Added table of contents.