Neck Static Stretching Acutely Reduces Blood Pressure Through Reduction of Tissue Stiffness

Summary

Stretching is usually done to improve flexibility and joint movement. Recent research suggests that stretching may also affect the body's heart and blood vessels. For example, stretching may help lower blood pressure, reduce stress in the nervous system, and improve how flexible or stiff blood vessels are.

Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries. It can change based on how much blood the heart pumps and how tight or relaxed the small blood vessels are. Stretching may help relax these vessels and support the parasympathetic nervous system. This system helps the body stay calm and controls functions like heart rate and blood pressure. From blood pressure values, mean arterial pressure (MAP) can be derived using a standard formula. MAP represents the average arterial pressure across the entire cardiac cycle, encompassing both systole and diastole, and is determined by cardiac output in relation to peripheral vascular resistance, the resistance within the circulatory system that sustains blood pressure, regulates blood flow, and reflects an essential component of cardiac function.

The goal of this study was to test whether a short session of static stretching of the neck can lower blood pressure and MAP in healthy subjects. The investigators also measured tissue stiffness (how firm the tissue is) and heart rate variability (a marker of how the nervous system controls the heart). These measures may help explain why blood pressure and MAP change after stretching.

This study tested the hypothesis that static neck stretching may reduce blood pressure and MAP either by decreasing tissue stiffness, thereby facilitating blood flow through reduced peripheral resistance, or by shifting autonomic balance toward enhanced parasympathetic activity. Should the findings confirm the initial hypothesis of blood pressure and MAP reductions, stretching could represent a simple, practical, and effective strategy to support blood pressure and hémodynamic monitoring.

Conditions

• Healthy
• Healthy Participants
• Healthy Subjects
• Healthy Volunteers
• Stretching
• Stretch
• Static Stretching

Interventions

OTHER

Neck static stretching

The static stretching intervention targeted the right posterolateral region of the neck. The stretching protocol consisted of four sets of 45 seconds each, separated by 45-second rest intervals, for a total intervention time of 3 minutes. Seated in a chair, participants performed the stretch by gently flexing their head forward and to the left in an anterolateral direction, using their contralateral (left) hand to assist the movement and ensure selective stretching of the right posterolateral region of the neck. Participants were asked to achieve a subjective discomfort intensity of at least 8 out of 10 on the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), where 0 represents "no pain" and 10 indicates "the strongest pain imaginable"

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Palermo

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

55 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-05-12

Primary Completion

2025-07-28

Completion

2025-07-28

Countries

• Italy

Study Locations