Implications and Applications of Stretch-Mediated Hypertrophy in Therapy, Rehabilitation and Athletic Training—An Outlook to Future Potential Applications

Muscle strength and hypertrophy are of high importance for almost every sport, but also for more general prevention and therapeutical approaches. While the most common way to enhance functional and structural muscle capacities is resistance training, there are scenarios in which a resistance training routine may not be feasible or may even be contraindicated. Recently published works showed the potential of high-volume static stretching programs when it comes to promoting muscle strength and hypertrophy, albeit with comparatively long stretching durations per bout in comparison with resistance training. Therefore, there is limited practical applicability of this training approach for healthy participants with access to dynamic training facilities and supervised training. However, there are potential settings in which stretch-mediated hypertrophy could be useful and should be investigated. This current opinion paper explores such potential settings, including in immobilization-induced atrophy, in patients with type 2 diabetes, and as a supplement to common resistance training routines to increase the accumulated volume of mechanical overload of the muscle in healthy or athletic populations. Static stretching might also be used to counteract atrophy in spaceflight because other forms of training that may induce sufficient levels of mechanical strain seem infeasible or impractical. Thus, we explore the potential applications of static stretching routines while considering the feasibility and opportunity for their practical implementation. Consequently, this current opinion paper provides a demand for further investigations of static stretch-mediated adaptations as a potential passive alternative with a focus on therapy and prevention.