Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) uses the body’s proprioceptive system to facilitate or inhibit muscle contraction. The pioneers of PNF techniques found that by stimulating the distal segments, the proprioceptors in the more proximal segments became stimulated. The purpose was to enhance and create movement in areas where the neurological system has been compromised based on earlier principles of irradiation, reciprocal innervation and inhibition. These principles describe the rhythmic and reflexive actions that lead to coordinated motion.
PNF is divided into two areas, strengthening and stretching techniques. The ultimate goal is to improve movement patterns. The stretching techniques are most often used to inhibit spasticity. There are two inhibitory concepts that are applied during PNF stretching. Autogenic inhibition relies on the nerve fibers from a stretched muscle to cause that muscle to relax, thus allowing for a greater stretch. Reciprocal inhibition involves an agonist and antagonist effect. In order for an agonist to contract and cause movement, the antagonist incurs a reflexive relaxation to allow the movement.
The Contract-Relax stretch is utilized for gaining range of motion restricted by muscular tightness. The patient should be taken into a stretched position. They are then instructed to isotonically contract against the resistance of a therapist, and then relax. The patient can then be taken back into the stretched position. Hold-Relax is a similar stretch to contract-relax, except the contraction occurs isometrically. Both of these stretching techniques would require some form of muscle relaxation (mediated either by autogenic or reciprocal inhibition) to be properly executed.
The video below demonstrates both techniques.
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