Abstract:Recently, there has been a shift from static stretching (SS) or proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching within a warm-up to a greater emphasis on dynamic stretching (DS). The objective of this review was to compare the effects of SS, DS, and PNF on performance, range of motion (ROM), and injury prevention. The data indicated that SS-(-3.7%), DS-(+1.3%), and PNF-(-4.4%) induced performance changes were small to moderate with testing performed immediately after stretching, possibly because of reduced muscle activation after SS and PNF. A dose-response relationship illustrated greater performance deficits with ≥60 s (-4.6%) than with <60 s (-1.1%) SS per muscle group. Conversely, SS demonstrated a moderate (2.2%) performance benefit at longer muscle lengths. Testing was performed on average 3-5 min after stretching, and most studies did not include poststretching dynamic activities; when these activities were included, no clear performance effect was observed. DS produced small-to-moderate performance improvements when completed within minutes of physical activity. SS and PNF stretching had no clear effect on all-cause or overuse injuries; no data are available for DS. All forms of training induced ROM improvements, typically lasting <30 min. Changes may result from acute reductions in muscle and tendon stiffness or from neural adaptations causing an improved stretch tolerance. Considering the small-to-moderate changes immediately after stretching and the study limitations, stretching within a warm-up that includes additional poststretching dynamic activity is recommended for reducing muscle injuries and increasing joint ROM with inconsequential effects on subsequent athletic performance.Key words: static stretch, dynamic stretch, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, ballistic stretch, flexibility, warm-up.Résumé : Depuis peu, on utilise plutôt l'étirement dynamique (« DS ») que l'étirement statique (« SS ») ou la facilitation neuromusculaire proprioceptive (« PNF ») au sein d'une séance d'échauffement. Cette analyse documentaire se propose de comparer les effets de SS, DS et PNF sur la performance, l'amplitude de mouvement (« ROM ») et la prévention de blessures. D'après les données, on observe des modifications de performance faibles à modérées quand l'évaluation est réalisée immédi-atement après la séance d'étirement : SS (-3,7 %), DS (+1,3 %) et PNF (-4,4 %), et ce, possiblement à cause de la diminution de l'activation musculaire consécutive à SS et PNF. La relation dose-réponse révèle une plus grande baisse de performance quand la séance de SS par groupe musculaire ≥60 s (-4,6 %) vs. <60 s (-1,1 %). Par contre, SS suscite un gain modéré de performance (2,2 %) quand le muscle est plus allongé. L'évaluation est réalisée en moyenne 3-5 minutes post-étirement. La plupart des études n'incluent pas des activités dynamiques post-étirement; avec l'inclusion de ces activités, on n'observe pas de modification nette de la performance. DS suscite des gains de performance faibles à modérés...