What Happens When We Stretch 

"The stretching of a muscle fiber begins with the sarcomere the basic unit of contraction in the muscle fiber. As the sarcomere contracts, the area of overlap between the thick and thin myofilaments increases. As it stretches, this area of overlap decreases, allowing the muscle fiber to elongate" This quote shows us and lets us understand what exactly is happening as the muscle 

us being stretched. As we begin to stretch a muscle the sarcomere within the muscle fibers (also the basic unit

Of a muscle contraction) starts to contract and over lap with the myofliaments. 

“The nerve endings that relay all the information about the musculoskeletal system to the central

Nervous system are called 

Proprioceptors” Proprioceptors are responsible for the perception of one's own body position and movement. They help detect any change that happens within movement in all of your body (helps detect force and tension). The proprioceptors are found in all nerve endings of the joints, muscles, and

Tendons.

“There are two kinds of muscle fibers: intrafusal muscle fibers

 and extrafusal muscle fibers” Extrafusil fibers are the ones that contain myofibrils and are usually what we are referring too when we say muscle fibers. Intrafusal fibers are also called muscle spindles

 And lie parallel to the extrafusal fibers. Muscle spindles are also known as stretch receptors and are also the primary proprioceptors in the muscle.

Another muscle that comes into play when we are stretching is called the golgi tendon organ. This organ is located in the tendon near the end of the muscle fiber.

A pacinian corpuscle is another type of

Proprioceptor this is located near the golgi tendon organ. The pacinian corpuscle is responsible for detecting changes in movement and pressure within the body.

When we stretch a muscle we are stretching the muscle spindle as well. It is easier to stretch a muscle that is relaxed than one that is contracting. When you stretch you want to hold that stretch for a prolonged period of time to allow this lengthening reaction to occur, which is  helping the stretched muscles become relax. It is easier to stretch, or lengthen, a

muscle when it is not trying to contract.