What is Reflexive Antagonism?

Reflexive Antagonism is the phenomenon by which muscles with opposing functions tend to antagonistically inhibit each other. When one muscle is activated, its opposite muscle or muscle group or is reflexively inhibited or deactivated.

The phenomenon is now known to be fleeting, incomplete, and weak. By example, when the triceps brachii is stimulated, the biceps is reflexively inhibited. The incompleteness of the effect is related to postural and functional tone. Also, reflexes in vivo are polysynaptic, with entire muscle groups responding to noxius stimuli (Nociceptive Withdrawal Reflex).

Reflexive antagonism is the basic original notion behind indirect muscle energy techniques. This notion is now understood to be incomplete. As a clinical mechanism, however, Reflexive Antagonism continues to be useful. Reciprocal Inhibition is a synonym.

Techiques that utilize reflexive antagonism, (such as Rapid De-Afferentation Techniques) are manual medicine techniques and protocols that utilize reflexive pathways and the phenomenon of reciprocal inhibition as a means of switching off inflammation, pain, and protective spasm for entire synergistic muscle groups or singular muscles and soft tissue structures.

Suggested reading:
1. Fryer G 2000 Muscle Energy Concepts –A Need for a Change. Journal of Osteopathic Medicine. 3(2): 54 – 59
Fryer G 2006 MET: Efficacy & Research IN: Chaitow L (Ed) Muscle Energy Techniques (3rd edition) Elsevier, Edinburgh

Ruddy T 1961 Osteopathic rhythmic resistive duction therapy. Yearbook of Academy of Applied Osteopathy 1961, Indianapolis, p 58

Solomonow M 2009 Ligaments: A source of musculoskeletal disorders. J Bodywork & Movement Therapies 13(2): IN PRESS

Smith, M., Fryer, G. 2008 A comparison of two muscle energy techniques for increasing flexibility of the hamstring muscle group Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 12 (4), pp. 312-317

McPartland, J.M. 2004 Travel trigger points - Molecular and osteopathic perspectives Journal of the American Osteopathic Association 104 (6), pp. 244-249

Hamilton, L., Boswell, C., Fryer, G. 2007 The effects of high-velocity, low-amplitude manipulation and muscle energy technique on sub occipital tenderness International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine 10 (2-3), pp. 42-49

McFarland, J.M. 2008 The endocannabinoid system: An osteopathic perspective Journal of the American Osteopathic Association 108 (10), pp. 586-600
Magnusson M Simonsen E Aagaard P et al 1996a Mechanical and physiological responses to stretching with and without pre-isometric contraction in human skeletal muscle Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation 77:373-377

Magnusson M Simonsen E Aagaard P et al 1996b A mechanism for altered flexibility in human skeletal muscle. Journal of Physiology 497(Part 1):293-298