From my research rack torture can very easily lead to permanent damage. That's not surprising, but what I did find interesting was "once muscle fibers have been stretched past a certain point they lose their ability to contract, thus victims who were released had ineffective muscles as well as problems arising from dislocation." (according to wikipedia and a few other places)
I guess what I'm wanting to know is what exactly is that "certain point"? I know that it would vary by individual, and probably on age, sex, and level of fitness, but I'm wondering if there's a more exact measure. If it helps the person that would be experiencing this is a very fit male in his mid to late 30s.
Another odd question. If a person was stretched out but not enough for it to be at that critical point and then left there, could that critical point be hit, by being under the constant strain? I sort of see if compared to a rope or something under a lot of strain that would eventually unravel. Any ideas?