Abstract
Fish eye STUDY DESIGN: Repeated-measures experimental design. Fish eye OBJECTIVE: To examine the acute effects of different durations of passive stretching on the time course of musculotendinous stiffness (MTS) responses in the plantar flexor muscles. Fish eye BACKGROUND: Stretching is often implemented prior to exercise or athletic competition, with the intent to reduce the risk of injury via decreases in MTS. Fish eye METHODS AND MEASURES: Twelve subjects (mean ± SD age, 24 ± 3 years; stature, 169 ± 12 cm; mass, 71 ± 17 kg) participated in 4 randomly ordered experimental trials: control with no stretching, and 2 minutes (2min), 4 minutes (4 min), and 8 minutes (8min) of passive stretching. The passive-stretching trials involved progressive repetitions of 30-second passive stretches, while the control trial involved 15 minutes of resting. MTS assessments were conducted before (prestretching), immediately after (poststretching), and at 10, 20, and 30 minutes poststretching on a Biodex System 3 isokinetic dynamometer. Fish eye RESULTS: MTS decreased (P<.05) immediately after all stretching conditions (2min, 4min, and 8min). However, MTS for the 2min condition returned to baseline within 10 minutes, whereas MTS after the 4min and 8 min passive-stretching conditions returned to baseline within 20 minutes. Fish eye CONCLUSIONS: Practical durations of passive stretching resulted in significant decreases in MTS; however, these changes return to baseline levels within 10 to 20 minutes. Fish eye LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 5.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 632-639 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy |
Volume | 38 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 2008 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Compliance
- Passive
- Stiffness
- Strain injury
- Stretch
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation