None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Hamstring injury is very common. Aerobic warm-up and stretching exercises are suggested to increase hamstring flexibility and reduce the risk of hamstring injury. There is still considerable debate on what type of stretching has the greatest effect on hamstring flexibility. This study examined the short-term effects on hamstring flexibility of static stretching and dynamic stretching (both combined with aerobic warm-up) in individuals with previous hamstring injury and matched healthy controls. Study hypothesis: Static stretching results in greater increases in hamstring flexibility than dynamic stretching.
Interventions
(1) Aerobic warm-up of the lower limbs.
Aerobic exercise involved 5 minutes of static jogging to an intensity where "a little breathlessness" was experienced.
(2) Static stretching of the hamstrings .
Static stretching involved the participant placing their leg on an elevated surface with their knee extended and their ankle plantarflexed. Participants were then instructed to lean forward from the hip, with their spine in neutral until a stretch was felt in the posterior thigh. This position wa
(1) Aerobic warm-up of the lower limbs. Aerobic exercise involved 5 minutes of static jogging to an intensity where "a little breathlessness" was experienced. (2) Static stretching of the hamstrings . Static stretching involved the participant placing their leg on an elevated surface with their knee extended and their ankle plantarflexed. Participants were then instructed to lean forward from the hip, with their spine in neutral until a stretch was felt in the posterior thigh. This position was held for 30 seconds, and then repeated 3 times. This was all done in one session on one day for half of the participants. The participants in this group then switched (crossover study) to the dynamic stretching intervention described below. The second session was completed within 3-14 days.
Sponsors
Kieran O'Sullivan
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Crossover
Primary purpose
Treatment
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Hamstring strain within the last year, but not within the last month Unilateral decrease in hamstring flexibility (of at least 5 degrees during passive knee extension)
Exclusion criteria
Still receiving treatment, Not back to sport or full activity, Co-existing musculoskeletal disorders e.g. low back pain
Outcome results
None listed