Comparison of Static Stretching techniques and Hold- Relax on flexibility, mobility, balance and cadence healthy elderly.

Twenty-nine healthy sedentary elderly completed the study protocol: Control Group (GC) (64 + / - 5 years, n = 8) performed the tests and participated in lectures and cultural and recreational activities, (n 66 + / - 8 years, n = 10), Static Stretching Group (SSG) and Hold- Relax Group (HRG) (69 + / - 5 years, n = 11) were tested and stretching exercises and performed by a physical educator. The elderly woman was positioned lying supine with the spine aligned horizontally and one set of legs lying on the extension of the body, with 0o of hip flexion by a band of tissue, 2) to the Static Stretching (SS) the other leg held a flexion hip and knee extension, the ceiling for each participant until a restriction point but not in pain, then, the physical educator passively maintain the position from the point mentioned, during 60 seconds. In the Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) technique was used to hold-relax (HR). This technique is similar to the Contract-Relax technique (CR), except that the antagonistic muscle pattern resists enough to cause an isotonic contraction and not, as in Contract- Relax (CR). In HRG, the participant was supine and the therapist positioned the leg to be stretched in flexion, adduction and external rotation of the hip, extended knee, dorsiflexion with inversion of the foot to reach the restriction point. Once reached the restriction point, the senior was asked to perform an isometric contraction matching in the sense of extension, abduction and internal rotation of the thigh, knee extended, plantar flexion with eversion for 10 s. Immediately after, we asked the research subjects, the relaxation of the limb, followed by 20 s of passive stretching in the direction of flexion, adduction and external rotation of thigh, knee extended, dorsiflexion with foot inversion. And from this new range of motion possible, repeat the procedure a total of 60 S. The interventions were performed for 60 seconds in both lower limbs, once a day, twice a week for four consecutive weeks. Both HRG and SSG performed ten minutes of warm-up before stretching exercises.The following tests were performed before and after the program of stretching exercises: photogrammetry to assess range of motion of the hamstring muscles, Berg Balance Scale (BBS) to assess balance, Timed up and go for mobility and step counts per minute to assess the cadence.