Nonballistic, active range of motion exercises have been advocated as more effective than static stretching for increasing range of motion, yet no published data exist to support this claim. This study compared the effect of nonballistic, repetitive active knee extension movements performed in a neural slump sitting position with static stretching technique on hamstring flexibility. Forty healt...

AIM The interaction between running, stretching and practice jumps during warm-up for jumping tests has not been investigated. The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of running, static stretching of the leg extensors and practice jumps on explosive force production and jumping performance. METHODS Sixteen volunteers (13 male and 3 female) participated in five different wa...

The cardiovascular adaptation at the onset of voluntary static exercise is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Two neural mechanisms are responsible for the cardiovascular adaptation: one is central command descending from higher brain centers, and the other is a muscle mechanosensitive reflex from activation of mechanoreceptors in the contracting muscles. To examine which mechanism pla...

Based on animal studies, it has been speculated that muscle metabolites sensitize muscle mechanoreceptors and increase mechanoreceptor-mediated muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA). However, this hypothesis has not been directly tested in humans. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that in healthy individuals passive stretch of forearm muscles would evoke significant increases in mean M...

We previously have shown in mice and rats, enhanced leukocyte recruitment to airway postcapillary venules after excessive distention imposed by the application of positive end-expiratory pressure. Because P-selectin was shown to be essential for this outcome, we sought to establish an in vitro endothelial cell model and determine the mechanisms whereby mechanical distension alters adhesion mole...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate if a stretch regimen consisting of three 30 second stretches would alter joint position sense (JPS). METHODS A blinded, randomised, cross over design with a washout time of 24 hours was used with 20 healthy volunteers. JPS was estimated from the ability to reproduce the same position in one knee (target versus estimated angle) expressed as the difference between target ...

The purpose of this study was to compare the acute effects of general, specific and combined warm-up (WU) on explosive performance. Healthy male (n = 10) subjects participated in six WU protocols in a crossover randomized study design. Protocols were: passive rest (PR; 15 min of passive rest), running (Run; 5 min of running at 70% of maximum heart rate), stretching (STR; 5 min of static stretch...

OBJECTIVE The long-term efficacy of stent implantation is affected by in-stent restenosis (ISR). Multiple factors can contribute to ISR, and the underlying mechanism remains elusive. We investigated the possible role of mechanical stretch and the associated molecular signaling in ISR. METHODS AND RESULTS Stent implantation in rat abdominal aortas induced neointima formation. Immunohistochemic...

External mechanical stretch plays an important role in regulating cellular behaviors through intracellular mechanosensitive and mechanotransductive machineries such as the F-actin cytoskeleton (CSK) structures and focal adhesions (FAs) anchoring the F-actin CSK to the extracellular environment. Studying the mechanoresponsive behaviors of the F-actin CSK and FAs in response to cell stretch has g...