AIM Hypotonia is a symptom of diminished tone of skeletal muscle associated with decreased resistance of muscles to passive stretching, which can be caused by abnormalities of the central nervous system, any element of the lower motoneuron, or both. Hypotonia is not a specific diagnosis, but can be part of over 500 different genetic disorders, with many other conditions waiting to be identified...

OBJECTIVE This study investigated the acute hemodynamic responses to multiple sets of passive stretching exercises performed with and without the Valsalva maneuver. METHODS Fifteen healthy men aged 21 to 29 years with poor flexibility performed stretching protocols comprising 10 sets of maximal passive unilateral hip flexion, sustained for 30 seconds with equal intervals between sets. Protoco...

PURPOSE Previous studies report that static stretching (SS) impairs running economy. Assuming that pacing strategy relies on rate of energy use, this study aimed to determine whether SS would modify pacing strategy and performance in a 3-km running time-trial. METHODS Eleven recreational distance runners performed a) a constant-speed running test without previous SS and a maximal incremental ...

Background: Lack of hamstrings flexibility has been reported to be one of the most important factors contributing to hamstrings injury during high-speed and high-intensity exercise. Active stretching of hamstrings has been found to be more beneficial than passive stretching after 4 weeks. Objective: To compare the effects of two active stretching techniquesmodified hold relax technique of PNF a...

KOKKONEN, J., A. G. NELSON, C. ELDREDGE, and J. B. WINCHESTER. Chronic Static Stretching Improves Exercise Performance. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 39, No. 10, pp. 1825-1831, 2007. Purpose: This study investigated the influence of static stretching exercises on specific exercise performances. Methods: Thirty-eight volunteers participated in this study. The stretching group (STR) consisted of ...

[Purpose] The aim of present study was to compare the effectiveness of modified hold-relax stretching and static stretching in improving the hamstring muscle flexibility. [Subjects and Methods] Forty-five male subjects with hamstring tightness were included in this study. The subjects were randomly placed into three groups: the modified hold-relax stretching, static stretching and control group...

This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of passive static and ballistic stretching on maximal repetition performance during a resistance training session (RTS). Nine male subjects underwent three experimental conditions: ballistic stretching (BS); passive static stretching (PSS); and a specific warm-up (SW). The RTS was composed of three sets of 12RM for the following exercises: leg p...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of stretching on hamstring muscle compliance indirectly and directly. METHODS Twelve healthy men were instructed to perform passive stretching of one leg daily over 4 weeks, while the other leg served as a control. An instrumental straight leg raise was used to measure stretching force and muscle compliance indirectly with surface electromyography to measure ...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 929 1. Descriptions of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) Stretching Techniques . . . . . . . . . . 931 2. Proposed Mechanisms Underlying the PNF Stretching Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...

The purpose of this study was to determine which phase of a 30-m sprint (acceleration and/or maximal velocity) was affected by preperformance static stretching. Data were collected from 20 elite female soccer players. On two nonconsecutive days, participants were randomly assigned to either the stretch or no-stretch condition. On the first day, the athletes in the no-stretch condition completed...