Affiliations: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Masood Khan, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 10219, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia. Tel.: +966 114696010; Fax: +966 14693587; E-mails: raomasood22@ gmail.com and mkhan4.c@ksu.edu.sa.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: There are conflicting reports on the acute effects of stretching on muscle strength. Some studies report reduction in muscle strength however others report no change following stretching. OBJECTIVE: To assess the acute effects of static stretching (SS) of different durations on the isometric maximum voluntary contraction force (MVCF) of the calf muscle. METHODS: Pretest-posttest experimental design was used. Ten male participants (mean age 25.4 ± 2.11 years) participated in three experimental trials: SS for 2-minutes (SS2), 4-minutes (SS4), and 8-minutes (SS8). MVCF was measured before, immediately after, at 10- and 20-minutes post-stretch intervals. Each SS trial involved varied repetitions of 30-seconds stretches and 20-seconds relaxation periods. The isometric maximum voluntary contraction force (MVCF) was the outcome measure. RESULTS: SS2, SS4, and SS8 did not change the MVCF at 0-, 10- and 20-minutes post stretching intervals (p> 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: 2-, 4-, and 8-minutes intermittent SS did not change the isometric muscle strength in the calf muscle up to 20-minutes after stretching and thus can safely be performed before those sporting events that require significant muscle strength.
