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Although there is no scientific evidence, stretching exercises are recommended to reduce the risk of injuries and relieve pain associated with muscle stiffness. Additionally, there is no consensus on whether biomechanical factors contribute to gains in ROM through transient adaptations of muscle and tendon tissue. Thus, there is a hypothesis that transient changes in the stiffness of these tissues may affect force transmission and/or alter the in vivo sarcomere dynamics during contraction, potentially influencing force production. Studies have identified changes in gastrocnemius muscle stiffness after static stretching (SS), measured using SSI elastography; however, they did not estimate force. Despite assessing the stiffness both muscle and tendon, the studies only analyzed functional measures of ROM and not Maximum Voluntary Isometric Contraction (MVIC). This study aims to evaluate changes in lateral gastrocnemius (LG) and Achilles tendon (AT) stiffness using SSI elastography after SS, in conjunction with the MVIC and ROM measurements. The study included 10 healthy women. SS were conducted using an isokinetic dynamometer, with measurements ROM and MVIC before and after the session. Elastography images were captured using the Aixplorer ultrasound with specific transducers before and after stretching. The SS protocol comprised 5x60s with 20s intervals. Immediately after the SS, there was a significant increase in ROM. The MVIC after the SS showed a significant decrease. For the stiffness, there was a significant reduction for the AT, while the LG did not significantly change. We conclude that the SS exercise of 5 sets of 60 s on the isokinetic dynamometer increases ROM and decreases MVIC, with a significant reduction in AT stiffness and no significant alteration in LG stiffness after stretching. However, these functional changes (ROM and MVIC) cannot be solely explained by transient tendon changes, Hence, increased ROM and decreased MVIC might additionally be associated with increased stretch tolerance and neural changes.

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Does Dorsiflexion Static Stretching Influence Muscle and Tendon Stiffness on Maximum Voluntary Contraction?

  • 会议论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年

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  • M. C. A. Brandão,
  • L. F. Oliveira

摘要

Although there is no scientific evidence, stretching exercises are recommended to reduce the risk of injuries and relieve pain associated with muscle stiffness. Additionally, there is no consensus on whether biomechanical factors contribute to gains in ROM through transient adaptations of muscle and tendon tissue. Thus, there is a hypothesis that transient changes in the stiffness of these tissues may affect force transmission and/or alter the in vivo sarcomere dynamics during contraction, potentially influencing force production. Studies have identified changes in gastrocnemius muscle stiffness after static stretching (SS), measured using SSI elastography; however, they did not estimate force. Despite assessing the stiffness both muscle and tendon, the studies only analyzed functional measures of ROM and not Maximum Voluntary Isometric Contraction (MVIC). This study aims to evaluate changes in lateral gastrocnemius (LG) and Achilles tendon (AT) stiffness using SSI elastography after SS, in conjunction with the MVIC and ROM measurements. The study included 10 healthy women. SS were conducted using an isokinetic dynamometer, with measurements ROM and MVIC before and after the session. Elastography images were captured using the Aixplorer ultrasound with specific transducers before and after stretching. The SS protocol comprised 5x60s with 20s intervals. Immediately after the SS, there was a significant increase in ROM. The MVIC after the SS showed a significant decrease. For the stiffness, there was a significant reduction for the AT, while the LG did not significantly change. We conclude that the SS exercise of 5 sets of 60 s on the isokinetic dynamometer increases ROM and decreases MVIC, with a significant reduction in AT stiffness and no significant alteration in LG stiffness after stretching. However, these functional changes (ROM and MVIC) cannot be solely explained by transient tendon changes, Hence, increased ROM and decreased MVIC might additionally be associated with increased stretch tolerance and neural changes.