Pethick, Jamie and Moran, Jason and Behm, David G (2023) Prolonged static stretching increases the magnitude and decreases the complexity of knee extensor muscle force fluctuations. PLoS One, 18 (7). e0288167-e0288167. DOI https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288167
Pethick, Jamie and Moran, Jason and Behm, David G (2023) Prolonged static stretching increases the magnitude and decreases the complexity of knee extensor muscle force fluctuations. PLoS One, 18 (7). e0288167-e0288167. DOI https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288167
Pethick, Jamie and Moran, Jason and Behm, David G (2023) Prolonged static stretching increases the magnitude and decreases the complexity of knee extensor muscle force fluctuations. PLoS One, 18 (7). e0288167-e0288167. DOI https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288167
Abstract
Static stretching decreases maximal muscle force generation in a dose-response manner, but its effects on the generation of task-relevant and precise levels of submaximal force, i.e. force control, is unclear. We investigated the effect of acute static stretching on knee extensor force control, quantified according to both the magnitude and complexity of force fluctuations. Twelve healthy participants performed a series of isometric knee extensor maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs) and targeted intermittent submaximal contractions at 25, 50 and 75% MVC (3 x 6 seconds contraction separated by 4 seconds rest, with 60 seconds rest between each intensity) prior to, and immediately after, one of four continuous static stretch conditions: 1) no stretch; 2) 30-second stretch; 3) 60-second stretch; 4) 120-second stretch. The magnitude of force fluctuations was quantified using the standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CV), while the complexity of fluctuations was quantified using approximate entropy (ApEn) and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) α. These measures were calculated using the steadiest 5 seconds of the targeted submaximal contractions at each intensity (i.e., that with the lowest SD). Significant decreases in MVC were evident following the 30, 60 and 120-second stretch conditions (all P < 0.001), with a significant correlation observed between stretch duration and the magnitude of decrease in MVC (r = -0.58, P < 0.001). The 120-second stretch resulted in significant increases in SD at 50% MVC (P = 0.007) and CV at 50% (P = 0.009) and 75% MVC (P = 0.005), and a significant decrease in ApEn at 75% MVC (P < 0.001). These results indicate that the negative effects of prolonged static stretching extend beyond maximal force generation tasks to those involving generation of precise levels of force during moderate- to high-intensity submaximal contractions.
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Uncontrolled Keywords: | Electromyography; Humans; Isometric Contraction; Knee; Knee Joint; Muscle Contraction; Muscle Fatigue; Muscle Stretching Exercises; Muscle, Skeletal |
Divisions: | Faculty of Science and Health Faculty of Science and Health > Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences, School of |
SWORD Depositor: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Depositing User: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Date Deposited: | 26 Sep 2023 15:46 |
Last Modified: | 28 May 2024 07:00 |
URI: | http://repository.essex.ac.uk/id/eprint/36490 |
Available files
Filename: journal.pone.0288167.pdf
Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0