Physiological Effects of Static Stretching on Muscle Force Output
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Date
2018Author
Aicher, Riley
Greenberg, Rachel
Holzem, Grace
Palmer, Sam
Pooler, Morgan
Truttschel, Regan
Publisher
Journal of Advanced Student Sciences (JASS)
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Static stretching is a common part of modern pre-exercise warm-up routines, usually as a
method to reduce cramping and prevent injury. Static stretching involves the sustained stretching
of a muscle, and by extension its muscle fibers and their sarcomeres, for a set period of time.
This has the effect of temporarily increasing the muscle’s length. In this study, we explored the
possibility that static stretching would affect muscular activity via the length-tension
relationship. Thirty participants were instructed to clench a hand dynamometer while their
maximum clench force, electromyography, and blood pressure (before and after the clench) were
recorded. Participants first performed the maximum clench test without stretching beforehand,
and then, after a waiting period of 7 minutes, they performed the clench force test again after
static stretching. It was hypothesized that if static stretching was performed prior to muscle
exertion, a change in the three physiological variables could be detected in reference to the
participant’s baseline trial. A paired two-tailed T-Test was used to determine whether there was a
statistically significant difference between the pre- and post-static stretching conditions for each
of the three physiological variables tested where p<0.05 was significant. The maximum clench
force data and the change in systolic blood pressure data were both found to vary significantly
between pre-stretching and post-stretching trials. The electromyography data did not show a
significant difference between the pre- and post-stretching conditions. Based on these results, the
null hypothesis can be accepted for the electromyography data, while the null hypothesis cannot
be accepted for the clench force and the change in blood pressure. This research along with
future studies can be utilized to further understand the effects of static stretching on muscle
activity and performance.
Subject
Blood Pressure
Fatigue
Electromyography (EMG)
Clench Force
Exercise
Muscle
Relaxation
Strength
Static Stretch
Permanent Link
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/81962Description
An article that appeared in JASS, issue 2018