Acute bouts of upper and lower body static and dynamic stretching increase non-local joint range of motion.

PURPOSE: There are conflicts in the literature concerning the crossover or non-local effects of stretching. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether static (SS) and dynamic (DS) stretching of the shoulders would affect hip flexor range of motion (ROM) and performance and reciprocally whether SS and DS of the lower body would affect shoulder extension ROM and performance. METHODS: A randomized crossover study design examined the acute effects of upper and lower body SS and DS on lower and upper body performance measures, respectively. Experimental sessions included upper and lower body control tests, upper body (shoulder horizontal abduction) SS and lower body (hip abduction) SS, upper body (shoulder horizontal abduction and adduction) DS and lower body DS (hip abduction and adduction). Passive static and dynamic ROM (hip flexion, shoulder extension), leg flexor and elbow flexor maximal voluntary contraction isometric force, fatigue endurance and electromyography were measured. RESULTS: There were significant shoulder ROM increases following lower body SS (P < 0.010, ∆% = 8.2%) and DS (P < 0.019, ∆% = 9%). There was a significant hip flexor ROM (P < 0.016, ∆% = 5.2%) increase following upper body SS. There were no significant main effects or interactions for dynamic ROM or muscle force and activation variables. CONCLUSION: The lack of stretch-induced force and fatigue changes suggests that rather than a mechanical or neural drive mechanism, an enhanced stretch tolerance was likely the significant factor in the improved ROM.

Muscle Activation Differs between Three Different Knee Joint-Angle Positions during a Maximal Isometric Back Squat Exercise.

The purpose of this study was to compare muscle activation of the lower limb muscles when performing a maximal isometric back squat exercise over three different positions. Fifteen young, healthy, resistance-trained men performed an isometric back squat at three knee joint angles (20°, 90°, and 140°) in a randomized, counterbalanced fashion. Surface electromyography was used to measure muscle activation of the vastus lateralis (VL), vastus medialis (VM), rectus femoris (RF), biceps femoris (BF), semitendinosus (ST), and gluteus maximus (GM). In general, muscle activity was the highest at 90° for the three quadriceps muscles, yet differences in muscle activation between knee angles were muscle specific. Activity of the GM was significantly greater at 20° and 90° compared to 140°. The BF and ST displayed similar activation at all joint angles. In conclusion, knee position alters muscles activation of the quadriceps and gluteus maximus muscles. An isometric back squat at 90° generates the highest overall muscle activation, yet an isometric back squat at 140° generates the lowest overall muscle activation of the VL and GM only.

Desempenho dos membros inferiores após reconstrução do ligamento cruzado anterior / Performance of the lower limbs after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

O desempenho dos membros inferiores em tarefas dinâmicas pode auxiliar no entendimento do controle motor em indivíduos submetidos à reconstrução do LCA. Os objetivos do presente estudo foram investigar o déficit bilateral e a simetria entre os membros inferiores de sujeitos submetidos à reconstrução do LCA e comparar com sujeitos não lesionados. Vinte adultos jovens foram divididos em dois grupos (LCA e controle). A tarefa consistiu na execução do exercício Leg Press (unilateral direita e esquerda e bilateral). O número de repetições máximas (RM) foi quantificado e então o déficit bilateral e o índice de assimetria foram calculados. Os resultados mostraram assimetria no número de RM realizada entre membros no grupo LCA (p=0,005) e apenas o grupo controle apresentou déficit bilateral (p=0,004). Conclui-se que indivíduos que realizaram a reconstrução do LCA apresentaram assimetrias entre membros, sem a presença de déficit bilateral.

The performance of the lower limbs in dynamic tasks may aid in understanding of motor control in patients after ACL reconstruction. The objective was to investigate the bilateral deficit and symmetry between lower limbs of people who have been underwent to the reconstruction of ACL and compare with uninjured people. Twenty young adults took part of this study divided in two groups (control and ACL). The tasks consisted on the execution of the Leg Press exercise (right and left unilateral and bilateral), and quantified the maximum number of repetitions (MR), then the bilateral deficit and an asymmetry index were calculated. The results showed asymmetry in the number of MR performed between members in the ACL group (p = 0.005), and only the control group showed bilateral deficit (p = 0.004). We conclude that those people who were underwent to reconstruction of ACL showed asymmetries between members without the presence of bilateral deficit.