IF: 1.90
Original Article

Investigation of Varying Durations of Dynamic Stretches on Muscle Stiffness of the Ankle Plantar Flexors Using Shear Wave Ultrasound Elastography
Kensuke Oba1,2, Michito Murayama1,3, Sanae Kaga1,3, Mina Samukawa1
1.
Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita-Ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
2.
Department of Rehabilitation, Hitsujigaoka Hospital, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
3.
Diagnostic Center for Sonography, Hokkaido University Hospital, Kita-Ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Abstract
Objectives: This study investigated the acute effects of dynamic stretch (DS) duration on the muscle stiffness of the ankle plantar flexor using shear wave ultrasound elastography. Methods: Eighteen healthy young participants were enrolled in this study. DS with one set (DS1) or four sets (DS4) of 30 s each was performed randomly. Shear wave velocity in the medial gastrocnemius (MG) was measured before and after DS to assess muscle stiffness of the MG. Results: Two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (condition × time) showed a significant interaction with the shear wave velocity (p = 0.02). Shear wave velocity significantly decreased after the DS4 than before (before: 3.09±0.59 m/s; after: 2.86±0.43 m/s). However, no significant differences were observed in shear wave velocity between before and after DS1 (before: 2.96±0.56 m/s; after: 3.19±0.56 m/s). There were no significant differences in shear wave velocity at baseline condition. After the intervention, significantly lower shear wave velocity was observed in DS4 than in DS1. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that DS with four sets of 30 s effectively decreased the muscle stiffness of the MG.
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