title: Acute effects of The Stick on strength, power, and flexibility.
abstract: The Stick is a muscle massage device used by athletes, particularly track athletes, to improve performance. The purpose of this project was to assess the acute effects of The Stick on muscle strength, power, and flexibility. Thirty collegiate athletes consented to participate in a 4-week, double-blind study, which consisted of 4 testing sessions (1 familiarization and 3 data collection) scheduled 1 week apart. During each testing session subjects performed 4 measures in the following sequence: hamstring flexibility, vertical jump, flying-start 20-yard dash, and isokinetic knee extension at 90 degrees x s(-1). Two minutes of randomly assigned intervention treatment (visualization [control], mock insensible electrical stimulation [placebo], or massage using The Stick [experimental]) was performed immediately prior to each performance measure. Statistical analyses involved single-factor repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Fisher's Least Significant Difference post-hoc test. None of the variables measured showed an acute improvement (p < or = 0.05) immediately following treatment with The Stick.
authors.affiliation: Human Performance and Biomechanics Laboratory and National Institute for Fitness and Sport, Department of Physical Education, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis 46202, USA. amikesky@iupui.edu
authors.forename: Alan E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Mikesky
authors.forename: Rafael E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Bahamonde
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stanton
authors.forename: Thurman
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Alvey
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fitton
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008405:Massage / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular