title: The effects of intermittent stretching following a 4-week static stretching protocol: a randomized trial.
abstract: Stretching is performed in rehabilitation and sports conditioning programs. It is not known how often during a week stretching needs to be performed to maintain flexibility. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the influence of intermittent stretching (i.e., 2-3 days/week) on hip range of motion (ROM) following a 4-week, daily stretching program. This study used a randomized, single-blind, test-retest design. Healthy adult subjects, age 18 to 50 years, were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 static stretching protocols: (a) standard protocol or (b) intermittent protocol. All subjects stretched their hamstrings daily for the first 4 weeks. The standard group discontinued all stretching after 4 weeks. The intermittent group continued to stretch 2 to 3 days per week for an additional 4 weeks. All subjects were measured for hip ROM weekly for the full 8 weeks. Thirty-two subjects completed the study (standard group = 14; intermittent group = 18, mean age 24.6 years). Mean hip ROM increased (p < 0.05) for both groups from before protocol (PRE) to Week 4 (standard group gain from 71.4 +/- 18.5 degrees to 90.6 +/- 20.5 degrees and intermittent group gain from 68.6 +/- 15.7 degrees to 89.1 +/- 16.8 degrees). During the final 4 weeks, mean hip ROM decreased (p < 0.05) for the standard group from 90.6 +/- 20.5 degrees to 83.9 +/- 20.3 degrees. Mean hip ROM for the intermittent group did not decrease during the final 4 weeks of the study (89.1 +/- 16.8 degrees to 93.2 +/- 14.9 degrees, p > 0.05). Intermittent stretching (i.e., 2 or 3 days/week) is sufficient to maintain ROM gains acquired from a prior static stretching program. Clinicians and trainers may educate their clients of the benefits of intermittent stretching to maintain flexibility.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rancour
authors.forename: Clayton F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Cipriani
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D052580:Muscle Stretching Exercises / Q000379:methods*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology; D018583:Pliability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D016896:Treatment Outcome