title: The influence of passive stretch on muscle oxygen saturation.
abstract: Previous studies have suggested that chronic stretch might be able to produce skeletal muscle hypertrophy. However, stretching might also restrict blood flow, which could in turn influence any stretch-training program. This study evaluated the influence of muscle stretch on muscle oxygen saturation using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). A 16 channel NIRS probes were placed on the medial gastrocnemius, quadriceps, and hamstring muscles of young healthy adults. Oxygen saturation during maximal tolerated stretch was measured and normalized with cuff-induced ischemia and reperfusion. Oxygen saturation decreased in the gastrocnemius and quadriceps in a position dependent fashion, but did not change in the hamstring muscles. Passive stretching may also have a significant hypoxic component in some muscles but not others.
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, University of Georgia, 330 River Road, Athens, GA 30602, USA. mccully@uga.edu
authors.forename: Kevin K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: McCully
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D052580:Muscle Stretching Exercises; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen