title: Changes in muscular pennation angle after crenotherapy.
abstract: Muscular architecture involves the organization of fibres in the muscle and is one of the most important factors of muscular function. Studies have demonstrated an association with muscular architecture and contraction, with an increase of the pennation angle in muscles. The aim of the study was to evaluate the change of muscular pennation angle after therapy with warm thermal water (crenotherapy).
  
  
  METHODS
  45 amateur athletes undertaking different sporting activities;
  30 runners;
  15 swimmers. All the athletes underwent muscular ultrasound and clinical examination before and after the 10 sessions of the thermal protocol. At baseline the groups showed different values of pennation angle (group A = 19.1° ± 3.8° vs group B = 16.7° ± 2.4°; p=0.05). Following the thermal therapy protocol, significant variation of pennation angle was detected at rest in Group A which had significantly lower values than before the treatment (17.5° ± 2.9°; p=0.01). No differences were detected in group B.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  thermal therapy induced the greatest effect on runners (Group A) as pennation angle at rest was significantly lower after the period of crenotherapy and this variation may be as a result of a smaller muscular contracture.
authors.affiliation: II University of Naples, Service of Sports Medicine, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brancaccio
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Somma
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Provenzano
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rastrelli
keywords: crenotherapy; muscular architecture; pennation angle