No effect of passive stretching on neuromuscular function and maximum force-generating capacity in the antagonist muscle.

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	Cè, Emiliano Coratella, Giuseppe Doria, Christian Rampichini, Susanna Borrelli, Marta Longo, Stefano Esposito, Fabio
Abstract	PurposeThe present study investigated whether or not passive stretching increases the force-generating capacity of the antagonist muscle, and the possible neuromuscular mechanisms behind.MethodsTo this purpose, the neuromuscular function accompanying the force-generating capacity was assessed in 26 healthy male volunteers after passive stretching and in a control session. Before and after passive intermittent static stretching of the plantar flexors consisting of five sets × 45 s + 15 s-rest, maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVC) and surface electromyographic root mean square (sEMG RMS) were measured in the tibialis anterior (the antagonist muscle). Additionally, evoked V wave, H-reflex, and M wave were elicited by nerve stimulation at rest and during MVC. Ankle range of motion (ROM) and plantar flexors MVC and EMG RMS were measured to check for the effectiveness of the stretching manoeuvre.ResultsNo change in MVC [p = 0.670; effect size (ES) − 0.03] and sEMG RMS/M wave during MVC (p = 0.231; ES − 0.09) was observed in the antagonist muscle after passive stretching. Similarly, no change in V wave (p = 0.531; ES 0.16), H-reflex at rest and during MVC (p = 0.656 and 0.597; ES 0.11 and 0.23, respectively) and M wave at rest and during MVC (p = 0.355 and 0.554; ES 0.04 and 0.01, respectively) was observed. An increase in ankle ROM (p < 0.001; ES 0.55) and a decrease in plantar flexors MVC (p < 0.001; ES − 1.05) and EMG RMS (p < 0.05; ES − 1.72 to − 0.13 in all muscles) indicated the effectiveness of stretching protocol.ConclusionNo change in the force-generating capacity and neuromuscular function of the antagonist muscle after passive stretching was observed.
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ISSN	14396319
Journal	European Journal of Applied Physiology [Eur J Appl Physiol]
Volume Number	121
DOI	10.1007/s00421-021-04646-z
PubMed Central reference number	PMC8192325
Issue Number	7
PubMed reference number	33770238
e-ISSN	14396327
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Publisher Date	2021-03-26
Publisher Place	Berlin/Heidelberg
Access Restriction	Open
Rights License	Open AccessThis article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. © The Author(s) 2021
Subject Keyword	Supraspinal Spinal Peripheral Nerve stimulation Maximum voluntary contraction EMG
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Physiology (medical) Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health Sports Science