ArticleEuropean journal of applied physiology2024
Acute effect of static stretching on non-muscular tissue stiffness and joint flexibility: a comparative study between older and young men.
Article in European journal of applied physiology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Is nerve-directed stretching effective for improving of ankle joint flexibility and tissue stiffness in older men?Journal of clinical biochemistry and nutrition · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of Home-Based Stretching and Strengthening Training for Improving Flexibility, Strength, and Physical Function in Older Adults with Leg Tightness and/or Suspected Sarcopenia.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Extracorporeal Shock Wave and Melatonin Alleviate Joint Capsule Fibrosis after Knee Trauma in Rats by Regulating Autophagy.Current molecular medicine · 2025Article
- Effects of tissue flossing and dynamic stretching on hamstring stiffness and flexibility in light volleyball enthusiasts: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purposeNon-muscular tissue stiffness is assumed to have a negative impact on joint flexibility, and a reduction in non-muscular tissue stiffness may be important, especially in older adults. The present study aimed to compare the acute effects of static stretching on non-muscular tissue stiffness between older and young adults and to investigate whether a decrease in tissue stiffness improves joint flexibility.
methodsTwenty older (62-83 years) and 20 young (21-24 years) males participated. Ankle dorsiflexion static stretching (five sets of 90 s each) was performed, and before and after stretching, the ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (RoM), passive ankle joint stiffness, and shear wave speed (SWS) (an index of stiffness) of the sciatic nerve, tibial nerve, and posterior thigh fascia were measured.
resultsStretching led to an increase in RoM and a decrease in passive joint stiffness in both groups (P < 0.001) with no significant between-group differences (P ≥ 0.055). The between-group difference in the effect of stretching on SWS was evident only for the sciatic nerve, and a decline in sciatic nerve SWS was only observed in the older adult group (pre-stretching: 2.5 ± 0.3 m/s; post-stretching: 2.3 ± 0.4 m/s; P = 0.027). A significant positive repeated-measures correlation was observed between the sciatic nerve SWS and passive joint stiffness (P = 0.014, r
conclusionThe reduction in sciatic nerve stiffness by stretching was noticeable in older men and led to improved joint flexibility. These findings may provide insight into tissue adaptation by stretching and may be used to explore effective exercises for improving joint flexibility in older adults.
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