Acute effects of static active or dynamic active stretching on eccentric-exercise-induced hamstring muscle damage

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Exercise Physiology
• Muscle Physiology

Background:

• Eccentric exercise can lead to muscle damage, characterized by pain and reduced function.
• Stretching exercises are often used to improve flexibility and may influence muscle damage.
• The effects of different active stretching protocols on muscle damage markers are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if acute static active stretching (SAS) or dynamic active stretching (DAS) reduces muscle damage after eccentric exercise.
• To compare the effectiveness of SAS and DAS in mitigating exercise-induced muscle damage.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 36 male students.
• Participants underwent either SAS, DAS, or a control condition before performing strenuous eccentric exercise.
• Measurements included range of motion, muscle strength (maximal voluntary isometric contraction), and muscle damage markers (creatine kinase, myoglobin) over 5 days.

Main Results:

• Both SAS and DAS increased hip flexion range of motion compared to the control group.
• DAS significantly increased passive hamstring stiffness (PHS) more than SAS and control.
• Muscle damage markers were lower in the SAS group compared to both DAS and control groups.

Conclusions:

• Pre-exercise active stretching, particularly SAS, can help attenuate symptoms of muscle damage following eccentric exercise.
• SAS is suggested as a superior stretching protocol over DAS for preserving strength, enhancing hamstring range of motion, and reducing muscle damage markers.