Machine-assisted foot stretching in the elderly: a comparison with self-stretching

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Biomechanics
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Self-stretching is a common method for maintaining ankle flexibility at home.
• Limited research exists on the comparative efficacy of automated versus manual stretching interventions for the elderly population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an automatic foot-stretching machine for safe and effective at-home dorsiflexion.
• To compare the effects of machine-assisted stretching with traditional self-stretching on ankle biomechanics in healthy older adults.

Main Methods:

• Twelve healthy elderly participants underwent both automatic and self-stretching protocols for their feet.
• Measurements included passive range of motion, plantarflexion strength, resistive torque, and medial gastrocnemius muscle-tendon junction displacement.
• Each participant served as their own control, with different stretching methods applied to each foot.

Main Results:

• Automatic stretching resulted in a significantly greater increase in passive dorsiflexion range of motion compared to self-stretching.
• Plantarflexion strength showed a tendency to decrease after automatic stretching, but not after self-stretching.
• Medial gastrocnemius muscle-tendon junction displacement tended to shorten during automatic stretching, suggesting a potential tendon-focused effect.

Conclusions:

• Machine-assisted foot stretching is a viable and effective alternative to self-stretching for improving ankle dorsiflexion in the elderly.
• The findings suggest that automated stretching may preferentially influence tendon properties over muscle strength.
• This technology holds promise for enhancing home-based rehabilitation and mobility interventions for older adults.