THE EFFECT OF STATIC STRETCHING OF PERONEAL AND TIBIAL MUSCLES ON THE REACTION TIME: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY

Objective The aim of this study is to investigate the acute and chronic effects of static stretching on peroneal and tibialis anterior reaction characteristics. Design All 23 participants who volunteered for this study were randomly divided into static (n=12) and control (n=11) groups. The subjects in the static stretching group performed stretching exercises for the ankle evertor and dorsiflexor muscles 5 days a week for 6 weeks. Peroneal and tibial muscle reaction characteristics were evaluated at the beginning (2 times for acute effect) and end of this period. Electromyographic activity parameters of the muscles were measured using an ankle inversion tilting platform that simulated a sudden ankle inversion. There were four different ankle inversion conditions: (a) ankle-neutral, 15° inversion; (b) ankle-neutral, 30° inversion; (c) ankle-20° plantarflexion, 15° inversion; and (d) ankle-20° plantarflexion, 30° inversion. Results Either in terms of acute or chronic effects, no significant differences were found following static stretching exercises for peroneal and tibial muscle reaction time, reaction duration and muscle activity evaluated in 4 positions on the ankle inversion simulation platform (p>0.05). Conclusion In light of these results, it is possible to state that short duration of static stretching exercises can still be applied before sports activities. CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Ufuk SEKIR, Department of Sports Medicine, Medical Faculty of Uludag University, 16059 Gorukle, Bursa – TURKEY, +90 (224) 295 35 00, ufuksek@gmail.com Conflict of interest No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors. Furthermore, there is no financial disclosure and no funding was received. Copyright © 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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