Purpose: Muscle stretching is frequently prescribed in physical therapy to manage lower back and neck pain. However, there is no clear evidence regarding the differences in effectiveness of active and passive stretching. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the relative effectiveness of a 12-week program of active and passive stretching on selected physical and mental stress variables of sedentary men with lower back and neck pain. Methods: A cohort of 28 sedentary men, 30 -49 years old, were divided into two intervention groups: the passive stretching group (PSG, n = 15) and the active stretching group (ASG, n = 13). A trainer assisted with static passive stretching, while participants in the ASG were provided with an instructional video. The following outcomes were measured at the start and end of the first and twelfth week of the stretching program: physical measures (visual analogue scale score of lower back and neck pain; finger-to-floor distance, gravimetric assessment of pelvic tilt, muscle hardness of the biceps femoris, and straight-leg raising) and mental stress measures (α-amylase and cortisol levels in saliva samples). Results: Although both active and passive stretching produced acute changes in lower back and neck pain, only passive stretching yielded long-term improvement in pain, finger-to-floor distance, pelvic tilt, hardness of biceps femoris muscle and cortisol levels (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Passive stretching is superior to active stretching in reducing pain, increasing muscle extensibility and correcting posture among a group of sedentary men with lower back and neck pain.

We aimed to assess the impact of consuming two Zespri Hayward green kiwifruit a day on 11 healthy women subjects over a period of 4 consecutive weeks. We analyzed the effects of kiwifruit consumption on intestinal, abdominal, and bowel movement related discomfort, bowel movement frequency, peripheral blood flow, skin health, and autonomic nervous system activity. This study was a randomized control trial, consisting of a four-week intervention period. Participants were divided to ensure equal age distributions and then randomly placed into two intervention groups: a kiwifruit consumption group (n = 11) and a control group (no kiwifruit consumption) (n = 5). The kiwifruit consumption group was instructed to consume two kiwifruit a day during the 4-week intervention period, while subjects in the control group were instructed not to consume kiwifruit for the duration of the study. Besides a restriction from eating yogurt and other fruits, subjects were requested to eat their meals as per usual. The results of this study showed a significant decrease in intestinal, abdominal, and bowel movement discomfort, and a significant increase in bowel movement frequency, at 4 weeks of kiwifruit consumption compared to before consumption. In addition, subjects in the kiwifruit consumption group experienced a significant increase in blood flow, particularly in the index and middle finger at 2 and 4 weeks of kiwifruit consumption. Furthermore, subjects in the kiwifruit consumption group experienced a significant increase in skin brightness at 4 weeks of kiwifruit consumption compared to before consumption. The results of this study suggest that kiwifruit appears to be a delicious and safe option for intestinal, abdominal, and bowel movement discomfort interventions for healthy women. In addition, kiwifruit may aid in increasing bowel movement frequency, peripheral blood flow, and brightness of skin among healthy women as well.