Active stretching for lower extremity muscle tightness in pediatric patients with lumbar spondylolysis

Abstract

: Background : It was reported that hamstring muscle tightness may increase mechanical loading on the lumbar spine. Therefore, we attempt to decrease tightness in the leg muscles in pediatric patients. Methods : Forty-six pediatric patients with spondylolysis underwent rehabilitation. We applied active stretching to the hamstrings, quadriceps, and triceps surae. Tightness in each muscle was graded as good, fair, or poor. We educated each patient on how to perform active stretching at home. They were re-evaluated for muscle tightness 2 months later. Results : Tightness at baseline and after 2 months was as follows : for the hamstrings, good in 3 patients, fair in 9, and poor in 34 and significant improved after 2 months (p 0.05), with improvement by least 1 grade seen in 86% % of patients with fair or poor at baseline ; for the quadriceps, 7, 3, and 30 patients had good, fair and poor, with significant improvements in 72% % (p 0.05). For the triceps surae, 6, 3 and 10 patients had good, fair and poor, which improved significantly (p 0.05). Conclusion : Home-based active stretching was effective for relieving muscle tightness in the leg in a pediatric population. Adolescent athletes should perform such exercise to maintain flexibility and prevent lumbar disorders.

Physical features of pediatric patients with lumbar spondylolysis and effectiveness of rehabilitation

“…Recently, Sato et al speculated that tightness of muscles in the region of the mobility joints, particularly the hip and ankle, may be the underlying pathology in pediatric patients with LS, and reported that active stretching with reciprocal inhibition was very effective for improving the flexibility of these joints (9). In the present study, we found that HBD was the item least likely to be…”

“…Many patients with LS are known to have tight hamstrings, quadriceps, and thoracic muscles (9), which may lead to compensatory movements and increased load at the lumbar spine. The aims of this study were to evaluate the physical features of pediatric patients with LS, to identify factors that increase their compensatory extension and/or rotation movements and loading at the lumbar spine, and to assess the effectiveness of rehabilitation in these patients.…”

El perfil óptimo de flexibilidad en jóvenes jugadores de fútbol durante su periodo sensible del desarrollo físico. Batería ROM-SPORT

“…De acuerdo con la evidencia actual, un programa de flexibilidad podría ser efectivo para aumenta la extensibilidad muscular y el ROM de los movimientos clasificados con ROM limitado y mejorar el equilibrio muscular en la articulación (Iwata et al, 2019;Law et al, 2009;Sato et al, 2017). El diseño de un programa de flexibilidad eficaz debe seguir las siguientes recomendaciones: ≥2-3 días de frecuencia semanal, al menos una serie, entre 2 y 4 repeticiones, una intensidad de sensación de molestia muscular, técnicas de estiramiento variadas en función de la parte de la sesión de entrenamiento o el tipo de objetivo (estático -activo o pasivo, dinámico, balístico o facilitación neuromuscular propioceptiva) (Garber et al, 2011).…”

Immediate Effect of Intermittent Versus Continuous Hamstring Static Stretching on the Muscle Tone and Range of Motion

“…Compared to the method used in the present study, Sato [31] reported that an analysis of the changes in hamstring muscle tone and stiffness is a simple and effective way to evaluate stretching for hamstring flexibility. Neumann [32] suggested that increases in muscle length during stretching affect the force-length relationship.…”