Effect of a 10-Week Stretching Program of the Triceps Surae Muscle Architecture and Tendon Mechanical Properties

Abstract

Purpose The present study aimed to test if a long-term passive stretching training causes adaptations of the medial gastrocnemius architecture and the Achilles tendon (AT) tangent modulus. Methods A total of 20 males took part in the study. The stretching group (n = 12), performed stretching exercises for the plantar flexors for 10 weeks, 4-5 times a week, which comprised two static positions sustained twice each during 30 s. Results For the stretching group, maximum dorsiflexion angle, peak passive torque, and muscle-tendon unit maximum length significantly increased after training. No other differences were found related to muscle architecture and AT tangent modulus. Conclusion Joint amplitude gain after a long-term stretching of the triceps surae was not accompanied by structural or mechanical changes of the medial gastrocnemius and AT tendon, and seems to reflect an increasing stretch tolerance level.

Acute and Chronic Effects of Static Stretching on Neuromuscular Properties: A Meta-Analytical Review

“…This section reviews the chronic (multiple sessions of intervention over several weeks) effects of static stretching on neuromuscular properties from 19 recent studies [45][46][47][71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86]. The total number of participants across the 19 studies was 327 (median: 15; range: 5-28).…”

“…The total number of participants across the 19 studies was 327 (median: 15; range: 5-28). Of the 19 studies, one study assessed both neural and muscular responses (n = 12) [72], one study investigated neural responses [71], and 17 studies investigated muscular responses [45][46][47][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86]. The main findings are summarized in Table 2.…”

There is No Difference Between Two and Five Minutes of Static Stretching on Gastrocnemius Medialis Muscle Architecture

“…Some studies report that chronic PSS induces adaptations in muscle architecture of GM's, including changes in the MT, PA, and FL [10][11][12]. These studies total time under stretching (TTUS) = (time of each stretching set × number of sets of each session × number of sessions) ranged from 48 to 945 minutes [10-12. In the studies that did not nd changes on muscle architecture parameters of GM's, TTUS ranged from 36 to 672 minutes [9,[14][15][16][17][18]. Furthermore, in addition to their differences in TTUS, the studies differ in terms of population, PSS duration and intensity.…”

“…These exibility gains are explained based on some theories that involve neural and mechanical plastic adaptations [7]. The plastic neural adaptations are related mainly an increase in stretch tolerance, while the plastic mechanical aspects are related to microstructural level responses, such as serial sarcomere number increase (sarcomerogenesis) and tendon or muscle mechanical properties changes [7][8][9].…”

“…More speci cally, when the chronic adaptations of muscle architecture parameters of gastrocnemius medialis (GM's) as muscle thickness (MT), pennation angle (PA) and fascicle length (FL) are observed after PSS interventions, original studies have presented con icting results [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Some studies report that chronic PSS induces adaptations in muscle architecture of GM's, including changes in the MT, PA, and FL [10][11][12].…”