Effects of Massage at Two Different Hamstring Positions on Hip Flexion Angle in Healthy Adult Males

Effects of long-term self-massage at the musculotendinous junction on hamstring extensibility, stiffness, stretch tolerance, and structural indices: A randomized controlled trial

“…Taken together, the results obtained by Huang et al (2010) and ourselves (Akazawa et al, 2013) indicate that a single massage at the musculotendinous junction increases hamstring extensibility. Based on electromyographic measurements, Huang et al (2010) hypothesized that this effect may be attributed to decreased excitability of spinal motor neurons.…”

“…In our previous study (Akazawa et al, 2013), the mean difference of the change in HFA between the massage and control groups was 5.9°. Importantly, 5° has been reported to be the minimum clinically significant difference (Ben & Harvey, 2010;Folpp et al, 2006;Law et al, 2009).…”

“…Importantly, 5° has been reported to be the minimum clinically significant difference (Ben & Harvey, 2010;Folpp et al, 2006;Law et al, 2009). To estimate the required sample size for the current study, we estimated that the effect size of long-term self-massage at the musculotendinous junction would be the same as that of a single massage at the musculotendinous junction (d = 0.97) in our previous study (Akazawa et al, 2013), because we expected a clinically detectable difference in HFA between the massage and control groups. Rate of α, power (1 -β), and dropout were set at 5, 95, and 15% (Folpp et al, 2006), respectively.…”

“…Massage at the musculotendinous junction may be more effective than massage over the entire muscle; in 2010, Huang et al reported that the HFA after 30-seconds of friction massage was significantly higher than after a non-massage period. In 2013, we examined the effects of 3-minute hamstring massages at either the musculotendinous junction or the muscle belly on HFA (Akazawa et al, 2013). We found that the HFA of the group that received musculotendinous junction massage was significantly higher than that of the control group, while the HFA of the group that received muscle belly massage did not differ from that of the controls.…”

“…In sport setting, massage is used frequently in order to increase hamstring extensibility (Bradley & Portas, 2007;Hopper, Conneely & Chromiak, 2005a;McHugh, Connolly, & Eston, 1999;Witvrouw, Danneels, & Asselman, 2003). However, in previous studies (Akazawa, Harada, & Okawa, 2013;Barlow, Clarke, & Johnson, 2004;Hopper, Conneely, & Chromiak, 2005a;Hopper, Deacon, & Das, 2005b;Huang, Di santo, & Wadden, 2010;Wiktorsson-Möller, Oberg, & Ekstrand, 1983), the effects of massage on hamstring extensibility is controversial.…”