Acute Effects of Static Stretching Intensity and Duration on Muscle Viscoelastic Properties and Proprioception

Traditionally stretching exercises have been used by health professionals as a means of preventing injuries by increasing performance and increasing joint flexibility. Kubo et al. suggest that the potential mechanism of decreased risk of injury with increased flexibility is a change in the viscoelastic properties of the muscle-tendon unit. Muscle fibers and tendons contain proprioceptors. These receptors provide information about joint angle, muscle length and muscle tension. There are two stretch-related proprioceptors that transmit information to the central nervous system about muscle tension. These receptors are muscle spindles (respond to changes in the length) and golgi tendon organs (respond to changes in the tension). For this reason, interactions between muscle tension, muscle-tendon unit, viscoelasticity and proprioceptive tissue (muscle spindles and golgi tendon organ); it becomes important when you think about how stretching exercises affect proprioception, flexibility and increase or decrease of joint range of motion. In the literature, four stretching parameters have been defined as important to influence the potential for increasing or decreasing the flexibility of a joint: intensity, duration, frequency and stretching position. The focus of this study we plan on is the intensity and duration of stretching.

Exercise warming exercises before sportive activity and cooling exercises afterwards are widely suggested and applied. Determining the relationship between stretch severity and duration and viscoelastic properties and proprioception will contribute to the effective creation of training programs.