Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, 08195, Spain
Completed
NCT Number: NCT04763798
Efficacy of Hamstring Stretching According to the Neural or Muscle Tissue Involvement
Background: Muscle stretching is a technique widely used in the clinical practice of physiotherapy and in the field of sports. In the bibliography we find a multitude of stretches and procedures described, some of them being similar to neurodynamic tests, which could direct their effect to a neural and not a musculoskeletal structure. The structural differentiation manoeuvre has been shown to be able to discriminate the increase in tension on the nerve.
Objective: To evaluate the short-term efficacy on ischiosural muscle elongation of three modalities of ischiosural stretching according to neural or muscular involvement, in subjects without previous pathology.
Design: Cross sectional study. Methods: A randomised, blinded, assessor-blinded clinical trial was performed. According to the sample size calculation, a total of 35 subjects will be recruited from the International University of Catalonia. Each subject will undergo three hamstring stretching techniques on their dominant leg, Straight-leg-raise (SLR), Passive knee extension (PKE) and Maximun hip flexion (MHF) with an interval of one week on the dominant leg. Muscle elongation in each stretching modality will be assessed with the modified black saver sit and reach test and whether the technique generates a neural or musculoskeletal response when performing the structural differentiation manoeuvre.
Completed
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Notify MeKey information
Conditions
Age range
18 year and older
Sex eligibility
All sexes
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Not applicable
Primary location
About this study
Background: Muscle stretching is a technique widely used in the clinical practice of physiotherapy and in the field of sports. In the bibliography we find a multitude of stretches and procedures described, some of them being similar to neurodynamic tests, which could direct their effect to a neural and not a musculoskeletal structure. The structural differentiation manoeuvre has been shown to be able to discriminate the increase in tension on the nerve.
Objective: To evaluate the short-term efficacy on ischiosural muscle elongation of three modalities of ischiosural stretching according to neural or muscular involvement, in subjects without previous pathology.
Design: Cross sectional study.
Who can participate
Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes
Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.
Inclusion criteria
- Healthy subjects over 18 years old who signed the informed consent.
Exclusion criteria
- The exclusion criteria were as follows: 1) injury in the thigh 6 months previously, 2) diagnosis of any orthopaedic problem or surgery in the lower limbs, 3) back pain or previous surgery in the spine or 4) systemic or neurological disorders.
Treatment and study plan
Straight-leg-raise (SLR)
OtherThe stretched lower limb was on a mobile support and the contralateral limb was stabilized with a belt on the bench. For the SLR, the knee was kept in full extension and then, hip flexion was performed until a marked resistance. All stretching modalities were applied until a marked resistance was felt by the physical therapist (end-feel) or until the point of maximal tolerance referred by subjects.The stretch lasted 30 seconds followed by 15 seconds rest period and the procedure was repeated 5 times. Each stretching was applied for 5 minutes
Passive Knee extension test (PKE)
OtherThe stretched lower limb was on a mobile support and the contralateral limb was stabilized with a belt on the bench. For the PKE, the hip was kept in 90º flexion and then, knee extension was performed. All stretching modalities were applied until a marked resistance was felt by the physical therapist (end-feel) or until the point of maximal tolerance referred by subjects.
The stretches lasted 30 seconds followed by 15 seconds rest period and the procedure was repeated 5 times. Each stretching was applied for 5 minutes
Maximum hip flexion (MHF)
OtherThe stretched lower limb was on a mobile support and the contralateral limb was stabilized with a belt on the bench. For MHF, a maximal hip flexion was performed and then, knee extension was applied. All stretching modalities were applied until a marked resistance was felt by the physical therapist (end-feel) or until the point of maximal tolerance referred by subjects.
The stretches lasted 30 seconds followed by 15 seconds rest period and the procedure was repeated 5 times. Each stretching was applied for 5 minutes
Primary outcomes
-
Modified back-saver sit-and-reach test
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 weeks.
subjects will perform a single-leg sit-and-reach on a bench. The untested leg will be placed on the floor with knee at approximately 90º. A measuring tape will be placed on the bench. Subjects aligned the sole of the foot of the tested leg with the 50-cm mark on the measuring tape. Thereafter, subjects will be asked to reach forward as far as possible while maintaining the knees, arms, and fingers fully extended, and keep in the two hands on tip of each other and palms down
-
Distal sensation
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 weeks.
Passive ankle dorsiflexion was performed as distal sensation manoeuvre at the final position of all stretching modalities. Subjects were asked to indicate if the sensation during the stretching was modified during the ankle dorsiflexion (neural response) or was the same (musculoskeletal response)
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Force intensity applyed
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 weeks.
The intensity of the force applied during each stretching modality was measured by a manual dynamometer (MicroFET2, Hoggan Scientific, Salt Lake City, Utah). The dynamometer was applied on the distal leg, proximal to the ankle joint. The physiotherapist performed the stretching until a marked resistance was felt and then, the force was registered.
Secondary outcomes
-
Perceived sensation
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 weeks.
After the stretching application, all subjects were asked about their perceived sensation. They were asked about the intensity of the tension sensation during the technique. A numeric scale, ranging from 0 ("no tension") to 10 ("worst tension imaginable") was used to indicate the intensity of tension sensation during the stretching technique.
Sponsors and collaborators
Lead sponsor
Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Other
Registry information
Important dates
- Study start
- 2020
- Primary completion
- 2021
- Study completion
- 2021
- First posted
- Feb 21, 2021
- Registry last updated
- Sep 6, 2022
OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.
View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.