earticle

영어

This study compared the effects of two dynamic stretching techniques, namely the contract- relax (C-R) method of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) and the mobilization with movement (MWM) technique with Mulligan movement, with static stretching (SS) on the gastrocnemius muscle in healthy adult males and females. The average age of the participants was 22.21 years (with a standard deviation of 2.11 years), and a total of 33 participants (14 males and 19 females) voluntarily participated in the study. The participants were divided into three groups: SS, C-R, and MWM, each group consisting of 11 individuals. Outcomes were evaluated through ultrasound, hand-held dynamometer, gastrocnemius muscle pennation angle, muscle tone, and ankle joint dorsiflexion strength and range of motion (ROM) measurements. Measurements were taken before and after applying the SS, C-R, and MWM techniques. Significant differences were observed in gastrocnemius muscle pennation angle, muscle tone, ankle dorsiflexion strength, and ROM before and after the interventions (p < 0.05). When comparing the results between groups, significant differences were found in muscle tone, ankle dorsiflexion strength, and ROM (p < 0.05), while there was no significant difference in the pennation angle (p > 0.05). Therefore, based on the results of this study, it is recommended that for increasing ankle joint strength and ROM while reducing gastrocnemius muscle tone, the application of dynamic stretching techniques such as C-R and MWM is more advisable over using SS as a stretching method.