Chronic and Acute Flexibility of Men and Women Using Three Different Stretching Techniques

Abstract

This investigation compared chronic and acute range of motion (ROM) changes of hip flexion and shoulder extension between men and women using three stretching techniques and a control group during a 12-week program. The treatment groups performed either static stretching (SS), contract-relax (CR), or contract-relax with agonist-contraction (CRAC) stretching techniques. The ROM measurements were obtained before beginning any treatment, then once every 3 weeks thereafter. All treatment groups significantly increased ROM compared with the control group. Although women possessed greater ROM than men throughout the program, their comparative increases were not significantly different from the men's increases. It was concluded that the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) techniques (i.e., CR and CRAC) were more effective than the SS method for increasing ROM for both hip flexion and shoulder extension for both sexes. Men derived better overall effects using the CRAC method while women showed no significant differences between PNF methods throughout treatment.