Acute Passive Static Stretching and Cramp Threshold Frequency

Abstract

Context:  Exercise-associated muscle cramps are a common clinical problem for athletes. Objective:  To determine whether acute passive static stretching altered cramp threshold frequency (CTF) of electrically induced muscle cramps. Design:  Crossover study. Setting:  Laboratory. Patients or Other Participants:  Seventeen healthy college-aged individuals. Intervention(s):  Stretching or no stretching. Main Outcome Measure(s):  The independent variable was the static stretch versus the no-stretch condition, and the dependent variable was the CTF. Results:  The CTF increased in both the control (pretest: 18.12 ± 6.46 Hz, posttest: 19.65 ± 7.25 Hz; P = .033) and stretching (pretest: 18.94 ± 5.96 Hz, posttest: 20.47 ± 7.12 Hz; P = .049) groups. No difference between the groups was found (t15 = 0.035, P = .97). Conclusions:  Acute passive static stretching did not seem to increase the CTF.