Trial Review

The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been endorsed by the ANZCTR. Before participating in a study, talk to your health care provider and refer to this information for consumers
Trial registered on ANZCTR


Registration number
ACTRN12608000638336
Ethics application status
Approved
Date submitted
27/11/2008
Date registered
17/12/2008
Date last updated
17/12/2008
Type of registration
Retrospectively registered

Titles & IDs
Public title
The Effect of Warm-up and Stretching on Hamstring Flexibility
Scientific title
The Effect of Warm-up, Static Stretching and Dynamic Stretching on Hamstring Flexibility in an Athletic Population
Universal Trial Number (UTN)
Trial acronym
Linked study record

Health condition
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied:
Hamstring Injury 4032 0
Condition category
Condition code
Musculoskeletal 4235 4235 0 0
Other muscular and skeletal disorders

Intervention/exposure
Study type
Interventional
Description of intervention(s) / exposure
(1) Aerobic warm-up of the lower limbs.
Aerobic exercise involved 5 minutes of static jogging to an intensity where "a little breathlessness" was experienced.
(2) Static stretching of the hamstrings .
Static stretching involved the participant placing their leg on an elevated surface with their knee extended and their ankle plantarflexed. Participants were then instructed to lean forward from the hip, with their spine in neutral until a stretch was felt in the posterior thigh. This position was held for 30 seconds, and then repeated 3 times.

This was all done in one session on one day for half of the participants. The participants in this group then switched (crossover study) to the dynamic stretching intervention described below. The second session was completed within 3-14 days.
Intervention code [1] 3753 0
Rehabilitation
Comparator / control treatment
Aerobic exercise and dynamic stretching:
Aerobic exercise was completed as described above (5 minutes of static jogging to an intensity where "a little breathlessness" was experienced).

Dynamic stretching of the hamstrings involved each participant actively swinging the leg to be stretched forward into hip flexion until a stretch was felt in the posterior thigh whilst keeping their knee extended and their ankle plantarflexed. This was repeated for 30 seconds and repeated 3 times.

This was done in one session on one day for half of the participants. The participants in this group then switched (crossover study) to the static stretching intervention described above. The second session was completed within 3-14 days.
Control group
Active

Outcomes
Primary outcome [1] 5123 0
Short-term hamstring flexibility:
Hamstring flexibility was determined by passive knee extension range of motion in supine, with the hip flexed to 90 degrees. A myrin goniometer, placed on the lateral shin, was used to calculate this range of motion.
Timepoint [1] 5123 0
Immediate: This was the increase in hamstring flexibility observed immediately after stretching.
Secondary outcome [1] 8626 0
Medium-term hamstring flexibility:
Hamstring flexibility was determined by passive knee extension range of motion in supine, with the hip flexed to 90 degrees. A myrin goniometer, placed on the lateral shin, was used to calculate this range of motion.
Timepoint [1] 8626 0
15 minutes after stretching.

Eligibility
Key inclusion criteria
Hamstring strain within the last year, but not within the last month
Unilateral decrease in hamstring flexibility (of at least 5 degrees during passive knee extension)
Minimum age
18 Years
Maximum age
40 Years
Sex
Both males and females
Can healthy volunteers participate?
Yes
Key exclusion criteria
Still receiving treatment, Not back to sport or full activity, Co-existing musculoskeletal disorders e.g. low back pain

Study design
Purpose of the study
Treatment
Allocation to intervention
Randomised controlled trial
Procedure for enrolling a subject and allocating the treatment (allocation concealment procedures)
Methods used to generate the sequence in which subjects will be randomised (sequence generation)
Masking / blinding
Who is / are masked / blinded?



Intervention assignment
Crossover
Other design features
Phase
Not Applicable
Type of endpoint/s
Statistical methods / analysis

Recruitment
Recruitment status
Completed
Date of first participant enrolment
Anticipated
1/09/2007
Actual
Date of last participant enrolment
Anticipated
Actual
Date of last data collection
Anticipated
Actual
Sample size
Target
36
Accrual to date
Final
Recruitment outside Australia
Country [1] 1417 0
Ireland
State/province [1] 1417 0

Funding & Sponsors
Funding source category [1] 4212 0
Other
Name [1] 4212 0
University of Limerick
Country [1] 4212 0
Ireland
Primary sponsor type
Individual
Name
Kieran O'Sullivan
Address
Physiotherapy Department,
Health Sciences Building,
University of Limerick,
Castletroy.
Country
Ireland
Secondary sponsor category [1] 3786 0
None
Name [1] 3786 0
Address [1] 3786 0
Country [1] 3786 0

Ethics approval
Ethics application status
Approved

Summary
Brief summary
Hamstring injury is very common. Aerobic warm-up and stretching exercises are suggested to increase hamstring flexibility and reduce the risk of hamstring injury. There is still considerable debate on what type of stretching has the greatest effect on hamstring flexibility. This study examined the short-term effects on hamstring flexibility of static stretching and dynamic stretching (both combined with aerobic warm-up) in individuals with previous hamstring injury and matched healthy controls.
Study hypothesis: Static stretching results in greater increases in hamstring flexibility than dynamic stretching.
Trial website
Trial related presentations / publications
Public notes

Contacts
Principal investigator
Name 29169 0
Address 29169 0
Country 29169 0
Phone 29169 0
Fax 29169 0
Email 29169 0
Contact person for public queries
Name 12326 0
Kieran O'Sullivan
Address 12326 0
Physiotherapy Department
Health Sciences Building,
University of Limerick,
Castletroy.
Country 12326 0
Ireland
Phone 12326 0
+353 61 234119
Fax 12326 0
+353 61 234251
Email 12326 0
[email protected]
Contact person for scientific queries
Name 3254 0
Kieran O'Sullivan
Address 3254 0
Physiotherapy Department
Health Sciences Building,
University of Limerick,
Castletroy.
Country 3254 0
Ireland
Phone 3254 0
+353 61 234119
Fax 3254 0
+353 61 234251
Email 3254 0
[email protected]

No information has been provided regarding IPD availability


What supporting documents are/will be available?

No Supporting Document Provided



Results publications and other study-related documents

Documents added manually
No documents have been uploaded by study researchers.

Documents added automatically
No additional documents have been identified.