Publications
Acute Effects of Passive Stretching With and Without Vibration on Hip Range of Motion, Temperature, and Stiffness Parameters in Male Elite Athletes
Authors: Daniel Jochum 1, Viola Vogel 1, Konstantin Warneke 2
Affiliations:
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute of Human Movement Science, Sport and Health, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
Journal: Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology - January 2025, Volume 10, Issue 1, Article no. 17 (DOI: 10.3390/jfmk10010017)
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Field & Applications:
- Sport
- Treatment evaluation
- Warm-up / Recovery
Objectives: Increasing exercise intensity and performance output with superimposed vibration gains interest, especially in high-performance training. However, the additional benefit of vibration in passive stretching exercises and its mechanisms remain unclarified.
Methods: Passive stretching with (ST+V) and without (ST) vibration (20 Hz) was performed in male Olympic youth skiing athletes (n = 8, age: 17.9 ± 1.0 years) using a single-blinded randomized cross-over design. Acute hip abduction, hip anteversion, knee extension, and hamstrings (stand and reach straight leg raise) range of motion (ROM) were assessed using a digital goniometer, while stiffness was examined via MyotonPRO. The skin temperature of the whole leg was captured with infrared thermography and analyzed in different segments.
Results: Both stretching interventions increased ROM compared to the control group (CG) (p < 0.001–0.033, d = 1.0–1.6) without differences between ST+V and ST (p = 0.202–0.999). While skin temperature decreased in the CG and ST, ST+V maintained a constant temperature in the lower legs. Stiffness was not affected by both stretching interventions.
Conclusions: The stretching intervention leads to significant increases in flexibility, while additional vibration did not further enhance the ROM.
Keywords: stretching, vibratory stimulation, passive properties, flexibility, whole-body vibration
Even though the use of vibration devices is in vogue, our results showed that an acute bout of stretching superposed with vibration did not provide an additional benefit compared to stretching alone, at least for young athletes. However, in comparison to most other acute vibration studies, our pilot study focused on a homogenous, though small, sample size and lifted study quality by conducting a blinded data collection. Still, further research, including a larger sample size as well as chronic interventions comparing vibration training with a sham condition, is required to draw a more conclusive picture of vibration effects, as potential acute effects could also be induced by warm-up effects. Chronic effects might induce higher ROM in recreational or sedentary populations due to enhanced activity in general, which might be reached by performing any activity. Therefore, when aiming to investigate specific intervention effects, it is mandatory to include a comparison sham group.