Resumen de Effects of static, ballistic, and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching on vertical jump variables
Marcela Gomes Ferreira, Welds Rodrigo Ribeiro Bertor, Alberito Rodrigo de Carvalho, Gladson Ricardo Flor Bertolini
Aims: The effects of muscle stretching before exercise on muscle performance is controversial. The aims of this study were to compare the effects of static, ballistic, and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching on muscle power, flight time, and jump height.
Methods: This uncontrolled, crossed intervention study included 20 young male and female students aged 18 to 28 years from Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, without any complaints of pain and with no musculoskeletal injuries. The sample was divided into four subgroups: three of them were submitted to static, ballistic, and PNF stretching, while one was the control group. The interventions occurred once weekly, alternating between the stretching modalities, over a 4-week period, at the end of which all subgroups had performed all the exercises proposed. Vertical jumps were performed on a testing mat immediately after the stretching exercises (or separately in the case of controls) in order to assess muscle performance. The repeated measures ANOVA was used for the statistical analysis and the significance level was set at 5%.
Results: There was no significant difference in muscle power, flight time, or jump height before and after the application of the three stretching modalities. The following p values were obtained: 0.508 for muscle power, 0.674 for flight time, and 0.606 for jump height.
Conclusions: Stretching is not contraindicated if the goal is to enhance muscle extensibility prior to vertical jumps, since, apparently, stretching has no negative effect on important variables among healthy young individuals, at least not within a 4-week period.
