2009 Volume 21 Issue 3 Pages 227-230
[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to determine if a 30-minute twice daily prolonged stretch could prevent range of motion limitation in rats. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-three 8-week-old female Wistar rats were divided into three groups. The right ankle joints of all the rats were fixed in full plantar flexion for a week with plaster casts. The first group was immobilized continuously throughout the experiment (G1). In the second and third groups, the casts were removed daily, and the foot was held in dorsiflexion for 30-minutes once a day (G2) and 30-minutes twice a day (G3), respectively. [Results] The range of motion of G1 and G2 significantly decreased from the first day of the experiment to the last day. However, the range of motion of G3 did not show any significant difference between the first day and the last day. [Conclusion] These results suggest that prolonged stretching for 30-minutes twice daily may be effective for the prevention of joint contractures in rats.
