Abstract
[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate whether simultaneous execution (SE) of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and muscle stretching increases muscle extensibility in a short time. [Subjects and Methods] Fifteen healthy volunteers participated in this study. They performed stretching of the bilateral triceps surae (TS) muscles during 15-minute NMES, aimed at reciprocal inhibition of the TS (SE session), and the stretching only (control session). The stretching was performed at just before the start of each session, and 5 and 15 minutes after the start of each session. Bilateral ankle dorsiflexion ranges during the stretching (D/F-ROM) were measured at the three time points. [Results] In the SE session, significant D/F-ROM increases were observed at 5 minutes as well as 15 minutes after the start of the session compared with just before the start of the session. In addition, there was no significant D/F-ROM difference between these two time points. In the control session, however, there were no significant D/F-ROM differences among the three time points. [Conclusion] NMES and muscle stretching increases muscle extensibility in a short time.
