Abstract
[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to biologically clarify the effect of a self-stretching exercise on the hemodynamics of the gastrocnemius muscle. [Subjects] The subjects were the 40 left legs of 40 healthy male students. [Methods] Under two conditions of active individual muscle stretching (AID) and no stretching, the hemodynamics of the popliteal artery were investigated and compared, between the conditions and before and after stretching, using the arterial diameter and blood flow velocity evaluated by ultrasound. [Results] No significant difference was found between the conditions in the arterial diameter, but after AID, a significant increase in the blood flow velocity was observed. [Conclusion] The fact that self-stretching of the gastrocnemius muscle raised the blood flow velocity, suggests the possibility that it temporarily increases the volume of the blood flow in the muscle it controls.
