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Randomised trial of the effects of four weeks of daily stretch on extensibility of hamstring muscles in people with spinal cord injuries
Assessor-blind randomised within-subject trial in 16 people with recent spinal cord injury: 30 minutes of weekday hamstring stretch (30 Nm hip torque) for four weeks versus no stretch in the contralateral leg yielded a mean between-leg difference in extensibility change of 1° (95% CI −2° to 5°)—authors concluded daily stretching did not alter hamstring extensibility in this population and duration.
Design
- Participants: 16 adults with recent spinal cord injury and limited hamstring extensibility
- Within-subject: one leg stretched (30 min, weekdays, 4 weeks at 30 Nm hip torque) vs contralateral unstretched control
- Outcome: hip flexion ROM with knee extended (48 Nm measurement torque) by blinded assessor
Result (abstract)
- Mean between-leg difference in extensibility change: 1° (95% CI −2° to 5°) → no meaningful effect of this stretching dose on measured extensibility
Evidence hygiene
- SCI-specific acute rehabilitation context—do not generalise null to healthy athletes or different stretch doses; still valuable evidence hygiene for
stretching-trainingclaims.
Publication
Harvey LA, Byak AJ, Ostrovskaya M, et al. Aust J Physiother. 2003;49(3):176-181. PMID 12952517.
Outcomes
- Four weeks of 30 min daily hamstring stretch vs control leg: mean between-leg difference in extensibility change 1° (95% CI −2° to 5°), indicating no detectable effect on hamstring extensibility in people with recent spinal cord injury.