Comparison of the Immediate Effect of Static Stretching of Quadriceps with Different Times on the Knee Joint Position Sense in Collegiate Female Athletes

Duration of stretching in the muscles around the joint can have different effects on the accuracy of sense of position. However, since the accuracy of the joint's position sense is one of the important factors in subtle movements and prevention of injury, the present study was conducted to compare the immediate effects of static stretching of quadriceps with different times (10, 20, and 30 seconds) on the knee joint position sense in Collegiate female athletes.

A total of 33 Female student-athletes (average age: 22.15±2.48 years, average weight 60.72±8.36 kg, and average height of 165.15±6.40 cm) were purposefully selected. Absolute error was evaluated in the reconstruction of the knee joint flexion angle at 45° and 60° in three days with three different times during static quadriceps stretching using photogrammetric method.

The results of the analysis of variance with repeated measures showed no statistically significant difference between the absolute errors of reconstruction of the knee joint flexion angles (P>0/05).

Considering the results obtained in the present study, it seems that athletes and coaches can use these three static stretching times without worrying about differences in their negative effects on the accuracy of their knee joint position sense.