Effect of 6 weeks stretching exercise of Gastrocnemius-Soleus complex on dorsiflexion range of motion, ankle proprioception, knee valgus and function in athletes with limited dorsiflexion

The Limitations of the ankle dorsi flexion range of motion causes changes in the lower limb biomechanics and stability of the ankle. So the purpose of this study was investigate the effect of 6 weeks stretching exercise of Gastrocnemius-Soleus complex on dorsiflexion range of motion, ankle proprioception, knee valgus and function in athletes with limited dorsiflexion. Material and method: in this semi-experimental study 12athletes with ankle dorsi flexion limitation were selected and divided into two groups of control and intervention (12 controls (age 23.50±2.14 year, height23.50±2.14 cm and weight 23.50±2.14 kg) and 12 experimental (age 23.00±1.72 year, height 178.80±5.25 cm and weight 67.75±9.16 kg) groups). The ankle dorsiflexion range of motion and proprioception were measured by universal goniometer, knee valgus by the camera, and function were measured by Single-leg hop test, Single Leg Cross Hop Test, and 8 test in pre test and after 6 weeks Gastrocnemius-Soleus stretching intervention.The analysis of covariance in SPSS program version 21 used for statistical analysis. Alpha level set at ≥ 0.05. after implementation of stretching exercise, significant differences were seen in ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (P=0.001) and function (P=0.001), but there was no significant difference in knee valgus (P=0.450) and ankle proprioception (P=0.470). Adding Gastrocnemius-Soleus stretching to rehabilitation programs for athletes with ankle motion limitation is recommended to reduce consequences such as dorsiflexion range of motion and motor function limitation.