Effect of change in passive stiffness following low-intensity eccentric hamstring exercise on peak torque angle.
Satoru Nishida, Tsubasa Tomoto, Shun Kunugi and 1 others
PMID 30568330WHAT IT FOUND
Low-intensity eccentric hamstring exercise with a 20-kg barbell did not shift the angle at which knee flexion torque peaked, but it increased hip and knee range of motion, lowered passive stiffness, and reduced peak knee flexion torque.
Key findings
01The exercise did not change the angle at which knee flexion torque peaked.
02The exercise increased hip flexion and knee extension range of motion and decreased passive stiffness, but it decreased peak knee flexion torque.
03The change in peak torque angle after exercise correlated with change in passive torque (r=-0.58, p=0.03) and tended to correlate with passive stiffness (r=-0.50, p=0.07).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 14 healthy male college students were studied, all without a lower-limb resistance-training habit and without prior hamstring strain injury. Participants with hip flexion range of motion above 90 degrees were excluded, so the sample was not fully representative of normal flexibility. The outcomes were measured before and after one session, not over a training period or against injury outcomes. The 20 kg barbell load was the same for all participants and was not adjusted to body size or strength, which the authors say may explain why peak torque angle did not change.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this exercise shifts the peak torque angle toward a longer muscle length or prevents hamstring injury. The peak torque angle did not change, and the study measured only acute flexibility and torque in 14 healthy men.