Effects of high-intensity pulse irradiation with linear polarized near-infrared rays and stretching on muscle tone in patients with cerebrovascular disease: a randomized controlled trial.
Nobuyuki Takeuchi, Nobuhiro Takezako, Yuko Shimonishi and 1 others
PMID 28878481WHAT IT FOUND
Five minutes of stretching improved ankle dorsiflexion by 5.3° and reduced resistance to passive stretch by 1.96 Nm.
Adding high-intensity near-infrared light gave no further benefit.
Key findings
01Five minutes of stretching or combination treatment increased passive ankle dorsiflexion compared with rest.
02High-intensity near-infrared rays, stretching, and their combination each reduced passive resistive ankle torque compared with rest.
03The combination did not produce significantly greater change in passive range or torque than either component alone.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The person measuring and delivering treatment knew which group each patient was in. Only 40 patients were studied, and some had been included in a previous study by the same group. The trial measured only the effect immediately after five minutes, not whether the change lasted or added up over repeated sessions.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that adding high-intensity near-infrared light to stretching is better than stretching alone. The combination did not differ significantly from either component alone, and the study measured only immediate changes.