Acute effects of static and dynamic stretching for ankle plantar flexors on postural control during the single-leg standing task

ABSTRACT

Static stretching (SS) and dynamic stretching (DS) are widely used as warm-ups before sports. However, whether stretching affects postural control remains unclear. We compared the effects of SS and DS on the plantar flexors and postural control during single-leg standing. Fifteen healthy young participants performed SS, DS, or no stretching (control). The stretch condition consisted of four sets lasting 30 s each. The control condition was a rest with standing for 210 s. Center of pressure (COP) displacement was measured using a force plate before and after each intervention to assess postural control during the single-leg standing task. The COP area, COP velocity, and anteroposterior (COP_AP) and mediolateral (COP_ML) range were calculated. DS significantly decreased in the COP_ML range (21.5 ± 4.1 to 19.0 ± 2.5 mm; P = 0.02), COP velocity (33.8 ± 7.6 to 29.8 ± 6.5 mm/s; P < 0.01), and COP area (498.6 ± 148.3 to 393.3 ± 101.1 mm²; P < 0.01), whereas SS did not change in the COP parameters (COP area 457.2 ± 108.3 to 477.8 ± 106.1 mm², P = .49; COP velocity 31.2 ± 4.2 to 30.7 ± 5.8 mm/s, P = 0.60; COP_AP 25.4 ± 3.1 to 25.3 ± 3.2 mm, P = 0.02; COP_ML 20.7 ± 3.3 to 21.1 ± 2.5 mm, P = 0.94). Therefore, DS of the plantar flexors enhances postural control during single-leg standing and may be effective for both injury prevention and performance enhancement.

KEYWORDS:

• Center of pressure
• postural stability
• balance
• injury prevention

Acknowledgments

We want to thank all the participants of this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data sets used in this study are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author via email.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.