ACUTE EFFECTS OF STATIC STRETCHING ON FORCE OUTPUT OF DORSI FLEXORS IN DANCE STUDENTS

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of static stretching on maximal force production of the dorsi flexors in dance students who had been performing stretching exercise regularly. Eight female university students in the department of dance and dance education, and nine female university students without dance experience performed a maximal voluntary contraction of the dorsi flexors after six minutes of static stretching. After static stretching, maximal voluntary force of dorsi flexors decreased significantly in both groups, while the joint range of motion in plantar flexion was significantly higher in the dance students compared with the non-dancers. These results suggest that prolonged stretching exercise induces a similar deficit in force production after acute static stretching in both dancers and non-dancers.