Massage for the purpose of health dates back to early civilization and more recently has been used in the management and prevention of sport injuries. Massage has also been used as part of a warm-up to help increase acute flexibility. However, the physiological benefits and mechanisms of massage are not well known. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of 3 massage conditions on hip flexion range of motion (ROM). This experimentation involved a novel massage technique, which focused the massage on the musculotendinous junction for a short duration. Ten recreationally active women ranging from 21 to 36 years in age participated in this study. Participants were subjected to 3 massage conditions (no massage, 10-second massage, and 30-second massage) in a random order on separate days. Hip flexion angle, passive leg tension, and electromyography (EMG) were measured thrice before and within 10 seconds after the intervention. A main effect for conditions was found with the 30-second massage providing a 7.2% increase in hip flexion ROM that was significantly greater than the control condition (p < 0.05). Significant interactions occurred with an increased ROM (p < 0.05) from pre to posttests of 5.9 and 7.2% for the 10- and 30-second massage conditions, respectively. There were no significant differences in passive tension or EMG for any conditions or time. With a significant increase in hip angle and no associated increase in passive tension or EMG, there is a suggestion that 10 and 30 seconds of musculotendinous massage induces greater ROM through a modified stretch perception, increased stretch tolerance, or increased compliance of the hamstrings. Musculotendinous massage may be used as an alternative or a complement to static stretching for increasing ROM.
The objective of this study was to compare bilateral and unilateral hurdle jumps with traditional countermovement jumps (CMJs). Thirteen athletes were tested during continuous forward bilateral and unilateral hurdle jumps and single CMJ. Countermovement jump height was used to establish the hurdle height. Subjects jumped forward over 4 hurdles with the force plate positioned after the second hurdle to measure vertical ground reaction force (VGRF), contact time (CT), and rate of force development (RFD). For bilateral jumps, hurdle height was established at maximal (100%) CMJ height and at 120, 140, and 160% of the CMJ height. The athletes were instructed to jump as fast as possible to mimic a training session drill. For unilateral jumps, hurdle height was set at 70, 80, and 90% of the CMJ height. Bilateral 160% jumps showed a significantly longer CT than bilateral 100, 120, and 140% jumps. The bilateral 100, 120, and 140% jumps had significantly shorter CT than the unilateral jumps and CMJ. The VGRF during bilateral jumps was higher than unilateral jumps and CMJ. Bilateral 160% jump RFD was significantly higher than CMJ and unilateral jumps but significantly lower than the other bilateral jumps. In conclusion, the characteristics of the bilateral jumps were substantially different from those of the CMJ and unilateral hurdle jumps. As bilateral hurdle jumps with a height between 100 and 140% of the CMJ provide similar CTs and VGRF as many reported sprint or jump actions, they may be considered a more training-specific power training drill than the CMJ.
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