Abstract.[Purpose] Myofascial release is a manual soft tissue technique that is frequently used in physical therapy, but few reports on the effectiveness of myofascial release are available. We compared the effects of myofascial release and stretching on range of motion, muscle stiffness, and reaction time. [Subjects and Methods] Forty healthy individuals were randomly allocated to four groups: myofascial release for quadriceps; myofascial release for hamstrings; stretch for quadriceps; and controls.[Results] Active range of motion was significantly increased in the two myofascial release groups and the stretch group. Passive range of motion was significantly increased by myofascial release in the quadriceps and stretching groups. No significant differences in muscle stiffness were seen between before and after the interventions. However, premotor time was significantly reduced by myofascial release in the quadriceps and hamstrings groups, with significant differences observed in this parameter between both the quadriceps and hamstrings groups and controls after the interventions. Compared to controls, reaction time was significantly lower after the interventions in the quadriceps and hamstrings groups.[Conclusion] Myofascial release improves not only range of motion, but also ease of movement.
Purpose] The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of the ability to voluntarily contract the pelvic floor muscles in young females. [Participants and Methods] The participants were 29 healthy young females without childbirth experience. We confirmed whether they could voluntarily contract their pelvic floor muscles using an ultrasound imaging device, and the extent of the movement was measured. The contracted state was defined as that in which the bladder bottom could be kept in the lifted position for more than 3 seconds without pushing the bladder down to the caudal side due to contraction of the trunk muscle group.[Results] Eleven females (38%) were able to voluntarily contract the pelvic floor muscles; 18 (62%) could not.[Conclusion] More than 60% of females could not correctly voluntarily contract their pelvic floor muscles in this study.
Pelvic floor muscle training has been reported to be effective in preventing and improving urinary incontinence. Patients must learn to perform pelvic floor muscle contractions without pushing down the pelvic floor by contracting other muscle groups. This study aimed to determine the effect of maximal-effort contraction of the hip adductor and abductor muscles on the pelvic floor of young, healthy women. For these experiments, 23 healthy nulliparous women performed unilateral maximal-effort isometric contractions of the abductor and adductor hip muscles in a supine position. Simultaneously, the movement of the bladder's posterior surface was measured using an ultrasonic imaging device. The displacement of the bladder base during maximal-effort contraction of the hip adductor/abductor muscles was calculated based on changes in the distance between the abdominal wall and the bladder base at rest. The results demonstrated that the bladder base significantly descended during maximal-effort isometric contraction of hip adduction/abduction. The maximal-effort isometric hip adduction/abduction muscle strength positively correlated with bladder base descent. These results indicated that isometric contraction of the hip adduction/abduction muscles under maximum effort pushed the pelvic floor downward. In pelvic floor muscle training, when the adductor and abductor muscles of the hip joint are contracted with maximum effort, the pelvic floor muscles cannot learn contraction and may inhibit movement.
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