Relief of Sports Fatigue After Marathon Races by PNF Stretching

Abstract

Introduction: Marathon running requires stretching practices to relieve fatigue after exercise. The Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) technique is an advanced stretching technique that allows segmenting of a specific muscle group for simultaneous stretching and strengthening. Objective: This paper explores the effect of PNF stretching exercise on relieving sports fatigue after marathon races. Methods: In this paper, 160 marathon runners were selected for the experiment, and randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group performed the PNF stretching exercise, while the control group remained with traditional stretching without any new intervention. Fatigue was assessed according to the heart rate, collected before, during, and after the experiment. Results: After nine weeks of PNF stretching training, the heart rate in the experimental group changed from 65.35 to 62.46 in the morning; during training, the group’s heart rate changed from 180.79 to 173.04; after recovery, the first group’s heart rate changed from 82.88 to 81.88. In the control group, the heart rate of the group also showed changes from 65.29 to 68.86 in the morning; during training, it changed from 180.7 to 175.49; and after recovery, from 86.23 to 88.4. Conclusion: PNF stretching exercise has a positive effect on relieving sports fatigue after marathon races. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment outcomes.