The effect of muscle energy technique on hamstring extensibility: the mechanism of altered flexibility

Ballantyne, Fiona C.; Fryer, Gary; McLaughlin, Patrick

doi:10.1016/s1443-8461(03)80015-1

Cited by 87 publications

(100 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…10 MET has been relatively unexplored, with only a few published studies 1,20,28,38,39,41,51 supporting its use for cervical, lumbar, and thoracic motion restrictions. 20,28,38,39,51 Only 3 identified studies have investigated the use of MET for the lower extremity, 1,40,41 and none for the upper extremity. The purpose of this study was to compare the immediate effects of an MET applied to the GHJ horizontal abductors and an MET applied to the GHJ external rotators on improving GHJ horizontal adduction and GHJ internal rotation ROM in baseball players without shoulder pathology.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While improvements have been reported using MET on the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine, 20,28,38,39,51 only 2 studies have investigated MET use in the extremities. 1,41 Following a single application of MET to the hamstring muscles, Ballantyne et al 1 observed a significant increase in passive knee extension. Smith and Fryer 41 reported significant increases in hamstring flexibility following 2 applications of MET performed over a 2-week period.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The Immediate Effects of Muscle Energy Technique on Posterior Shoulder Tightness: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Moore¹,

Laudner²,

McLoda³

et al. 2011

Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy

136

138

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Study Design Randomized controlled trial. Objective To compare a muscle energy technique (MET) for the glenohumeral joint (GHJ) horizontal abductors and an MET for the GHJ external rotators to improve GHJ range of motion (ROM) in baseball players. Background Overhead athletes often exhibit loss of GHJ ROM in internal rotation, which has been associated with shoulder pathology. Current stretching protocols aimed at improving flexibility of the posterior shoulder have resulted in inconsistent outcomes. Although utilization of MET has been hypothesized to lengthen tissue, there are limited empirical data describing the effectiveness of such stretches for treating posterior shoulder tightness. Methods Sixty-one Division I baseball players were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: MET for the GHJ horizontal abductors (n = 19), MET for the GHJ external rotators (n = 22), and control (n = 20). We measured preintervention and postintervention GHJ horizontal adduction and internal rotation ROM, and conducted analyses of covariance, followed by Tukey honestly significant difference post hoc analysis for significant group-by-time interactions (P<.05). Results The group treated with the MET for the horizontal abductors had a significantly greater increase in GHJ horizontal adduction ROM postintervention (mean ± SD, 6.8° ± 10.5°) compared to the control group (−1.1° ± 6.8°) (P = .011) and a greater increase in internal rotation ROM postintervention (4.2° ± 5.3°) compared to the group treated with the MET for the external rotators (0.2° ± 6.3°) (P = .020) and the control group (−0.2° ± 4.0°) (P = .029). No significant differences among groups were found for any other variables (P>.05). Conclusion A single application of an MET for the GHJ horizontal abductors provides immediate improvements in both GHJ horizontal adduction and internal rotation ROM in asymptomatic collegiate baseball players. Application of MET for the horizontal abductors may be useful to gain ROM in overhead athletes. Level Of Evidence Therapy, level 2b-. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2011;41(6):400–407, Epub 6 April 2011. doi:10.2519/jospt.2011.3292

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Immediate Effects of Muscle Energy Technique on Posterior Shoulder Tightness: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Moore¹,

Laudner²,

McLoda³

et al. 2011

Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy

136

138

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of postisometric relaxation over the isometric exercises in non-specific neck pain, yet there is dearth of clinical trials related to the effectiveness of postisometric relaxation (Cassidy and Lopes, 1992;Bentley, 1996;Schnek and MacDiarmid, 1997;Fryer, 2000;Ballantyne & Fryer, 2003;Lenehan & Fryer, 2003;Wilson & Payton, 2003;Fryer and Ruszkowski, 2004;Denise et al, 2006). No randomized controlled trial examining the outcomes of this treatment in symptomatic populations has been reported in the literature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparative Study between Postisometric Relaxation and Isometric Exercises in Non-specific Neck Pain

Gupta¹,

Jaiswal²,

Chhabra³

2012

Journal of Exercise Science and Physiotherapy

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Postisometric relaxation is commonly used to treat patients with neck pain. No randomized controlled trial examining the outcomes of this treatment in symptomatic populations has been reported in the literature. The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of postisometric relaxation in patients with non-specific neck pain. A Convenient sample of thirty seven subjects diagnosed with non-specific neck pain was randomly allocated to one of the two treatment groups on the basis of the inclusion criteria. The experimental group (n=19) received postisometric relaxation and control group (n=18) received isometric exercises. Visual analogue scales (VAS), range of motion (ROM) and neck disability index (NDI) scores were recorded on 1 st , 8 th , 15 th and 22 nd day. Both groups received the selected treatment for three weeks. Non-paramametric tests demonstrated a statistically significant difference with experimental group showing greater improvement in ROM, VAS and NDI than the control group and significant difference within group also. Conclusion: Postisometric relaxation may be more effective in decreasing pain and disability and increasing cervical range of motion in patients with non-specific neck pain. In order to generalize the results, the studies should be done on wider population including different subjects with different age group.

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“…However, these effects seemed to last only a few seconds to minutes, indicating that for continued benefit, MET would have to be applied multiple times throughout the day 7 . At present, the treatment window and lasting effect of a single MET session is undefined 1,2,[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] . Evidence to support the use of lumbar manipulation in patients with acute lumbopelvic pain with moderate severity has been reported 12,13 , yet, because the treatment pattern of manually trained clinicians varies, we were interested to determine if MET offered similar benefits (albeit, short-term) in patients with acute LPP.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Short-Term Effect of Muscle Energy Technique on Pain in Individuals with Non-Specific Lumbopelvic Pain: A Pilot Study

Selkow¹,

Grindstaff²,

Cross³

et al. 2009

Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy

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Muscle energy technique (MET) is a common conservative treatment for pathology around the spine, particularly lumbopelvic pain (LPP). MET is considered a gentle manual therapy for restricted motion of the spine and extremities 1 and is an active technique where the patient, not the clinician, controls the corrective force 2 . This treatment requires the patient to perform voluntary muscle contractions of varying intensity, in a precise direction, while the clinician applies a counterforce not allowing movement to occur 2 . For many years, MET has been advocated to treat muscle imbalances of the lumbopelvic region such as pelvis asymmetry. The theory behind MET suggests that the technique is used to correct an asymmetry by targeting a contraction of the hamstring or the hip flexors on the painful side of the low back and moving the innominate in a corrected direction. It is worth noting however, that evidence suggests that nonsymptomatic individuals have also been shown to have pelvis asymmetries. Despite this, MET is frequently used by manual therapy clinicians.Unfortunately, few studies have examined the effectiveness of MET. Previous research has found that MET of the low back improved self report of disability when used with supervised neuromuscular reeducation and resistance exercise training 2 , but the effect of MET as an isolated treatment has not been determined. Cervical range of motion increased after 7 MET sessions, which consisted of four 5-second contractions over a 4-week period, and lumbar extension increased after 2 sessions per week for 4 weeks 4,5 . Five-second contractions have shown greatest results with application at the atlanto-axial joint 6 and the thoracic spine 1 . While MET was successful in two studies, the effect of one treatment session was not reported and only range of motion was assessed. Roberts 7 indicated the short-term effects of MET as decreased pain, increased range of motion, decreased muscle tension and spasm, and increased strength. However, these effects seemed to last only a few seconds to minutes, indicating that for continued benefit, MET would have to be applied multiple times throughout the day 7 . At present, the treatment window and lasting effect of a single MET session is undefined 1,2,4-11 . Evidence to support the use of lumbar manipulation in patients with acute lumbopelvic pain with moderate severity has been reported 12,13 , yet, because the treatment pattern of manually trained clinicians varies, we were interested to determine if MET offered similar benefits (albeit, short-term) in patients with acute LPP. Subsequently, the purpose of this ABSTRACT: Muscle energy technique (MET) is a form of manual therapy frequently used to correct lumbopelvic pain (LPP), herein the patient voluntarily contracts specific muscles against the resistance of the clinician. Studies on MET regarding magnitude and duration of effectiveness are limited. This study was a randomized controlled trial in which 20 subjects with self-reported LPP were randomized into two groups (MET ...

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The effect of muscle energy technique on hamstring extensibility: the mechanism of altered flexibility

Cited by 87 publications

References 21 publications

The Immediate Effects of Muscle Energy Technique on Posterior Shoulder Tightness: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The Immediate Effects of Muscle Energy Technique on Posterior Shoulder Tightness: A Randomized Controlled Trial

A Comparative Study between Postisometric Relaxation and Isometric Exercises in Non-specific Neck Pain

Short-Term Effect of Muscle Energy Technique on Pain in Individuals with Non-Specific Lumbopelvic Pain: A Pilot Study

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