Effects of Gastrocnemius, Hamstring and Combined Stretching Programs on Knee Extensibility

This study examined the effectiveness of hamstrings-only, gastrocnemius-only, and simultaneous hamstring-gastrocnemius stretching upon knee extensibility. The study also compared active knee extension (AKE) test outcomes for two positions; foot relaxed in plantar flexion (AKE-PF) with ankle fixed in neutral (AKE-N). Forty-seven volunteer participants (94 legs) completed AKE-PF and AKE-N pretests. Forty-five of these participants (89 legs) completed 12 stretching sessions (one 30-sec stretch 3x/week for 4 weeks) and an AKE-PF post-test. Knee extensibility results showed no changes in the control group but similar and significant improvements in all stretching groups, and significant reductions for the AKE-N test as compared to the AKE-PF test. Given these findings, clinicians should: 1) consider inclusion of gastrocnemius stretching in treatment plans designed to improve knee extensibility and 2) monitor foot position during the AKE and perhaps use both plantar and dorsiflexed positions to gather more information regarding the sources of knee inextensibility.

Russell PJ, Decoster LC, Enea D. Effects of Gastrocnemius, Hamstring and Combined Stretching on Knee Extensibility. Ath Tr & Sports Health Care.