JOURNAL OF BODYWORK AND MOVEMENT THERAPIES最新文献

{"title":"Effectiveness of movement system impairment (MSI) based classification treatment on clinical outcomes among subjects with tibiofemoral hypomobility syndrome: A randomized controlled trial","authors":"K. Paarthasarathy,&nbsp;K. Soundararajan,&nbsp;P. Antony Leo Asser,&nbsp;K. Subbiah,&nbsp;M. Chrysolyte","doi":"10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.09.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.09.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Movement impairment of the knee exists as a repetitive microtrauma from stress induced by altered knee movement or alignment in a specific direction. The movement system impairment approach provides a framework focused on correcting faulty movement patterns. There is a lack of literature on treatment for tibiofemoral hypomobility syndrome.</div></div><div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>The study aims to compare the effectiveness of movement system impairment-based treatment (MSI) and standard physical therapy care in subjects with tibiofemoral hypomobility syndrome.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This randomized controlled trial initially screened ninety-eight participants for eligibility. Of these, sixty-six individuals diagnosed with tibiofemoral hypomobility syndrome were enrolled in this study. Following the baseline assessment, the participants were randomly allocated into the experimental or the control group. Physical performance, pain severity, knee mobility, and disability were evaluated for each patient at baseline and the end of 3rd week.</div></div><div><h3>Result</h3><div>The findings revealed a significant improvement in pain intensity, knee mobility, physical performance, and disability (&lt;0.001) within both groups and between both groups (NPRS p-value &lt;0.001, knee flexion p-value &lt;0.001, knee extension p-value &lt;0.001, KOOS p-value &lt;0.001, sit-to-stand p-value &lt;0.001) over three weeks.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The MSI treatment model effectively treats subjects with tibiofemoral hypomobility syndrome and shows greater improvement than standard physical therapy care. These findings suggest that MSI-based treatment can contribute to global health efforts to minimize musculoskeletal conditions. Further studies to bring long-term follow-up and other physical performance outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51431,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF BODYWORK AND MOVEMENT THERAPIES","volume":"45 ","pages":"Pages 379-386"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145049228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of Pilates exercise on balance in adults with cerebral palsy","authors":"Hee Joung Joung ,&nbsp;Soon-Sun Kwon ,&nbsp;Moon Seok Park","doi":"10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.08.033","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.08.033","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Adults with cerebral palsy (CP) experience a progressive decline in balance, which leads to reduced mobility and quality of life. Despite the importance of health management, few studies have examined exercise interventions in adults with CP. Although Pilates exercises have been shown to improve balance in neurological populations, their effects on adults with CP remain unclear. This feasibility study investigated the effects of Pilates on balance in adults with CP.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>This feasibility study employed a non-randomized controlled design with a pre-post comparison. Seventeen adults with CP voluntarily chose either the Pilates group (PG; n = 10, mean age 51.4 ± 3.40 years) or the control group (CG; n = 7, mean age 51.57 ± 3.82 years). The PG completed a 12-week Pilates intervention (90-min sessions, twice weekly, 24 sessions), whereas the CG maintained their usual activities without intervention.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Balance was assessed using the center of pressure displacement with eyes open (CoP_EO), and eyes closed (CoP_EC), the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and the Timed Up and Go test (TUG). The PG showed significant improvements compared with the CG in CoP_EO (p = 0.025), CoP_EC (p = 0.013), BBS (p = 0.002), and TUG (p = 0.006).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>These findings suggest that Pilates may be a feasible intervention for improving balance in adults with CP.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51431,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF BODYWORK AND MOVEMENT THERAPIES","volume":"45 ","pages":"Pages 311-318"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145049399","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A narrative review of single-waveform electrical modalities (part 1): rehabilitation implications for healthcare professionals","authors":"Raymond Butts ,&nbsp;Benjamin England ,&nbsp;Nicholas J. Siekirk ,&nbsp;Mark F. Masters ,&nbsp;Sean Flannagan","doi":"10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.08.034","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.08.034","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Exercise provides multisystemic and multidimensional benefits to health and human performance. Still, the optimal parameters required to improve pain and function across various settings and populations continue to be debated. Although researchers have attempted to alter various exercise-specific kinematics to optimize principles associated with successful training, such as adaptation, overload, continuity, volume, intensity, and specificity, emerging evidence suggests that the additive effects of AC, DC, and microcurrent may accelerate performance and rehabilitation. Microcurrent elicits cellular adaptations to attenuate pain and soreness while driving tissue growth, cellular remodeling, and fat reduction associated with tissue repair and recovery. At the same time, TENS and IFC facilitate central and peripheral pain reduction associated with acute, subacute, and chronic neuromusculoskeletal conditions. In contrast, NMES and FES stimulate alpha motor neurons and the muscle fibers they innervate, improving muscle mass, strength, and composition in neurologically impaired and orthopedic patients. Often considered exercise emulators, FES and NMES induce myokines to manage oxidation, hypertrophy, angiogenesis, inflammation, and extracellular matrix, allowing muscles to perform longer, fatigue less, and recover faster, which are key parameters related to athletic performance. Electric modalities are valuable strategies to drive the peripheral and central changes necessary to make training more efficient, mainly when presented in conjunction with exercise. Given that no single electric modality has been shown to optimize pain, inflammation, repair, performance, and recovery, technologies that offer multiple waveforms may be particularly advantageous. Future clinical trials should consider this possibility further.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51431,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF BODYWORK AND MOVEMENT THERAPIES","volume":"45 ","pages":"Pages 458-476"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145104318","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early strength gains in eccentric hip adduction and adduction-to-abduction ratio following an 8-week Copenhagen Adduction Exercise in elite adolescent taekwondo athletes","authors":"Ezgi Unuvar-Yuksel ,&nbsp;Sibel Bozgeyik-Bagdatli ,&nbsp;Zilan Bazancir-Apaydin ,&nbsp;Hande Guney-Deniz","doi":"10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.09.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.09.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The Copenhagen Adduction Exercise (CAE) has been studied in football players to determine its impact on strength gains. We aimed to examine the effects of the CAE on eccentric hip adduction (EHAD) strength and the eccentric adduction-to-abduction strength ratio in elite adolescent taekwondo athletes.</div></div><div><h3>Materials and methods</h3><div>Twenty-three elite taekwondo athletes (9 females, 14 males, mean age 16.43 ± 1.8 years) were included in the study. All athletes received progressive CAE training in addition to their regular taekwondo training for 8 weeks. Eccentric hip abduction (EHAB) and EHAD muscle strengths were assessed with a handheld dynamometer at baseline, at the 4th week and the 8th week.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A significant main effect of time was observed, indicating that the dominant side EHAD strength (F_2,44 = 71.733, p &lt; 0.001), EHAB strength (F_2,44 = 6.342, p = 0.004); EHAD/EHAB ratio (F_2,44 = 31.813, p &lt; 0.001). The non-dominant side EHAD strength (F_2,44 = 87.308, p &lt; 0.001); EHAB strength (F_2,44 = 6.825, p = 0.007); and EHAD/EHAB ratio (F_2,44 = 49.364, p &lt; 0.001) also differed across time.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>An eight-week progressive Copenhagen Adduction exercise significantly and clinically meaningfully increases EHAD strength, as well as improves the EHAD/EHAB ratio bilaterally among elite adolescent taekwondo athletes when implemented into the regular training.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51431,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF BODYWORK AND MOVEMENT THERAPIES","volume":"45 ","pages":"Pages 304-310"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145026686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reliability assessment of the static balance parameters based on center of pressure in different age groups of healthy participants","authors":"Elham Hazrati,&nbsp;Mahmood-Reza Azghani,&nbsp;Samin Asghari","doi":"10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.09.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.09.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study evaluates the reliability of balance parameters for both men and women, across 8 age subgroups while standing with eyes open.</div></div><div><h3>Design</h3><div>Cross-sectional study.</div></div><div><h3>Setting</h3><div>Foot Anthropometry Research Center.</div></div><div><h3>Participants</h3><div>Healthy subjects (1582 men and 786 women) aged 20–60 years.</div></div><div><h3>Interventions</h3><div>Not applicable.</div></div><div><h3>Main outcome measures</h3><div>Center of pressure data were recorded using a pressure platform during three 10-s trials. Based on this, fifteen balance parameters were calculated via MATLAB (R2015b). The intraclass correlation coefficient assessed reliability using SPSS (26). Additionally, the standard error of measurement, minimum detectable change, and percentage coefficient of variation were determined with MATLAB. An independent <em>t</em>-test evaluated gender differences in minimum detectable change, with Bonferroni correction applied to control for Type I error.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The parameters demonstrated substantial reliability for women and most for men across age groups, indicating strong reproducibility. Most parameters exhibited a coefficient of variation near 30 %. Significant gender differences in minimum detectable change were observed for parameters such as the anterior-posterior range, root mean square distance in anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions, and planar phase; however, these differences were not statistically significant after Bonferroni correction.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>It is recommended that future research employ these parameters for comparative analyses of postural balance under different test conditions between men and women. This will help determine whether significant gender differences exist in balance performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51431,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF BODYWORK AND MOVEMENT THERAPIES","volume":"45 ","pages":"Pages 583-597"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145219071","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association of balance with kinesiophobia and physical function in knee osteoarthritis","authors":"Ayşe Merve Ata,&nbsp;Onur Kara,&nbsp;Baran Tuncer,&nbsp;Bedriye Mermerci","doi":"10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.09.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.09.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Balance appears to be affected by several neuromuscular variables, and there is conflicting evidence related balance and kinesiophobia in patients with lower extremity osteoarthritis (OA). The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential association between static and dynamic balance abilities, kinesiophobia, and lower extremity functions in knee OA patients.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A total of 43 patients with knee OA were included in this cross-sectional study. The visual analog scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the degree of pain. The patients were assessed using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK), and the Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC). The thickness of the femoral cartilage, quadriceps muscle, and rectus abdominis muscle was measured by ultrasound. Posturography was used for analyzing both static and dynamic postural control.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Patients were divided into high and low risk groups based on BBS scores. The group with a high fall risk had greater pain levels at rest (p = 0.002) and activity (p = 0.007), higher kinesiophobia levels (p &lt; 0.001), higher WOMAC total (p = 0.001), pain (p = 0.002), stiffness (p = 0.006), and physical function scores(p = 0.001), as well as worse balance assessments (p &lt; 0.001). TSK and WOMAC total score were independent predictors of BBS for clinical parameters (r² = 0.626), and LOS anterior was an independent predictor of BBS for balance parameters (r² = 0.091), according to linear regression analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The existence of kinesiophobia and balance difficulties in these patients highlights the importance of rehabilitation interventions to decrease participation restrictions and disability. Therefore, as OA pain and associated dysfunctions appear to be multidimensional in nature, a more comprehensive biopsychosocial approach to knee OA treatment is needed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51431,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF BODYWORK AND MOVEMENT THERAPIES","volume":"45 ","pages":"Pages 387-392"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145049229","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of dance therapy on anxiety, stress, optimism and depressive symptoms in women undergoing breast cancer surgery: a randomized clinical trial","authors":"Sabrina Petzold Werle ,&nbsp;Juliana da Silveira ,&nbsp;Adriana Coutinho de Azevedo Guimarães","doi":"10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.08.030","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.08.030","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>To analyze the effects of 12 weeks of dance therapy compared to control group I and control group II on anxiety, stress, optimism, and depressive symptoms in women undergoing breast cancer surgery.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This randomized clinical trial involved 21 (59 ± 9.9 years) breast cancer survivors and 12 (51 ± 10.8 years) healthy women who were divided into three groups: (a) dance therapy (GI n = 10), (b) control group I (GC n = 11) and (c) control group II (GCII n = 12). The results evaluated were: Anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory); Stress (Perceived Stress Scale); Optimism (Life Orientation Test); and depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>There was an improvement in anxiety (p ≤ 0.001) within and between GI when compared to the other groups. There was an improvement in optimism in the GC (p = 0.017) and a worsening in the GI (p = 0.004). No changes were observed in the analyzed variables within or between GCII.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Dance therapy showed positive effects on anxiety in women undergoing breast cancer surgery compared to the groups who did not participate in the intervention in this study.</div></div><div><h3>Clinical registration</h3><div>Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry (ReBEC) (No. 0RBR-772ktp).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51431,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF BODYWORK AND MOVEMENT THERAPIES","volume":"45 ","pages":"Pages 516-523"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145117519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Does strengthening the cervical spine musculature enhance neck strength and reduce sports-related concussions in rugby and football players? A systematic literature review","authors":"Donavella Alvacite Cardenas ,&nbsp;Nick Preston","doi":"10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.08.023","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.08.023","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>The aim is to search for high-quality evidence to determine whether strengthening cervical spine musculature can reduce sports-related concussions and improve neck strength in football and rugby players.</div></div><div><h3>Design</h3><div>Systematic literature review.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We searched PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus databases from January 2002 to September 2022. We focused on randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort or pre-post studies assessing cervical musculature strengthening (CMS) interventions in football and rugby players.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The search returned 940 articles. After screening and critical appraisal, 10 studies involving 3453 participants were retained for the review; seven studies providing complete data were synthesised into the meta-analysis, and the remaining three were synthesised into a narrative format. Two studies answered the primary objective that strengthening the cervical spine musculature reduces the incidence of sports-related concussions in male rugby players by 45 %, with a risk ratio of 0.55 (95 % CI 0.33 to 0.92, P &lt; 0.05). However, no studies provided evidence that strengthening the musculature of the cervical spine reduces sports-related concussions in football (soccer) or female rugby players.</div><div>Eight studies answered the secondary objective that CMS has a greater beneficial effect on neck strength, specifically in neck extension, for male rugby players, but the evidence is limited for football (soccer) and female rugby players.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The evidence in this systematic review suggests that the incorporation of CMS programs into rugby training may reduce concussion risk by almost half. However, further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of CMS in football and female rugby players.</div></div><div><h3>Prospero</h3><div>CRD4202236054.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51431,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF BODYWORK AND MOVEMENT THERAPIES","volume":"45 ","pages":"Pages 332-358"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145049412","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An examination into factors that impact hip and groin pain in ice hockey players","authors":"Christian Paolo Eslava,&nbsp;Morgan Haga,&nbsp;Bethany Rohl,&nbsp;Nicholas E. Grahovec,&nbsp;Tyler A. Wood","doi":"10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.08.019","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.08.019","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ice hockey is a demanding sport that requires high degrees of flexibility, strength, and neuromuscular control. Ice hockey players are at an elevated risk of hip and groin injuries. Thus, it is important that clinicians understand factors that may influence hip and groin pain in this population. The purpose of this study is to explore the factors of strength, pain, special tests, and symptoms of the hip and groin in male ice hockey players based on age and position. We utilized a cross-sectional study design to collect Copenhagen Hip and Groin Outcome Score (HAGOS), the Visual Analog Pain Scale (VAS), and the Unilateral Hip Bridge Endurance (UHBE) test in male ice hockey athletes. A series of one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with descriptive statistics and effect size analysis were conducted to determine if there were group differences in the collected variables. Twenty participants (age 19.1 ± 0.8 years), comprising 3 Goaltenders, 6 defensemen, and 11 forwards, were included. The results showed no significant group differences between position, HAGOS scores, VAS score, and UHBE test scores, yet there were several large to very large effect sizes, which indicate large differences between positions. The large to very large effect sizes may still have clinically meaningful interpretations. Clinicians should continue to monitor factors that influence hip and groin pain as preventative and rehabilitative measures in ice hockey athletes. Future longitudinal studies with larger samples may be essential to understand these trends and improve the causes of hip and groin pain in this population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51431,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF BODYWORK AND MOVEMENT THERAPIES","volume":"45 ","pages":"Pages 295-298"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145026663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fascial and muscle ultrasound parameters unchanged after stretching or eccentric training in young men with hamstring tightness","authors":"Pornpimol Muanjai ,&nbsp;Wirasinee Srijunto ,&nbsp;Sirawee Chaovalit ,&nbsp;Mantas Mickevicius ,&nbsp;Nongnuch Luangpon","doi":"10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.08.026","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.08.026","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Hamstring tightness has been associated with significant mobility impairments and potential health issues. However, the effects of long-duration stretching (LS) on structural adaptations and joint extensibility remain unclear and underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the effects of stretching on fascia thickness (FT), muscle ultrasound characteristics, and leg flexibility in young men with hamstring inflexibility.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Sixty-eight physically active young men (22.0 ± 1.7 years) were randomly assigned to one of four groups: LS (60s × 60), standard stretching (SS; 30s × 6), eccentric exercise (ECC), or control (CON). FT, muscle ultrasound characteristics, and leg flexibility—assessed via the straight leg raise (SLR) and knee-to-wall (KTW) tests—were measured before and after a 6-week intervention period.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Significant increases in SLR were observed following the intervention, with improvements of 9.8° (<em>d</em> = 1.53), 5.7° (<em>d</em> = 0.96), 5.5° (<em>d</em> = 1.10), and 3.5° (<em>d</em> = 0.60) for the LS, SS, ECC, and CON groups, respectively (all p &lt; 0.05). A significant main effect of time, in the absence of a time-by-group interaction, was found for KTW, fascicle length of the biceps femoris (BF), and subcutaneous thickness of both the BF and medial gastrocnemius muscles. Conversely, no significant changes were detected in FT or echo intensity as a result of the intervention.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>LS did not produce superior improvements in flexibility, fascicle length, or FT compared to SS or ECC after six weeks. A 5-min SS session is recommended as an effective, time-efficient approach for improving range of motion in individuals with mild hamstring tightness.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51431,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF BODYWORK AND MOVEMENT THERAPIES","volume":"45 ","pages":"Pages 286-294"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145007350","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}