Differential effects of dynamic and ballistic stretching on contralateral lower limb flexibility

BACKGROUND: Dynamic stretching (DS) and ballistic stretching (BS) are similar stretching methods, but the differences between them are unclear. OBJECTIVE: To examine the immediate effects of unilateral hamstring DS and BS on straight leg raise (SLR), knee flexion range of motion (KF-ROM), and KF and knee extension maximal isokinetic peak torque (KF-MIPT and KE-MIPT) of the bilateral limbs. METHODS: Twelve healthy adult men performed four sets of 2 min each of non-stretching, DS, or BS of the right lower extremity. Bilateral SLR, KF-ROM, KF-MIPT, and KE-MIPT were measured pre- and post-intervention; a three-way (intervention × limb × time) repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. RESULTS: The SLR of the stretched limb (p< 0.01) was higher with DS than that pre-intervention. SLR (p< 0.01) and KF-ROM (p< 0.05) of the stretched limb and SLR (p< 0.05) and KF-ROM (p< 0.05) of the contralateral limb were higher with BS than those pre-intervention. There was no significant main effect or interaction between KF-MIPT and KE-MIPT. CONCLUSION: DS and BS had slightly different effects on ROM, and neither affected muscle strength; thus, combining the techniques during warm-up might be helpful.