Effect of 10-Week Progressive Stretching Exercise Programme on Functional Limitations of Musculoskeletal System

Abstract Introduction The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of a progressive stretching exercise programme on the functional limitations in physically active women. Material and Methods Thirty-six women took part in the study. All of them attended fitness classes (step, fat burning) at least twice a week. The study included women aged 19-26 who were randomly divided into two groups. Group 1 consisted of women who performed a set of progressive stretching exercises twice a week for a period of two months after training sessions. Group 2 (the control group) included women who neither performed any exercises nor received any treatment after training sessions. On the first day of the study, each woman was subjected to the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), the Core Muscle Strength and Stability Test (CMS---amp---ST) and the Sit and Reach test (to the right and left side) before starting their fitness class. Afterwards, group 1 performed progressive stretching exercises as instructed, i.e. twice a week for approximately 20 minutes after classes, for a period of ten weeks. After ten weeks, all women performed FMS, CMS---amp---ST and Sit and Reach tests again. Results The overall FMS test scores of both groups before implementing the exercise programme were not significantly different. After ten weeks, the women from group 1 significantly improved their overall scores in FMS (p ---lt--- 0.001). There were no significant differences in the control group. Significant improvements in the Core Muscle Strength and Stability test scores were observed in both groups. For the Sit and Reach test, there was a significant improvement in performance in group 1 (p ---lt--- 0.001), while a regression was noted in group 2. Conclusions Stretching exercises can have a beneficial effect on minimising the musculoskeletal system’s functional limitations. It is advisable to include post-training complementary exercises to prevent injury.