Immediate effects of TENS and NMES applied simultaneously with stretching on ROM and performance

Abstract

Background

Electrotherapy is used to alleviate pain and improve muscle strength. However, its effect on stretching is unclear.

Objective

This research evaluates the effect of combining static stretching (SS) with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on range of motion (ROM) and performance.

Methods

This randomized-controlled study included 45 sport sciences students (25 women-20 men). To evaluate the acute effects of SS with electrotherapy the participants were divided into 3 groups randomly and each group had one practice session. The first group received only SS. The second group performed SS and TENS, while the last group undertook SS and NMES. For the statistical analyses a 3 × 2 repeated measures ANOVA was conducted using the SPSS 21 software.

Results

The analyses indicated a significant increase in ROM in all groups (P < 0.001, η2: 0.356). However, no significant differences were observed between the groups (P = 0.255, partial η2: 0.063). Performance analyses revealed no significant differences among intra (P = 0.100, partial η2: 0.063) and inter-groups (P = 0.062, partial η2: 0.124).

Conclusion

This study found SS effective in increasing ROM, but electrotherapy modalities added to stretching did not further enhance hamstring flexibility. Furthermore, different stretching techniques had no impact on performance.