• 한국전문물리치료학회지
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• 제2권2호
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• pp.56-65
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• 1995

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of one proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation technique and static stretching on calf muscle tightness. The subjects consist of 9 hemiplegics, and 9 quadriplegics. The eighteen subjects were randomly divided into 3 groups: prorioceptive neuromuscular facilitation(6 persons), static stretching(6 persons) and control(6 persons). Contract relax antagonist contract and static stretching techniques were applied continuously for twenty minutes each. Of the many proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation techniques, only the contract relax antagonist contract technique was applied. The static stretching technique was applied with the subject placed in standing on a seventy degree inclined tilt table for twenty minutes. A wedge was placed under the feet to obtain maximum dorsiflexion. Wedge thickness varied with each subject. Results revealed: (1) a significant difference between the experimental and the control groups(p<0.05). (2) a significant difference between contract relax antagonist contract and static stretching groups(p<0.05). (3) At day five, the final increments were: contract relax antagonist contract $11.9{\pm}1.90^{\circ}$, static stretching $7.7{\pm}2.3^{\circ}$(mean${\pm}$standard deviation).

• PNF and Movement
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.35-40
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the immediate effects of using the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) contract-relax technique in the close kinetic chain position on the gait ability and gastrocnemius muscle tone of stroke patients. Methods: The subjects were patients who had strokes due to cerebrum infarction and hemorrhage. The subjects participated in exercise with the PNF contract-relax technique in the standing-on-elbow position with a high table, and the affected lower leg was placed in the posterior position. The PNF contract-relax technique was applied at the position in which the ankle plantar-flexors were in a sufficiently elongated position. After performing twice in each range, while the muscle was elongated, the affected side was moved further back and a new range was set. In each session, the time of contraction was set to 8 seconds, and the resting time was set to 5 seconds; however, if the patient felt tired, they received more resting time during the intervention. The Myoton Pro and 10 m walking test were used to measure the muscle tone and gait ability both pre- and post-intervention. Results: After participating in the program, the muscle tone decreased and the gait ability improved in the ankle plantar-flexors, as determined by the Myoton Pro and 10 m walking test. Conclusion: The PNF contract-relax technique can help to decrease muscle tone in ankle plantar-flexors with hypertonus and increase the gait ability in stroke patients.

• PNF and Movement
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.7-14
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of direct and indirect methods of contract-relax techniques in proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching for improving hamstring flexibility. Methods: Twenty-six subjects were randomly assigned to either a direct contract-relax technique group or an indirect contract-relax group. For each group, stretching intervention was performed three times a week for a period of two weeks, with 12 seconds for the contraction and 10 seconds for the relaxation per once. The direct contract-relax technique for hamstring flexibility was applied by asking the subject to press down on the shoulder of the trainer in the straight leg-raising position. Conversely, the indirect contract-relax technique was performed by raising the leg with resistance. To facilitate a comparative analysis of hamstring flexibility between the two groups before and after the stretching intervention, two-way repeated ANOVA was performed. Hamstring flexibility for each group was measured using a passive straight leg-raising test. Results: The results showed significant improvement in hamstring flexibility for all subjects in the two groups. However, there was no significant difference between the groups. Conclusion: In conclusion, both direct and indirect contract-relax techniques are confirmed to be useful for improving hamstring flexibility. The choice of suitable technique has to be made individually according to the condition of each subject.

• PNF and Movement
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• 제7권4호
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• pp.1-7
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• 2009

Purpose : This paper reviews on the method of PNF stretching. Methods : This is literature study with Pubmed, medline, SPORT Discus, EBSCO, ProQuest and books. Results : PNF stretching is effective for increasing range of motion than static and ballistic stretching. CR(contract-relax) technique is effective and CRAC(contract-relax with agonist contraction) technique including agonist contraction is more effective. A minimum of one repetition, twice or three times per week is required for range of motion gains, needs to be conducted continueously. A minimum of 20% contraction intensity and more than 3 seconds contraction duration are needed to increase range of motion. Inclusion of static stretching of antagonist and agonist contraction is more effective. Conclusions : PNF stretching is more effective for increasing range of motion than other stretching methods, but, clinicians need to select proper techniques according to subjects and muscles, and conduct carefully when applying technique.

• PNF and Movement
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.59-65
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to review articles in order to establish optimal contraction intensity and duration in the performance of relaxation techniques for maximal increase in range of motion. Methods: The Cochrane, EBSCO, Embase, Medline, ProQuest, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus databases were used to search articles from 1990 to January 2016. The search terms were "contract relax," "hold relax," "muscle energy technique (MET)," and "proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching." Only experimental human studies (randomized controlled trials) that compared the effects of varying intensity and duration of isometric contraction were included. Non-English language and unpublished studies were excluded. Results: A total of 2,156 articles were initially identified, with only five eventually meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Three studies compared the effects of varying intensity in isometric contraction and two studies compared the effects of varying duration in isometric contraction with regard to range of motion (ROM). Two articles suggested that submaximal voluntary isometric contraction was more effective than maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) in the improvement of ROM. One article showed that a longer contraction time led to greater increases in ROM. Conclusion: Submaximal voluntary isometric contraction was recommended during contract-relax exercises in healthy people. Lack of evidence makes it difficult to suggest the optimal duration of isometric contraction during relaxation techniques. For future research, high-quality evidence will be needed to establish the optimal contraction intensity for maximum improvement of ROM.

• PNF and Movement
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• 제13권1호
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• pp.1-7
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• 2015

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the activity of the shoulder flexor and extensor when hold-relax and contraction-relax techniques were applied with shoulder joint flexion. Methods: The subjects of this study were 15 healthy women. With the shoulder joint flexion at $0^{\circ}$ and $90^{\circ}$, hold-relax and contraction-relax techniques were applied for the same submaximal resistance to measure the activities of the deltoid muscle anterior fiber, deltoid muscle posterior fiber, pectoralis major fiber, and latissimus dorsi muscle with surface electromyography. An independent t-test was conducted in order to compare activities of each muscle according to the two techniques. Results: When the hold-relax and contraction-relax techniques were applied with the shoulder joint flexion at $0^{\circ}$, the activities of the shoulder flexor and extensor were not significantly different, but the activity of the flexor was higher when the contraction-relax technique was applied than when the hold-relax technique was applied. When the hold-relax and contraction-relax techniques were applied with the shoulder joint flexed at $90^{\circ}$, the activities of the shoulder flexor and extensor were not significantly different, but the activity of the extensor was relatively higher than when the flexor was at $0^{\circ}$ Conclusion: When the hold-relax and contraction-relax techniques were applied with the shoulder joint flexion at $0^{\circ}$, the activities of the shoulder flexor and extensor were not significantly different, but the activity of the flexor was higher when the contraction-relax technique was applied than when the hold-relax technique was applied. When the hold-relax and contraction-relax techniques were applied with the shoulder joint flexed at $90^{\circ}$, the activities of the shoulder flexor and extensor were not significantly different, but the activity of the extensor was relatively higher than when the flexor was at $0^{\circ}$.

• 한국전문물리치료학회지
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.55-60
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• 1994

Thirty healthy adults aged 20 to 29 with no history of musculoskeletal or neurogenic disorder volunteered for this study. The contract-relax with agonist contration(CRAC) was applied to the right hamstring muscles with the subject in the supine position. Each hamstring group was stretched on three sucessive days with several repetitions of the technique lasting 1min, 3min, and 5min. respectively. Hamstring extensibility at the knee(ROM) was measured before and after stretching using on electronic digital inclinometer(EDI). The results, namely the increase in ROM, were analysed using one-way repeated ANOVA at p<0.05. The differences were not significant. Possible factors influencing the results are excessive sensitibility of the measuring instrument, the psychological and physical status of the subjects, and the level of muscle fatigue. The mean increases in ROM were 3.0 at 1min., 2.6 at 3min, and 2.1 at 5min. Inclusion of a control group would have further defined the effects of the stretching technique.

• PNF and Movement
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• 제7권2호
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• pp.27-35
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• 2009

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to compare the influence of Contract-Relax Technique of PNF(Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) and taping treatment on the ROM(Range of Motion), pain and gait speed of osteoarthrits of knee. Methods : In this study K hall for the aged were selected. Twenty-six subjects with osteoarthrits participated in the experiment. The subjects were partitioned into two groups are 13person PNF group and 13person taping group. All subjects randomly assigned to the PNF treatment group and taping treatment group. Both group received treatment for 3times a week during 4 weeks. (PNF group received treatment for twenty times at once). Algometer and VAS(Visual Analogue Scale) were used to measure pain, the ROM was meaured using goniometer and gait speed was measured using a stopwatch (30m-test). All measurements of each subject were measured at pre-treatment and post-treatment. The data were analyzed with SPSS WIN 11.5 using t-test. Results : The PNF group had a significantly increase of knee extension ROM and significantly decrease of pain after treatment 4 weeks(P<0.05). The taping group had a significantly increase of knee extension ROM and gait speed and significantly decrease of pain after treatment 4 weeks(P<0.05). Conclusion : These data suggests that PNF is beneficial to increase knee extension ROM and to decrease pain. Taping is beneficial to increase knee extension ROM and gait speed and to decrease of pain.

• PNF and Movement
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.263-274
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• 2019

Purpose: This article was conducted to determine the immediate effects of unilateral contract-relax (CR) stretching on contralateral knee extension range and to compare both sides of the knee extension range between experimental and control groups. Methods: This study recruited 16 adult males and females with straight leg raising abilities below $90^{\circ}$. The subjects were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group comprising 8 subjects each. The experimental group performed direct CR stretching on the right hamstring muscles with straight hip extension adduction, and the control group performed indirect CR stretching on the right hamstring muscles with straight hip flexion abduction. Each group performed CR stretching 4 times with 4 repetitions comprising 10 sec of contraction and a 10 sec break between repetitions. Before and after the CR stretching exercises, the subjects' passive knee extensions were measured at the hip in a $90^{\circ}$ flexed position. The subjects' peak force on the right leg and peak pressure on the left leg during each CR stretching exercise were also measured. Results: After doing CR stretching 4 times, each group showed a significantly increased passive knee extension range on both sides, and there was no difference in the passive knee extension ranges between the groups. The peak force on the right leg was significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group. There was no difference in peak pressure between the groups. Conclusion: After applying unilateral CR stretching, the study subjects experienced a significantly increased passive knee extension range on the contralateral side. For patients who find it difficult to apply stretching techniques to knee joints directly, the use of the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation technique of CR stretching may be useful in improving the range of the knee joint on the contralateral side without direct treatment.

• PNF and Movement
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• 제13권3호
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• pp.135-143
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) relaxation technique (hold relax; HR, contract relax; CR) and static stretch (SS) on hamstring flexibility and vertical jump performance in healthy adults over a four-week period. Methods: Twenty-four healthy adults volunteered to participate in PNF and static stretch sessions. The subjects were divided into three groups as follows: 8 subjects in the SS group, 8 subjects in the HR group, and 8 subjects in the CR group. In the HR and CR groups, contractions lasted 15 seconds per trial and consisted of 5 sets of 15 seconds of hamstring contraction immediately followed by 15 seconds of passive static hamstring stretching. For the static group, the participants were asked to stretch by hanging a leg over a table for 30 seconds. Subjects in all groups performed the exercises three days per week for 4 weeks. The active straight leg raising (ASLR) test, active knee extension (AKE) test, and vertical jump test were performed before the intervention and after 1, 2, and 4 weeks. Results: The SS, HR, and CR techniques effected positive improvement in hamstring flexibility and vertical jump performances but neither of the stretching methods had any statistically significant different effects according to group, although there were interactions (between group and time) in the ALSR group from 1 week to 2 week and in the AKE test from pretest to 1 week. Conclusion: Based on the results of the current study, SS, HR, and CR were shown to affect hamstring flexibility and vertical jump performance in healthy adults. In particular, it was determined that within a short period, hamstring flexibility could be attributed more to CR than to SS.