Characteristics of the studies on stretching exercises
| Andrish et al.16(n=1753) | Hartig and Henderson 17 (n=298) | Pope et al.18(n=1093) | Pope et al.19(n=1538) | van Mechelen et al.20(n=421) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA, Not available. | |||||
| Methodological quality score | 17 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 20 |
| Sex | Male | Male | Male | Male | Male/female |
| Age (years) | NA | 20 (mean) | 17–35 | 17–35 | NA |
| Population | Military recruits | Military recruits | Military recruits | Military recruits | Civil servants |
| Target muscles | Gastrocnemius and soleus | Hamstrings | Gastrocnemius and soleus | Hip adductors, hip flexors, quadriceps, hamstrings, gastrocnemius and soleus | Iliopsoas, quadriceps, hamstrings, gastrocnemius and soleus |
| Stretching protocol | NA | 5 × 30 s | 2 × 20 s | 1 × 20 s | 3 × 10 s |
| Period of intervention (weeks) | NA | 13 | 11 | 11 | 16 |
| Hours of exposure to running/week | NA | NA | 47 | 50 | 1.74 (1.32)—1.85 (1.24) |
| Definition of injury | Medical confirmation | Medical confirmation | Inability to resume full duties without signs and symptoms within 3 days | Inability to resume full duties without signs and symptoms within 3 days | Stop running; cannot run on the next occasion; cannot go to work; medical attention; suffer pain for more than 10 days |