Influence of muscle stretching and neural mobilization on the quadriceps muscle strength

Abstract

Introduction: The neural mobilization and stretching static aim to promote range of motion. Objective: To compare the influence of muscle stretching and neural mobilization in isometric strength of quadriceps. Methods: Thirty-nine patients, male, between 18 and 27 years old were selected. They were divided randomly into three groups with 13 individuals each. The group subjected to static stretch for 30 seconds (SSG), the group submitted to neural mobilization (NMG) and the control group (CG) who made no intervention. The level of significance was p ≤ 0.05. Results: We observed a significant improvement in muscle strength, and an important difference in strength before and after the sessions, comparing the NMG with the SSG and with the CG. Conclusions: The neural mobilization was effective to increase quadriceps strength, and after the static stretching the force decreased.