Effects of stretching on the quality of life and flexibility of young women

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the impact of muscular stretching on the quality of life and flexibility of young women. Methods: Eleven students who obtained low scores of quality of life in the SF-36 were selected, and performed a protocol of general muscular stretching during four weeks. The evaluation occurred before, immediately after and one year after the muscular stretching, using the SF-36 and measurement between the third fingertip-floor. Results: A significant difference was observed in almost all the aspects of the quality of life after one year (p<0.05), except in the physical function (p=0.20) and general health (p=0.08). The third fingertip-floor distance measurement showed significant differences in the three evaluations (p=0.02). Conclusion: These results suggest that after a period of time the SF-36 scores for assessing the quality of life diminish, but do not return to the initial values. Moreover, a reduction of the range of motion can be observed after one year.