J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 1992;16(5):200-7. doi: 10.2519/jospt.1992.16.5.200.
This study was funded in part by a Minigrant award from California State University, Fresno. The use of thermal modalities to enhance stretching procedures is not well documented clinically. This study documented the effectiveness of applying superficial heat and cold in conjunction with a low-load prolonged stretch (LLPS) for increasing shoulder flexibility. Ninety-two healthy males were randomly assigned to one of five groups: 1) an LLPS alone, 2) heat applied in the initial phase of an LLPS, 3) cold applied in the final phase of stretch, 4) a combination of heat initially followed by cold, and 5) no intervention. Subjects received three, 40-minute treatments across a 5-day period. A follow-up measurement was taken 3 days later. Results demonstrated that an LLPS associated with the use of heat, ice, or a combination of both facilitated greater long-term improvements in flexibility compared with controls. However, only subjects receiving heat in the initial phase of an LLPS showed significant gains when compared with those who received stretching alone (p </= 0.05). We concluded that applying heat in conjunction with an LLPS to a nonpathologic shoulder is a clinically superior method of improving flexibility compared with an LLPS alone. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1992;16(5):200-207.
这项研究部分得到了加州州立大学弗雷斯诺分校小额拨款的支持。临床上并没有很好地记录使用热疗方法来增强拉伸程序。本研究记录了在低负荷长时间拉伸（LLPS）中应用表面热和冷与结合来增加肩部灵活性的有效性。92 名健康男性被随机分配到以下五个组之一：1）单独进行 LLPS，2）在 LLPS 的初始阶段施加热量，3）在拉伸的最后阶段施加冷疗，4）先施加热然后施加冷的组合，5）不进行干预。受试者在 5 天内接受了三次 40 分钟的治疗。3 天后进行了随访测量。结果表明，与对照组相比，与使用热、冰或两者结合的 LLPS 相关联，促进了更大的长期灵活性改善。然而，与仅接受拉伸的受试者相比，仅在 LLPS 的初始阶段接受热疗的受试者显示出显著的收益（p </= 0.05）。我们得出结论，与单独进行 LLPS 相比，将热疗与 LLPS 结合应用于非病理性肩部是一种改善灵活性的临床更优方法。J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1992;16(5):200-207.
