Nishiwaki Masato, Yonemura Haruka, Kurobe Kazumichi, Matsumoto Naoyuki
Faculty of Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology, 5-16-1 Ohmiya, Asahi-ku, Osaka, 535-8585 Japan.
Faculty of Environmental Symbiotic Sciences, Prefectural University of Kumamoto, Kumamoto, Japan.
Springerplus. 2015 Sep 25;4:555. doi: 10.1186/s40064-015-1337-4. eCollection 2015.
Trunk flexibility may be associated with arterial stiffness in young, middle-aged, and older healthy men after adjusting for blood pressure. This study assessed the effects of 4 weeks of regular static stretching on arterial stiffness in middle-aged men. Sixteen healthy men (43 ± 3 years) were assigned to control or intervention groups (n = 8 each). The control group did not alter their physical activity levels throughout the study period. The intervention group participated in five supervised stretching sessions per week for 4 weeks. Each session comprised 30 min of mild stretching that moved the major muscle groups through the full range of motion and stretches were held three times for 20 s at the end range. Flexibility was assessed by sit-and-reach test. Arterial stiffness was assessed by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI). Four weeks of stretching increased sit-and-reach (Control, Pre: 31.4 ± 2.1, Post: 30.8 ± 2.7 vs. Intervention, Pre: 30.6 ± 5.3, Post: 43.9 ± 4.3 cm), and reduced baPWV (Control, Pre: 1204 ± 25, Post: 1205 ± 38 vs. Intervention, Pre: 1207 ± 28, Post: 1145 ± 19 cm/s) and CAVI (Control, Pre: 7.6 ± 0.3, Post: 7.5 ± 0.3 vs. Intervention, Pre: 7.7 ± 0.2, Post: 7.2 ± 0.2 units) in the intervention group. However, the change in sit-and-reach did not significantly correlate with the changes in arterial stiffness. These findings suggest that short-term regular stretching induces a significant reduction in arterial stiffness in middle-aged men.
在调整血压后，躯干柔韧性可能与年轻、中年和老年健康男性的动脉僵硬度相关。本研究评估了为期4周的定期静态拉伸对中年男性动脉僵硬度的影响。16名健康男性（43±3岁）被分为对照组或干预组（每组n = 8）。对照组在整个研究期间不改变其身体活动水平。干预组每周参加5次有监督的拉伸课程，持续4周。每次课程包括30分钟的轻度拉伸，使主要肌肉群在全范围内活动，并且在末端范围将拉伸保持3次，每次20秒。通过坐立前屈测试评估柔韧性。通过臂踝脉搏波速度（baPWV）和心踝血管指数（CAVI）评估动脉僵硬度。四周的拉伸增加了坐立前屈的幅度（对照组，干预前：31.4±2.1，干预后：30.8±2.7；干预组，干预前：30.6±5.3，干预后：43.9±4.3厘米），并降低了干预组的baPWV（对照组，干预前：1204±25，干预后：1205±38；干预组，干预前：1207±28，干预后：1145±19厘米/秒）和CAVI（对照组，干预前：7.6±0.3，干预后：7.5±0.3；干预组，干预前：7.7±0.2，干预后：7.2±0.2单位）。然而，坐立前屈的变化与动脉僵硬度的变化没有显著相关性。这些发现表明，短期定期拉伸可使中年男性的动脉僵硬度显著降低。
