The Effects of Static and Dynamic Stretching Exercises on Ankle Muscle Strength and Balance

Different types of stretching exercises are utilized prior to physical exercises as a part of warming-up. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the dynamic and static stretching exercises on ankle muscle strength and single-leg balance. Twenty healthy male participants, who were between 25 and 30 years old and did not have a previous ankle injury, were included in the study. This study is a cross-over designed study. Isokinetic ankle muscle strength tests and single-leg balance tests were applied to the participants after different intervention protocols (two intervention protocols and one control protocol) on 6 different days. With isokinetic testing, peak torque and average power were measured at 60/s and 120/s angular velocities. The tests were performed to the participants after static stretching, dynamic stretching and for a resting period without stretching. The order of stretching intervention was determined randomly. The Peak Torque results of the 120/s angular velocity isokinetic strength test after the dynamic stretching exercises were found significantly improved than those without stretching exercises (p 0.05). A significant difference was not determined in Average Power and Peak Torque at 60/s values (p 0.05). It was also shown that the dynamic stretching significantly enhanced the balance scores (p 0,05). In the current study, dynamic stretching exercises were found to have positive effects on isokinetic peak torque and balance scores.