Comparison of the Effects of Two Different Stretching on Shoulder Flexion Angle, Muscle Tone, and Thoracic Mobility in Subjects with Short Latissimus Dorsi Muscle

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study aimed to compare the effects of two latissimus dorsi muscle (LD) stretching exercises on the shoulder joint flexion angle, LD muscle tone, and thoracic mobility in subjects with short LD. This was a cross-sectional and randomized controlled trial. The study included 28 subjects with a short LD. Participants showing a range of shoulder flexion of <170° in the LD length test were identified as having a short LD. The subjects were randomly assigned to either Group 1 (shoulder abduction + contralateral trunk side bending) or Group 2 (shoulder abduction + shoulder external rotation). LD muscle tone and stiffness were measured using Myoton PRO. Thoracic mobility of the middle part was measured using a circular tape measure. Both groups 1 and 2 showed significantly increased range of shoulder flexion and middle thoracic mobility, and the LD muscle tone of the distal and lower parts and LD muscle stiffness of the distal parts decreased significantly after interventions (p<.05). In the comparison between groups, no significant differences were noted in all dependent variables. Therefore, this study suggests that both LD stretching exercises can be effective in increasing the range of shoulder flexion, reducing LD muscle tone and stiffness, and improving chest mobility.