Measurement of changes in muscle viscoelasticity during static stretching using stress-relaxation data

Abstract: This study investigates how the viscoelasticity of the muscle changes during static stretching by measuring the state of the muscle during stretching using continuous time-series data. We used a device that applied a force to the muscle during stretching and measured the reaction force. The device was attached to the participants, and time-series data of the reaction force (stress-relaxation data) during stretching were obtained. A model using fractional calculus (spring-pot model) was selected as the viscoelastic model for the muscle, in which the data for stress relaxation were fitted on a straight line on a both logarithmic plot. The experimental stress-relaxation results showed that viscoelasticity tended to change abruptly at a particular time during static stretching because the stress-relaxation data were represented by a broken line comprising two segments on the both logarithmic plot. Considering two states of viscoelasticity, before and after the change, the stress-relaxation curve was fitted to the spring-pot model with high accuracy using segment regression (R2 = 0.99). We compared the parameters of the spring-pot model before and after the change in muscle viscoelasticity. By examining these continuous time-series data, we also investigated the time taken for the effects of stretching to become apparent. Furthermore, by measuring the changes in muscle viscoelasticity during static stretching before and after a short-term exercise load of running on a treadmill, we examined the effects of short-term exercise load on the changes in viscoelasticity during static stretching.