ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
This article is part of the Research TopicAcute Interventions and Recovery Strategies for Enhancing Human Exercise PerformanceView all 4 articles
Effects of Tissue Flossing and Dynamic Stretching on Hamstrings Stiffness and Flexibility of Light Volleyball Enthusiasts : A Randomized Controlled Trial
Provisionally accepted
- 1Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, China
- 2China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, China
- 3Shanxi Road & Bridge Intelligent Transportation Information Technology Co., Ltd, Jinzhong, China
- 4Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
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This randomized controlled trial aimed to compare the acute and sustained effects of tissue flossing (TF) versus dynamic stretching (DS) on hamstring muscle stiffness and flexibility in light volleyball enthusiasts. Thirty-seven participants were randomly assigned to TF, DS, or placebo groups. Muscle stiffness was evaluated using shear-wave elastography, measuring Young's modulus at distal and proximal regions of the biceps femoris long head and semitendinosus. Flexibility was assessed via passive knee extension (KE), straight leg raise (SLR), and forward flexion distance (FFD) at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and minutes post-intervention. The results demonstrated that TF significantly reduced muscle stiffness compared to DS at the 30-minute mark, particularly in the semitendinosus (distal: mean difference = –43.40 kPa, 95% CI [–80.65, –6.16], p = 0.007; proximal: –51.13 kPa, [–101.20, –1.05], p = 0.040). However, no significant differences were observed between TF and DS groups in flexibility outcomes (KE, SLR, or FFD) at any time point. These findings indicate that while TF offers a prolonged reduction in hamstring stiffness—suggesting potential benefits in injury prevention and prolonged performance—its effect on functional flexibility remains comparable to that of dynamic stretching. TF may serve as an effective warm-up intervention for athletes requiring sustained decreases in muscle stiffness during activities.
Keywords: tissue flossing, Dynamic stretching, hamstrings stiffness, Shear-wave elastography, light volleyball, ultrasound image, myofascia release
Received: 10 Sep 2025; Accepted: 27 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kang, Zhendong, Lu and Liyu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zhao Zhendong
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