Ankle joint-position sense (A-JPS) is the body’s awareness of the ankle’s position in space—more commonly known as ankle proprioception. A-JPS plays a crucial role in balance and stability, particularly in sports. This research team wanted to understand if static stretching could improve A-JPS in soccer players.
Researchers from Turkey sought to investigate the influence of 2 different durations of acute static stretching on the A-JPS. 19 soccer players (age 18-30 yrs) performed 3 conditions: 2 experimental conditions–static stretching of the gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior, for 30 or 90 seconds, and a control condition (rest). A-JPS of the dominant limb was assessed before and immediately after for the range of 20° of plantar flexion by active repositioning, using a video camera. Absolute, relative and variable angular errors were calculated.
The results suggest that acute static stretching of the gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior, performed for 30 s or 90 s does not seem to influence the A-JPS of soccer players.
Source: Azevedo J, Moreira A, Moreira-Silva I, Cardoso R, Seixas A. The influence of acute static stretching on the ankle joint-position sense of soccer players: A randomized controlled crossover trial. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2025;42:1011-1016. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2025.03.022.
