Compliance of Static Stretching and the Effect on Blood Pressure and Arteriosclerosis Index in Hypertensive Patients

Etsuko Yamada; Sayuri Sakai; Mieko Uchiyama; Hansani M Abeywickrama; Masanori Inoue; Kazuo Maeda; Yuko Kikuchi; Kentaro Omatsu; Yu Koyama

doi:10.3390/clinpract12030036

Compliance of Static Stretching and the Effect on Blood Pressure and Arteriosclerosis Index in Hypertensive Patients

Clin Pract. 2022 May 9;12(3):306-317. doi: 10.3390/clinpract12030036.

Authors

Etsuko Yamada¹, Sayuri Sakai¹, Mieko Uchiyama¹, Hansani M Abeywickrama¹, Masanori Inoue², Kazuo Maeda³, Yuko Kikuchi^{1

4}, Kentaro Omatsu^{1

5}, Yu Koyama¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nursing, Niigata University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 2-746 Asahimachi, Niigata 951-8518, Japan.
² Inoue Internal Medicine Clinic, 5-3-5 Meikekaminoyama, Niigata 950-0945, Japan.
³ Maeda Internal Medicine Clinic, 3160-4 Akebono, Niigata 951-8021, Japan.
⁴ Nursing Unit, Gosen Central Hospital, 489-1 Ohta, Gosen 959-1825, Japan.
⁵ Division of Emergency Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, 1398 Shimami-cho, Niigata 950-3198, Japan.

Abstract

Background: Treatment of high blood pressure is a combination of lifestyle changes and medications, and appropriateexercise therapy is recommended as one of the lifestyle-related changes. Recently, stretching, a low-intensity exercise, was reported to be antihypertensive and effective for improving arteriosclerosis, in addition to aerobic exercise. The present study investigated the short-term effects of continuous stretching and rest-induced rebound on vascular endothelial function in hypertensive patients. Methods: This study was conducted as a single-arm prospective interventional study including patients between 30 and 70 years of age undergoing treatment for hypertension from October 2019 until May 2021. The intervention consisted of six months of daily stretching, one month of rest, and another three months of stretching. We measured arteriosclerosis indices such as cardio ankle vascular index (CAVI), ankle brachial pressure index (ABI) and reactive hyperemia index (RHI), and flexibility at the baseline and one, three, six, seven, and ten months from the baseline. Results: We included a total of ten patients (three males and seven females) with an average age of 60.10 ± 6.05 years. The exercise rate for the entire period was 90% or more, and the anteflexion measurement value improved significantly before and after the intervention (p < 0.001). Blood pressure and CAVI/ABI were well controlled throughout the study period. RHI did not show any significant improvement during the initial six months, and only slightly improved by the third month (p = 0.063). Even after the rest phase and resumption of stretching, RHI remained stable. Conclusions: The compliance of the stretching program we used, evaluated by the exercise implementation rate for the entire period, was 90% or more; therefore, easy to perform and continue by hypertensive patients. However, we did not observe a significant positive effect on arteriosclerosis index or blood pressure in this study.

Keywords: compliance; hypertension; muscle stretching exercises.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.