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Immediate Effects of Neuroathletic Training on Muscle Activity, Flexibility, and Ankle Mobility
Sponsor: Ankara Yildirim Beyazıt University
Summary
Hamstring tightness may be accompanied by limitations in flexibility and movement along the back of the body. Neuroathletic training combines exercises involving vision, eye movements, balance-related sensory input, and movement coordination. Its immediate effects on muscle activity and mobility require investigation. This randomized study compared a single 20-minute neuroathletic training session with a 20-minute active control session in 40 adults aged 18 to 35 years with hamstring tightness. Participants were assigned to two groups of 20, with equal numbers of male and female participants in each group. The neuroathletic training session included visual preparation exercises, eye movement drills, vestibular stimulation, trunk extension preparation, and visually guided movement tasks. The active control session consisted of light walking followed by non-ballistic dynamic stretching of the lower limbs, upper limbs, and trunk. Both sessions were supervised. Before and after the assigned session, muscle activity was assessed in four muscle groups along the posterior chain using surface electromyography during the Superman exercise. Hamstring flexibility was assessed using an active knee extension test, and ankle dorsiflexion was assessed using a weight-bearing lunge test. The study evaluated whether the immediate changes in these measures differed between neuroathletic training and the active control session.
Official title: Neuroathletic Training and the Posterior Chain: Acute Effects on EMG Muscle Activation, Flexibility, and Ankle Mobility
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - 35 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
40
Start Date
2026-09-26
Completion Date
2026-10-15
Last Updated
2026-10-22
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Conditions
Interventions
Single-Session Neuroathletic Training
A single supervised 20-minute session incorporating visual preparation, eye movement exercises, vestibular stimulation, trunk extension preparation, and visually guided movement tasks. Exercises included periorbital massage, palming, slap-tap chart tasks, pinhole-glasses reaction tasks, star-chart exercises, hip and spinal extension priming, convergence-divergence exercises, Brock string fixation, lunge oscillations, and alternating gaze tasks using letter cards. Delivery followed a standardized exercise checklist.
Active Control
A single supervised 20-minute session consisting of light overground walking followed by non-ballistic dynamic stretching of the major muscle groups of the lower limbs, upper limbs, and trunk. The intervention provided general physical activity without the targeted visual, vestibular, oculomotor, or cognitively demanding exercises included in neuroathletic training. Session duration, trainer attention, and verbal encouragement were matched between groups.
Locations (1)
University of health sciences
Ankara, Kecıoren, Turkey (Türkiye)