Effects of whole-body vibration and PNF stretching on the flexibility and range of movement in elite australian Rules football players

The ability to collect the ball effectively from beneath the knees is a major skill in Australian Rules football (ARF), and flexibility in the lower limbs is a contributing factor in its success. It has been proposed that insufficient joint range of movement (ROM) caused by poor muscle flexibility is a probable cause of muscle injury (Shellock and Prentice, 1985; Jonhagen et al., 1994). A large number of hamstring injuries results every year from playing ARF with tightness of the hamstring musculature being cited for its regular occurrence (Orchard and Seward, 2002).