Floss band application
Following pretests, participants were instructed to lie prone on a
(standard) therapeutic table (with knee of the dominant leg slightly
flexed), while the floss band comprising a thick latex elastic band
(Medical Flossing Band, Germany, 1.3 mm thick, 50mm wide, 150mm long)
was wrapped around the upper-thigh of the dominant leg. A simple
thigh-bandaging technique was used: with its origin at the mid-thigh
mark, the elastic band was first pulled and then wrapped in a circular
motion around the thigh moving proximally towards the hip in a
progressive way. Each subsequent wrap overlapped the previous by approx.
50%, before fixing the last part of the band (approx. 5 cm) underneath
the final wrap. When fully applied, the floss band covered approx. 15 cm
of the thigh. The pressure used to wrap the thigh was individualized to
the subjects’ thigh circumference and differed for each visit according
to the selected protocol (CON, LOW, HIGH). Once the floss band was
applied, participants were instructed to sit on the edge of the
therapeutic table, with ¾ of the thigh supported by the therapeutic
table, feet unsupported, performing slow continuous active knee
extension (2 seconds) and flexion (2 seconds) ranging from a bent knee
position (90°) to knee fully extended (0°). After 120 s the floss band
was unwrapped, and participants were allowed to rest for 120 s. In the
rest period, the subjects were instructed to lie still on their backs on
the therapeutic table, while the re-application of floss band was
carried out in the last 30 s of the rest period. This procedure was
repeated three times (3 sets of 120 s flossing with active motion
followed by 90 s of rest and 30 s of re-application).