Clinical trial NCT06604195: Modified Sciatic Nerve Mobility Exercises on Hamstring Tightness
Official title: Effectiveness of Modified Sciatic Nerve Mobility Exercises on Hamstring Length in Collegiate Students With Hamstring Tightness - A Randomized Controlled Study.
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Hamstring Tightness
Keywords: Hamstring tightness
Neurodynamic
neural mobilization
Muscle stretching
Lead sponsor: Gulf Medical University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2024-09-19
Enrollment: 94
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 25
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: The participants in this study are allocated in two groups, group 1 and group 2.
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: This study included collegiate students with tight hamstring muscles aged between 18-23 recruited from the Gulf Medical University, Ajman, UAE to compare the effectiveness of modified sciatic nerve mobility exercises and dynamic hamstring muscle stretching (DHMS) on hamstring length in collegiate students with hamstring muscle tightness.

Detailed description: Hamstring Muscle Tightness is a common musculoskeletal condition that affects a significant proportion of the general population, particularly among collegiate students. Among the student population, sitting for longer periods during college hours is the primary cause of HMT. Evidence suggests that stretching with a combination of manual or instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization are effective in improving hamstring muscle flexibility among individuals with HMT. A meta-analysis demonstrated a significant improvement in knee extension ROM and straight leg raise test measures following neural mobilization treatment which support the effectiveness of neural mobilization treatment in enhancing hamstring flexibility compared to muscle inhibition and stretching techniques . Especially, neural glides and neural stretching designed to restore the overall balance in the nervous system and can increase hamstring muscle flexibility, making them valuable interventions for individuals with HMT. A study on hamstring muscle flexibility in relation leg rotation suggest that hamstring stretching is enhancing the leg rotation and hamstring lengthening. Thus, dynamic stretching targeting the nerves and muscles is warranted for the treatment of tight hamstring in the general population, especially among collegiate students. This evidence provides input for the modification of dynamic sciatic nerve stretching to improve the effects of therapeutic interventions that focus on neuromuscular flexibility, joint ROM, and pain relief. Further evidence also suggests that nerve-directed stretching is superior to muscle-directed stretching in improving hamstring tightness in healthy adults. However, the role of nerve-directed dynamic stretching with hip rotation has not been addressed by previous interventional studies. Therefore, This study compared the effects of modified sciatic-nerve mobility exercises over dynamic hamstring muscle stretching on improving the hamstring length in collegiate students with HMT to determine the most effective approach for managing this condition.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Collegiate students with hamstring muscle tightness.
* Unilateral and/or bilateral hamstring muscle tightness.
* Students from the Gulf Medical University.

Exclusion Criteria:

* History of intervertebral disc lesions and radiculopathies,
* Soft tissue injuries in the lower extremity.
* Spine surgery, lower extremity neurological complications.
* Students engaged in competitive sports.
* Students engaged in other interventional studies.
* Lower back pain from specific causes.
* Pelvic inflammatory conditions.
* Unwillingness to provide informed consent.
* Nutritional deficiencies.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Passive Knee Extension (PKE) ROM test
timeFrame: Baseline, post-treatment day 1, end of week 1, and week 2
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Ajman
country: United Arab Emirates
facility: Gulf Medical University
Study officials:
affiliation: Gulf Medical University
name: Ramprasad Muthukrishnan, PhD
role: STUDY_CHAIR
References: