Background and Purpose. Objective measurements of hamstring muscle length are needed to quantify baseline limitations and to document the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions. Several indirect clinical tests for measuring hamstring muscle length are availabe, but influene of their test procedure is not well documented.
The purpose of this study were 1)to describe hamstring muscle length as reflected by use six tests(active straight leg raising(ASLR), passive straight leg raising(PSLR). passive straight leg raising with the lower back flat (PSLRB), active knee extension(AKE), passive knee extension(PKE), hip joint angle(HJA). 2)to examine the correlation among th etests. Subjects. Sixty subjects(30 men, 30 women) ranging in age from 18 to 25 years(mean 20.2years) and with no limitation hamstring flexibility and no neurological and orthopedical problems. Methods. All subjects performed six tests. A inclinometer was used to determine the end point of range of motion. HJA was measured using an inclinometer placed over the sacrum. PSLRB were tested PSLR with the low back flat and the opposite thigh slightly flexed and support on pillows. Results. A mean ASLR value of 85.9 degrees, PSLR value of 99.9 degrees, PSLRB value of 109.8 degrees, AKE value of 77.2 degrees PKE value of 83.1 degrees and HJA value of 73.0 degrees were obtained for all subjects. A dependent t-test showed significant difference between the angles of ASLR and PSLR(p<0.001). There was a significant difference between the angles of PSLR and PSLRB(p<0.001). There was a significant difference between the angles of AKE and PKE(p<00.1). All SLR tests were significants related(p<0.001), as well as AKE and PKE(p<0.001). All SLR tests were significants related(p<0.001), as well as AKE and PKE(p<0.001). All SLR tests were significants related(p<0.001), as well as AKE and PKE(p<0.001). The lowest correlation was between PKE and HJA(r=0.171, p>0.05). Conclusion and Discussion. The results indicated that the hip flexion angles for ASLR, PSLR and PSLRB were a difference, and the knee extension angles for AKE and PKE were were a difference.
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