Methods
Group A received moist heat and modified hold-relax stretching; Group B received moist heat and static stretching, whereas Group C received only moist heat.
For moist heat, a hot pack (at a temperature of 71 °C) was applied over the posterior aspect of the thigh for 20 minutes for 5 days15).
For modified hold-relax stretching, each subject in group A was comfortably positioned in a supine lying position on a plinth with the hip fixed at 90 degrees of flexion, and a therapist then stretched the hamstrings passively until the subject felt and reported a mild stretch sensation; that position was held for 7 seconds. The subjects were asked to perform maximal isometric contractions of the hamstrings for 7 seconds by attempting to push their leg back toward the table against the resistance of the therapist16). After the contraction, the subjects were instructed to relax for 5 seconds. This sequence was repeated 5 times in each session for 5 consecutive days in this experimental group16).
For static stretching, each subject in group B was comfortably positioned in a supine lying position on a plinth, and to maintain the knee in as much as extension position, a splint was applied to the anterior aspect of the knee. A pulley and weight system (4.55 kg) was used to apply static traction. This stretched the hamstring muscles while providing a constant stretch torque. The stretch was maintained for 10 minutes in each session for 5 days16).
The outcome measure selected for this study was passive knee extension range of motion. Measurements were taken at baseline and on, day 1, day 3, day 5, and day 12.
Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS 15.0 Software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Repeated measure ANOVA was applied for comparison of passive knee extension within the groups. Further post hoc analysis was done using Bonferroni correction. One-way ANOVA was applied to compare passive knee extension between the groups. The results were taken to be significant at p