Subjects
Forty-five subjects (23 male, 22 female) with lower-extremity injuries or low back pain were enrolled in the study. All subjects were recruited from the Brigade Gym patient profile program through the Physical Therapy Clinic at the Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC), Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The profile program is for soldiers who are not able to participate routinely in army physical fitness training due to their musculoskeletal complaint. Subjects completed a questionnaire containing questions about their sex, age, height, weight, and lower-extremity pain and were screened for decreased ROM and presumed hip flexor tightness bilaterally using the modified Thomas test. Subjects were classified as having tight hip flexor muscles if their thigh was above 0 degrees in relation to the treatment table. The limb demonstrating the greatest amount of decreased ROM served as the limb of interest for study purposes. If hip flexor tightness was thought to be equal bilaterally, the side of the limb of interest was chosen randomly by flipping a coin. A lower-quarter neurological screening that included manual muscle testing, sensory testing, and testing of muscle stretch reflexes also was performed at this time.