Sub Occipital Muscle Inhibition Versus Slump Stretch Position in Short Hamstring Syndrome Subjects

Effect of Adding Sub-occipital Muscle Inhibition Technique Versus Slump Stretch Position to Passive Hamstring Stretch on Hamstring Flexibility in Patients With Short Hamstring Syndrome

45 female participants with short hamstring syndrome were devided into one of the three groups; Group I: suboccipital muscle inhinbition plus passive hamstring stretch, group II: Slump stretch position plus Passive hamstring stretch, and group III: Passive stretch of hamstring muscle. Assessment methods were Straight leg raising test, forward flexion test and popliteal angle test, were measured at baseline, immediately after 1st treatment session then after 4 weeks of treatment.

Forty five university undergraduate female students volunteered to participate in the study, age = 18-25 years old, body mass index 18-25 kg/cm square.

All subjects were free from injury or disease expected to affect hamstring length or ability to perform the exercises Design of the study was single-blind randomized clinical trial. The subjects were randomly assigned in to one of the three methods of treatment, which are group 1 (study group1): suboccipital muscle inhibition plus passive stretch of hamstring muscle, Group II: ( Study groupII): received neural slump test position plus passive stretch of hamstring muscle, Group III (control group): received only passive stretch of hamstring muscle.

Treatment Procedures:

Passive stretching of hamstring muscle:

Patient in comfortable supine lying position and therapist stride standing beside the dominant side of the patient. The patient was asked to flex his hip joint with complete knee extension and ankle in neutral position. The therapist stretches the hamstring of the dominant side; distal hand of the therapist on planter surface of foot for dorsiflexion to increase flexibility of hamstring muscle and proximal hand on the knee to increase the length of the muscle, maintain this stretching for 60 seconds then relax (8)

Sub occipital muscle inhibition:

The Patient is in comfortable supine lying position with eye closed - for more relaxation- and the head out of the bed resting on therapist hand to manipulate the sub occipital area. The therapist stretch the sub occipital, flexes the head of the patient to get the chin to the manibiurim sternii, maintaining this position for 60seconds then relax (9)

Neural dynamic slump stretch:

Patient in comfortable short sitting position at the edge of the bed with the trunk in an millitary straight position then ask the patient to slump the flex his neck and street the knee joint in complete extension the at the end of the procedure do active dorsiflexion at the tested foot .(10)

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Being females.
2. Age between 18-28 years old.
3. BMI: 18-25 kg/square meter.
4. All subjects were free from injury or disease expected to affect hamstring length or ability to perform the exercises.
5. Straight leg raising test (SLR) is less than 80 degree from supine position.
6. Popliteal angle test, operationally defined by a knee flexion angle greater than 15˚ as measured by a screening exam using active knee extension in supine with hip flexed 90˚

Exclusion Criteria:

• Hamstring injury within the past year.
• Exceeding 80° in the initial SLR test. Popleteal knee angle less than 15 degree. -
• Verbal report of performing regular lower extremity. Muscle stretching exercises.
• History of neck trauma (whiplash). Neck symptoms.-
• History of recent fracture in any part of the body.
• History of growth disorders,