Soft Tissue Mobilization Increased Hamstring Mobility

Nova Southeastern University, Davie, Florida, USA

Soft Tissue Mobilization Increased Hamstring Mobility Jeffrey Doeringer, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dr. Pallavai Patel College of Health Care Sciences, Department of Health and Human Performance Megan Colas, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dr. Pallavai Patel College of Health Care Sciences, Department of Health and Human Performance Ramon Ramirez, Dr. Pallavai Patel College of Health Care Sciences Ashmita Thakur, Halmos College of Natural Science and Oceanography Objective. The aim of this study was to determine if there is a difference between administering Graston Technique Therapy (GT) and Therapeutic Cupping (TC) over the area of hamstring tightness. Background. Limited research reveals that the use of different soft tissue mobilization techniques increases tissue mobility in different regions of the body. Methods. Thirty-three subject between the age of 18-35 years with bilateral hamstring tightness participated in this study. Each intervention was administered on a different leg for 8 minutes and over the entire area of the hamstring muscles. The intervention of TC used one cup and was moved over the entire treatment area. Subjects attended one session where treatment and leg order were randomized before attending the session. The intervention per leg included baseline and post measurements of soreness visual analog scale, Sit-n-Reach (single leg), goniometric measurement for straight-leg hip flexion motion, and superficial skin temperature. Results. An Intervention (GT vs TC) x Time (Pre vs Post-Intervention) repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant difference for Superficial Skin Temperature (PreTC – 90.01±2.45, PostTC – 96.8±1.4; PreGT – 90.14±2.72, PostGT – 92.99±2.05; P = 0.000) with TC showing the largest warming affect. Paired T-tests revealed significant between each dependent variable per interventions (P = 0.000). Conclusion. Both GT and TC showed to be impacting hamstring mobility with TC being the only treatment that had the greatest increase in superficial skin temperature which indirectly suggest more blood flow to the area. Grants. No grants funded this project.