earticle

영어

This study aimed to identify alterations in the thickness of the hamstring and the muscle tone in response to soft tissue mobilization (STM), passive stretching (PS), and muscle energy technique (MET). Forty-five male subjects with no orthopedic or neurological diseases volunteered to participate in the study, which were allocated either the SEM, PS, or MET groups, 10 in each. Outcome measure included the thickness and muscle tone of the hamstring. Intervention was an isometric contraction and 10-sec stretching for the STM group, a 10 repetitions of 10-sec stretch for the PS group, and an isometric contraction and relaxation for the MET group. Pre- and post-treatment changes in the thickness and muscle tone of hamstring were significantly different for the three groups (p<.05). However, there were not found statistically significant differences in the thickness and muscle tone of hamstring between the groups (p>.05). This study suggests that all tree methods may be helpful to increase the condition of hamstring. Further studies with robust design will be needed for the generality of our results.