Prevalence of Hamstring Tightness in Physically Active and Inactive College Going Students

Abstract Background The hamstring is a very important part of flexibility in the human body. The tightness in the muscle is due to the decrease in the ability of the muscle to deform. It is the inability to achieve more than 160º of knee extension when the hip is flexed to 90º due to tightness. The study was carried out to find the prevalence of hamstring tightness in physically active & inactive college-going students. Method In this non-experimental cross-sectional study 100 participants were included. The study was performed on normal healthy individuals. The study excluded persons with low back pain and recent hamstring injury within less than 2 months. The tightness was measured by using the AKE test. Three measurements were taken and an average of their reading was noted. Result This study concludes that there is an equal prevalence of developing hamstring tightness in both young male & female participants. Hence increased physical activity is advised to prevent musculoskeletal disorders. Conclusion The prevalence of hamstring tightness is very high among college-going students in the age group between 18–25 years between the angle 45º-60º.