Effect of thoracic mobilization exercises on hamstring flexibility: a randomized controlled trial

The aim was to investigate the effect of thoracic mobilization exercises on hamstring flexibility.

One hundred twenty individuals with hamstring tightness were included in the study. The participants were randomized into two groups: the experimental group (EG) (n = 60) or the control group (CG) (n = 60). The EG performed a home-based thoracic mobilization exercise program comprising 2 sets with 10 repetitions, once a day, 3 days a week, for 4 weeks. The CG performed active-assisted stretching of the hamstring comprising 3 sets with 10 repetitions for 15 seconds. The active knee extension (AKE) test was used to measure hamstring flexibility, and self-reported hamstring pain intensity was evaluated with a visual analog scale (VAS). All evaluations were conducted at the beginning and end of the intervention.

Both groups showed significant improvement in AKE (p<0.05). Pain intensity during the stretching exercises was significantly decreased only in the EG. The improvements in AKE and VAS score were greater in the EG than in the CG (p < 0.05). Between-group effect sizes were large for AKE (d = 1.075) and VAS score (d = 1.077).

The current study showed that thoracic mobilization exercises may increase hamstring flexibility and reduce pain intensity during hamstring stretch exercises.