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Passive knee extension test to measure hamstring muscle tightness

H Fredriksen¹, H Dagfinrud, V Jacobsen

¹National Sport Center, Oslo, Norway. hilde.fredriksen@olympiatoppen.no

Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports

|October 27, 1997

Summary

The passive knee extension test reliably measures hamstring tightness with minimal pelvic motion. This simple test is highly accurate, making it a valuable tool for assessing muscle flexibility.

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Area of Science:

Biomechanics
Kinesiology
Musculoskeletal assessment

Background:

Assessing hamstring muscle tightness is crucial for understanding lower limb biomechanics and preventing injuries.
Existing methods for measuring hamstring tightness vary in reliability and complexity.
Understanding associated pelvic motion during testing is important for accurate interpretation of results.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the reliability of a passive knee extension test for quantifying hamstring tightness.
To assess the degree of pelvic motion that occurs during this specific hamstring flexibility test.

Main Methods:

A standardized passive force was used to extend the knee with the hip stabilized at 120 degrees of flexion.
Hamstring tightness was measured using a goniometer to determine the knee angle at the point of maximal stretch.

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Pelvic motion was quantified using a MacReflex measurement system.

Twenty-eight test-retest trials were conducted to assess reliability.

Main Results:

The passive knee extension test demonstrated high reliability, with a correlation coefficient of 0.99.
The coefficient of variation (CV) for the test was found to be 1%, indicating minimal measurement error.
Associated pelvic motion during the test was minimal, with a median measurement of 4.1 degrees.

Conclusions:

The passive knee extension test is a simple, reliable, and valid method for measuring hamstring tightness.
The associated pelvic motion during this test is negligible, ensuring that measurements primarily reflect hamstring flexibility.
This test offers a practical and accurate approach for clinical and research settings to assess hamstring flexibility.