Immediate effect of positional stretches of hamstring muscles on hamstring tightness in desk job workers: an experimental study

Abstract

Background: Prolonged sitting and limited movement during desk work may contribute to reduced hamstring flexibility. This study examined the immediate effect of positional hamstring stretching in desk job workers and compared stretching performed in standing and sitting positions.

Methods: An experimental study was conducted among 60 desk job workers aged 30-45 years in Pune, Maharashtra, India, from 11 April 2025 to 9 October 2025. Participants were selected by convenience sampling. Hamstring tightness was assessed on both sides using the active knee extension (AKE) test with a universal goniometer. Participants performed hamstring stretches in standing and sitting positions, with each stretch held for 30 seconds, followed by 15 seconds of rest, for three repetitions on each leg. Paired t-tests were used to compare pre- and post-stretching values within each condition, and unpaired t-tests were used for comparison of post-standing and post-sitting values. Data were analysed using Microsoft Excel, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant.

Results: Standing stretching reduced the measured hamstring tightness angle on the right from 53.73±10.33° to 37.41±10.43° (t=26.47, p<0.0001) and on the left from 53.05±8.46° to 35.55±9.17° (t=27.15, p<0.0001). Sitting stretching reduced the right-side value from 53.73±10.33° to 37.80±10.57° (t=25.63, p<0.0001) and the left-side value from 53.05±8.46° to 35.38±9.25° (t=28.55, p<0.0001). The difference between post-standing and post-sitting values was not statistically significant on either side (right: t=0.19, p=0.84; left: t=0.099, p=0.92).

Conclusions: Both positional stretching approaches produced a significant immediate change in the measured hamstring tightness angle. Neither standing nor sitting stretching showed a clear advantage over the other in the present sample.