Effect of a pelvic wedge and belt on the medial and lateral hamstring muscles during knee flexion.
Won-Gyu Yoo
PMID 28210048WHAT IT FOUND
Pelvic wedge and belt increased medial hamstring activity during prone knee flexion compared with no pelvic control, but lateral hamstring activity did not change.
Nine healthy men were tested, so this does not show clinical benefit.
Key findings
01Pelvic control with the wedge and belt significantly increased medial hamstring activity: 120.5 ± 15.1% MVC versus 93.0 ± 19.6% MVC without pelvic control.
02Lateral hamstring activity was not significantly different: 93.4 ± 21.5% MVC without pelvic control versus 85.7 ± 19.3% MVC with the wedge and belt.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only nine healthy males were studied. The study measured brief muscle electrical activity, not strength, pain, function, or injury outcomes. No randomisation or blinding is reported. The pelvic wedge and belt were applied together, so their separate contributions cannot be separated. The Discussion says the setup felt comfortable and calls the exercise effective for balanced strengthening, but those claims were not measured outcomes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the pelvic wedge alone improves hamstring balance or clinical function. The wedge and belt were used together, lateral hamstring activity was not significantly different, and only nine healthy men were tested.