Immediate Effects of Abdominal Hypopressive Technique Versus PNF Stretching in Shortened Hamstring Syndrome: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
Andrés Forján-Barcia, Pablo Hernandez-Lucas, Lorenzo A Justo-Cousiño
PMID 41431280WHAT IT FOUND
The pilot found both techniques safe, but four of twelve hypopressive participants dropped out during training.
After one session, hamstring flexibility improved in both groups, and the two groups ended with similar flexibility scores.
Key findings
01No adverse events occurred, but four of twelve participants assigned to hypopressives dropped out during familiarization, compared with two of thirteen assigned to PNF stretching.
02After the single session, both groups improved on right and left straight leg raise and toe-floor distance from pre-test to post-test.
03The two groups were not different from each other before or after the intervention.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study was a pilot and was not powered for efficacy, so the flexibility results are exploratory. Only 19 of 25 recruited participants completed the study. The final sample was 16 men and 3 women, so results may not apply to women. Six participants dropped out, four because they could not perform hypopressives correctly and two for scheduling reasons. The same physiotherapist delivered the interventions and took the measurements, without assessor blinding. Only immediate effects after one session were measured, with no follow-up. Participants who could not learn hypopressives were excluded, which may limit generalizability to patients with poor body awareness.
Declared interests
Universidade de Vigo funded the work, and the authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that hypopressives are a proven alternative to PNF stretching for long-term hamstring flexibility. This was a pilot without power for efficacy, it measured only immediate changes after one session, and four of twelve hypopressive participants dropped out during training.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →