Relationship between hamstring length and gluteus maximus strength with and without normalization.
Dong-Kyu Lee, Jae-Seop Oh
PMID 29410579WHAT IT FOUND
In 34 healthy men, gluteus maximus strength normalized for body weight and height showed a positive relationship with hamstring length.
Without normalization, the relationship was negative and not significant.
Key findings
01When gluteus maximus strength was normalized for body weight and height, it was positively correlated with hamstring length (r=0.62, p<0.001). The paper defines correlations from 0.3 to 0.7 as moderate.
02When gluteus maximus strength was not normalized, it was negatively correlated with hamstring length (r=0.33, p=0.51), and that result did not reach significance.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only healthy young male subjects participated, so the findings may not apply to patients with low back pain or sacroiliac dysfunction. The study was correlational and did not test change over time, so it cannot show that weak gluteus maximus causes tight hamstrings. Electromyographic measurements were not made, so the study cannot confirm the proposed muscle compensation mechanism. The paper did not test stretching or another intervention, so it cannot support treatment decisions.
Declared interests
This research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (No. 2015R1D1A1A01056853) and by the 2015 Post-doctoral Research Program of Inje University.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that hamstring stretching will improve gluteus maximus weakness in patients. The study measured 34 healthy young men and reported correlations, not a treatment effect.