Hamsrting Stretching on Dynamic Balance, Foot Posture and Function in Pronated Feet.

NCT ID: NCT07093879

Last Updated: 2025-07-30

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 28 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-08-31
• Study Completion Date: 2026-04-30

Brief Summary

Foot pronation is a natural and essential movement that occurs during walking or running. It involves the inward rolling of the foot, allowing for effective shock absorption and weight distribution, Individuals with pronated feet have poorer standing postural control compared with individuals with normal feet. This may be due to the reduced stability within the foot joints. Static stretching (SS) has been shown to increase the joint ROM, improve performance, and prevent injury. The connection between the hamstring muscles and the intrinsic foot muscles is explained through their integration within the same myofascial pathway-the superficial back line.

Detailed Description

Over-pronated foot is responsible for up to 60-90% of all foot and lower extremity pathologies associated with overuse injuries. This biomechanically abnormal foot posture alters the normal transitions of the subtalar joint required during dynamic activities. Therefore, deviations of the foot from its normal posture, place the foot under excessive stress and demand on the postural control .

The hamstring muscles, as the primary flexors of the knee, play a crucial role in maintaining balance due to their involvement across both the hip and knee joints. Limited flexibility in this muscle group can negatively impact balance performance and increase the risk of lower extremity injuries, pelvic and spinal misalignment, hip immobility, and pain. Stretching is a commonly used method to enhance joint range of motion and muscle extensibility, which supports injury prevention and rehabilitation, and may also improve balance through various physiological mechanisms .

Static hamstring stretching may lead to improved gait mechanics, enhanced stability, and reduced discomfort during weight-bearing activities due to the fascial connection between the hamstring muscle and plantar foot muscles, so incorporating static hamstring stretching into the physiotherapy program for individuals with pronated feet may alter foot posture, improve the dynamic balance and lower the risk of injuries associated with pronated feet.

Several techniques have been applied for improving dynamic balance and foot posture, but there was a gap in the previous literatures about using static hamstring stretch in rehabilitation of pronated feet, so this study will be conducted to determine effect of static hamstring stretch on dynamic balance and foot posture in pronated feet individuals.

Conditions

Pronation; Ankle

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

GROUP A

14 individuals will receive static hamstring stretching three treatment sessions per a week, short foot exercise (SFE), towel curl exercise (TCE), toe spread-out exercise (TSO) daily, tibialis posterior strengthening, gluteal muscles strengthening 3 times per week for 6 weeks.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

STATIC HAMSTRING STRETCH

Intervention Type: OTHER

For the static stretching technique, individuals lay supine in a straight posture on the treatment table and relaxed. Then, the pelvis and thighs opposite to the lower limb to which the stretching technique was to be applied were tied with Velcro straps. With the knees extended, the foot in neutral position and the hip joint bent as much as possible within its range, the hip joints were bent more until the hamstring muscle was stretched with light, tolerable pain, and kept there for 30 seconds

GROUP B

14 individuals will receive SFE, TCE, TSO daily, tibialis posterior strengthening, gluteal muscles strengthening 3 times per week for 6 weeks.

Group Type: OTHER

STATIC HAMSTRING STRETCH

Intervention Type: OTHER

For the static stretching technique, individuals lay supine in a straight posture on the treatment table and relaxed. Then, the pelvis and thighs opposite to the lower limb to which the stretching technique was to be applied were tied with Velcro straps. With the knees extended, the foot in neutral position and the hip joint bent as much as possible within its range, the hip joints were bent more until the hamstring muscle was stretched with light, tolerable pain, and kept there for 30 seconds

Interventions

STATIC HAMSTRING STRETCH

For the static stretching technique, individuals lay supine in a straight posture on the treatment table and relaxed. Then, the pelvis and thighs opposite to the lower limb to which the stretching technique was to be applied were tied with Velcro straps. With the knees extended, the foot in neutral position and the hip joint bent as much as possible within its range, the hip joints were bent more until the hamstring muscle was stretched with light, tolerable pain, and kept there for 30 seconds

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• 1-Individual's age ranged from 18-25 years old both genders. 2- Individuals had bilateral pronated feet posture according to the navicular drop test by Brody method .

3- individuals had bilateral hamstring tightness assessed by active knee extension (AKE) test .

4- Body Mass Index (BMI) ranged from 18.5 to 25 kg/ m2 .

Exclusion Criteria

• - Repeated lower extremity injuries as fractures or deformities. 2- History of surgery to the lower extremity. 3- Any neurological deficit affecting balance. 4-Any medication can affect the balance. 5- pregnant and breast feeding females. 6- fixed flat foot 7- Individuals with unilateral pronated foot. 8- Sleep disorders or chronic fatigue conditions (e.g., insomnia, chronic fatigue syndrome).

9- Uncontrolled diabetes (especially with peripheral neuropathy). 10- Visual impairments (e.g., uncorrected vision problems, glaucoma, or macular degeneration).

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 25 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Cairo University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Donia Mohamed Abd Elfattah Sanad

demonstrator at faculty of physical therapy kfs university

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Central Contacts

donia m sanad, BSC

Role: CONTACT

donia.elalfy1@gmail.com

00201111430160

Other Identifiers

P.T.REC/012/005455

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id