ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Immediate and short-term effects of warm-up, dynamic
and static stretching on hamstring flexibility in college
students with muscle tightness
1
Saveetha College of Physiotherapy, Saveetha Institute of
Medical and Technical Sciences, India
2
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of
Physiotherapy, Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan University, India
3
Department of Orthopaedics, School of Physiotherapy,
Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan University, India
4
Rathinam College of Physiotherapy, Rathinam Group of
Institutions, India
Submission date: 2025-08-01
Final revision date: 2025-11-26
Acceptance date: 2025-12-01
Publication date: 2026-06-30
Corresponding author
Anitha Arul
Associate Professor, Saveetha College of Physiotherapy, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India., India
Associate Professor, Saveetha College of Physiotherapy, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India., India
TRENDS in Sport Sciences 2026;33(2)
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Frequently observed in athletes, hamstring muscle tightness impairs their performance and increases injury risk. While static and dynamic stretching are commonly used to improve flexibility, the comparative effectiveness and short-term retention of gains following these interventions remain unclear.
Aim of the study:
This study aimed to investigate the immediate and short-term effects of warm-up, static and dynamic stretching on hamstring flexibility in college students.
Material and methods:
crossover study was carried out among forty college students with clinically confirmed hamstring tightness. The subjects underwent three interventions - warm-up, static stretching, and dynamic stretching in random order. Hamstrings flexibility was evaluated with passive knee extension range of motion (PKE ROM) test.
Results:
two-way repeated measures ANOVA examined the effects of static vs. dynamic stretching and time. The average ROM across all time points did not differ significantly between the two stretches [F(1,312) = 0.291, p = 0.590, partial η² = 0.0009] and produced comparable overall ROM values. ROM changes across the 4 time points approached significance [F(3,312) = 2.275, p = 0.080, partial η² = 0.0214], indicating small but observable variations across the measurement timeline. The Condition × Time interaction was not significant [F(3,312) = 0.767, p = 0.513, partial η² = 0.0073], demonstrating that the pattern of ROM change over time was similar for both stretches. Effect sizes were estimated using Cohen’s d, which revealed greater within-condition ROM improvement following static stretching, while post-stretch differences between stretching types were small. Warm-up alone accounted for approximately 3.5° and 5.8° of ROM improvement. Static stretching produced a larger additional increase than dynamic stretching, while both conditions showed high short-term retention.
Conclusions:
Warm-up, static and dynamic stretching techniques are effective in improving hamstring flexibility in the short term. However, flexibility gains may diminish slightly after 15 minutes.
Frequently observed in athletes, hamstring muscle tightness impairs their performance and increases injury risk. While static and dynamic stretching are commonly used to improve flexibility, the comparative effectiveness and short-term retention of gains following these interventions remain unclear.
Aim of the study:
This study aimed to investigate the immediate and short-term effects of warm-up, static and dynamic stretching on hamstring flexibility in college students.
Material and methods:
crossover study was carried out among forty college students with clinically confirmed hamstring tightness. The subjects underwent three interventions - warm-up, static stretching, and dynamic stretching in random order. Hamstrings flexibility was evaluated with passive knee extension range of motion (PKE ROM) test.
Results:
two-way repeated measures ANOVA examined the effects of static vs. dynamic stretching and time. The average ROM across all time points did not differ significantly between the two stretches [F(1,312) = 0.291, p = 0.590, partial η² = 0.0009] and produced comparable overall ROM values. ROM changes across the 4 time points approached significance [F(3,312) = 2.275, p = 0.080, partial η² = 0.0214], indicating small but observable variations across the measurement timeline. The Condition × Time interaction was not significant [F(3,312) = 0.767, p = 0.513, partial η² = 0.0073], demonstrating that the pattern of ROM change over time was similar for both stretches. Effect sizes were estimated using Cohen’s d, which revealed greater within-condition ROM improvement following static stretching, while post-stretch differences between stretching types were small. Warm-up alone accounted for approximately 3.5° and 5.8° of ROM improvement. Static stretching produced a larger additional increase than dynamic stretching, while both conditions showed high short-term retention.
Conclusions:
Warm-up, static and dynamic stretching techniques are effective in improving hamstring flexibility in the short term. However, flexibility gains may diminish slightly after 15 minutes.
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| eISSN: | 2391-436X |
| ISSN: | 2299-9590 |
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