Prevalence and Association of Iliotibial Band Tightness with Daily Sitting Hours and Type of Sitting Surface Among Tailors of Sahiwal, Pakistan

Background: The IT band is a thick band of connective tissues along the outside of the thigh, that stabilizes the knee during movement. Tailors spend long hours sitting in fixed positions while working leading to tightness in the IT band. It causes pain mostly around the lateral thigh, mobility, and flexibility issues. Ober’s test was used to evaluate tightness in the band. Objective of study: To determine the Prevalence and Association of Iliotibial Band Tightness with daily sitting hours and type of sitting surface among tailors of Sahiwal, Pakistan. Materials & Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from various setups of Sahiwal. A non-probability convenient sampling technique was used. A total of 300 (male and female) tailors were evaluated by an Ober’s test, self-designed questionnaire, NPRS, and. Data was analyzed by using SPSS version 26. Results: Findings exposed that the prevalence of IT band tightness was 48.3%. out of which 35.00% had hard sitting surfaces and 13.33% had soft surfaces. 48.33% showed positive Ober’s test in which 26.00% were males, and 22.33% were females. 54.3% were sitting for 6-7 hours while 45.7% were sitting for 8-10 hours. NPRS scoring showed (49.7%) had no pain, (21.7%) had mild pain, (21.0%) had moderate pain, and (7.7%) participants had severe pain. A significant association of Iliotibial band tightness was found with daily sitting hours and type of sitting surfaces having a p-value of 0.022 and 0.001 respectively. Conclusion: Iliotibial band tightness is a frequent condition encountered by tailors. Its occurrence is significantly influenced by the duration and type of sitting surface. Sitting for more than 6 hours daily on a hard surface critically increases the risk of IT band tightness among tailors.