EFFECT OF SCIATIC NERVE MOBILIZATION VERSUS DYNAMIC STRETCHING OF THE LOWER LIMB ON HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY AND ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE

Background: Hamstring tightness is a prevalent concern among athletes, frequently impairing performance and predisposing individuals to musculoskeletal injuries. Optimal management requires interventions that enhance flexibility and reduce functional limitations. Conventional strategies such as static or dynamic stretching have demonstrated benefits, but increasing evidence suggests that neural mobilization techniques, particularly sciatic nerve gliding, may offer superior outcomes by addressing both muscular and neural restrictions. Understanding their comparative effectiveness is essential for guiding clinical and sports practice. Objective: To evaluate the effects of sciatic nerve mobilization compared with dynamic stretching on hamstring flexibility and athletic performance in physically active males. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 20 male athletes aged 18–40 years who regularly engaged in exercise at least 2–3 times per week. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling and randomly assigned into two groups: the intervention group (n=10) received sciatic nerve gliding exercises, while the control group (n=10) performed dynamic lower limb stretching. The intervention was delivered twice weekly for three weeks, totaling six sessions. Outcome measures included the Straight Leg Raise (SLR) and Active Knee Extension Test (AKET) for hamstring flexibility, and 10-yard and 20-yard sprint tests for performance. Assessments were recorded pre- and post-intervention using a goniometer and stopwatch. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27.0, with the Shapiro–Wilk test applied for normality, followed by Mann–Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for between- and within-group comparisons. Results: The mean age of participants was 21.30 ± 1.81 years, with an average height of 1.74 ± 0.028 m and weight of 75.15 ± 4.56 kg. Sports distribution included football (35%), hockey (30%), cricket (20%), and others (15%). Significant improvements were observed in the intervention group, with greater gains in SLR right leg (p=0.000), AKET right leg (p=0.023), and AKET left leg (p=0.022) compared to the control. Both groups improved significantly in sprint performance (p<0.05), but the neural mobilization group showed superior flexibility outcomes. Conclusion: Sciatic nerve mobilization was found to be more effective than dynamic stretching in improving hamstring flexibility and enhancing functional performance among young, physically active males. These findings support its application as a targeted intervention in sports rehabilitation and conditioning programs.