Prevalence of calf muscle tightness and correlation between warm-up and cool-down with calf muscle tightness in recreational badminton players: A cross-sectional study

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of calf muscle tightness in recreational badminton players and to find the correlation between body mass index (BMI), warm-up, cool down, playing experience, and calf muscle tightness among recreational badminton players. Materials and Methods: A total of 158 recreational badminton players were included in the study based on selection criteria for calf muscle tightness using the modified weight-bearing lunge test (MWBLT). A purposive sampling technique was used for data collection. Results: The MWBLT identified calf muscle tightness in 26.6% of participants. There was a positive correlation between BMI and MWBLT (0.817), negative correlation between playing experience and MWBLT (-0.454), and negative correlation between cool-down and MWBLT (-0.890). Conclusion: Calf muscle tightness is quite common among recreational badminton players and may contribute to increased risk of Achilles tendon injuries due to altered ankle biomechanics. The inverse correlation between cool-down and MWBLT indicates that post-match stretching plays an important role in preventing muscle tightness.