Effects of overhead jumping squat exercise on posture, knee joint angle, and straight leg raising in healthy college students in their 20s

Overhead jumping squats are an effective exercise for strengthening lower extremity muscles and endurance, and are good for the gluteus maximus, quadriceps femoris, and hamstrings. This study aimed to examine the effects of the overhead jumping squat exercise on the posture, knee joint angle, and straight leg raising (SLR) in Healthy college students in their 20s. A total of 40 participants were randomly divided into two groups; the experimental group (EG, women 10, men 10) and the control group (CG, women 10, men 10). Participants in the EG performed an overhead jumping squat on a flat floor surface 15 times per set for 1-2 weeks, and 20 times per set for 3-6 weeks. Participants in the CG did not carry out any exercise. We measured the posture using BackMapper, a 3D-image tracking system; subsequently, their knee angles, active SLR tests, and passive SLR tests were measured with a goniometer. A comparison before and after overhead jumping squats in the EG showed that the knee angle in the standing position and the hip joint angle in the SLR position showed statistical significance in the Lt active straight leg raising(ASLR), Rt ASLR, and Rt passive straight leg raising(PSLR) (p < 0.05), and in the measurement of trunk changes in posture, there was statistical significance in the trunk inclination(TIN) and position of scapulae(PSA) (p < 0.05). However, no statistical significance was observed in the CG. In this study, we demonstrated that performing overhead jumping squat exercise affects the SLR angle, and postural enhancement, and this exercise is recommended for Healthy college students to improve the standing position, SLR angle and posture in normal adults.