Comparison of the Hold-relax Procedure and Passive Mobilization on Increasing Muscle Length

Thirty normal male subjects were used in this study to compare the effects of the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) hold-relax procedure and passive mobilization on tight hamstring muscles. A mathematical method was used to measure the angle of passive straight leg raising rather than the goniometric method. The study demonstrated that subjects receiving the PNF hold-relax procedure increased their range of passive straight leg raising to a higher degree and at a faster rate than the subjects receiving passive mobilization.