Introduction
injury or overuse damages the articular cartilage, osteoarthritis, muscle flexibility, musculoskeletal disease, knee osteoarthritis, KOA, overweight, articular cartilage loss, Knee osteoarthritis, disability, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, trauma
DEGENERATION, CONTRACTIONS, OSTEOARTHRITIS, MUSCULOSKELETAL DISEASE, KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS, KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS
Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a painful musculoskeletal disease caused by degeneration and articular cartilage loss over time. KOA mostly affects the elderly population and commonly causes disability throughout the world (Age, congenital and acquired deformity, trauma and female gender are all risk factors that have been linked to the development of KOA. The overweight population is more prone to develop osteoarthritis. Joint injury or overuse damages the articular cartilage leading to osteoarthritis (Knee joint movements occur by the two primary muscles including the quadriceps and hamstrings and assist the smooth and accurate ambulatory growth factors in the knee joint (There are different conventional approaches for the management of knee osteoarthritis including medical, surgical, and rehabilitative strategies. Physiotherapy includes the application of modalities, exercise therapy, and different manual therapy technique (In those with knee osteoarthritis (KOA), proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching might be an effective technique to improve hamstring flexibility. This stretching method combines isometric contractions with passive stretching to increase joint range of motion and muscle flexibility (Enhancing hamstring flexibility through exercise and stretching can aid in symptom relief and lessen pressure on the knee joint, making it a crucial component of managing and treating KOA. IASTM and PNF stretching are two therapies that have been utilized to improve muscle flexibility and range of motion in joints. However, it is unclear how well they perform compared to one another when it comes to enhancing hamstring flexibility in knee osteoarthritis patients. It was hypothesized that IASTM techniques are more effective than PNF stretching in improving hamstring flexibility among KOA patients. Therefore, the study aimed to compare the effectiveness of IASTM and PNF stretching on hamstring flexibility in patients with KOA.