Hamstring Muscle TightnessNCT07238491
Virtual Reality in Sedentary Adults With Hamstring Shortening
A study testing Virtual reality and Traditional physical therapy programme in people with Hamstring Muscle Tightness, run by Cairo University at 1 site in Saudi Arabia.
Trial summary
Tightness of hamstring muscle is known as a reduction in range of motion accompanied by a sensation of restriction in the posterior aspect of thigh. Numerous reasons can cause it, such as genetic susceptibility, compensatory tightness due to persistent abnormalities, and muscular strain. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 30 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Hamstring Muscle Tightness
- What is being tested?
- Virtual reality and Traditional physical therapy programme
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 84 participants
- Where
- 1 siteSaudi Arabia
- Study dates
- 20 Nov 2025to 10 Apr 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 30 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Sedentary adults with tightness of hamstring muscle with the degree of flexion for knee joint more than 20° throughout active knee extension (AKE) test.
- Their age between 18 and 30 years.
- BMI less than 30 kg/ m2 .
- Sedentary lifestyle that includes sitting on the chair for long period of time for minimum 6 hours per day, 5 days/week for 6 months minimally.
- Participants who did not engaged in a physiotherapy programs in the previous 6 months.
- Absence of fractures, injuries or medications (such as analgesics or muscle relaxants) that may affect the results of the study.
Who cannot join
- Any neurological diseases (such as; severe disc prolapse and radiating pain).
- Injury of hamstring in the previous 2 years.
- History of knee injury.
- Fracture in lower extremity or the spine.
- Surgery in the spine.
- Unequal leg length > 2cm.
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- Congenital deformity.
- Orthopedic disorders such as patellofemoral pain syndrome, musculoskeletal pain, psychiatric problem.
- Any systemic disease, hearing or visual deficits, cognitive, or cardiovascular complications, and pregnancy.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Saudi Arabia1 site
College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University
Sakakah, Jouf, 2014
About this study
Official title: Impact of Virtual Reality on Flexibility, Muscle Strength and Gait Parameters in Sedentary Adults With Hamstring Shortening: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Tightness of hamstring muscle is known as a reduction in range of motion accompanied by a sensation of restriction in the posterior aspect of thigh. Numerous reasons can cause it, such as genetic susceptibility, compensatory tightness due to persistent abnormalities, and muscular strain. Tight hamstrings cause a small amount of knee flexion during exercise and require comparatively high quadriceps efforts to offset the hamstrings' passive resistance. This could result in knee joint pain that affects gait and raise the reaction forces at the patellofemoral joint.
- Conditions
- Hamstring Muscle Tightness
- Being tested
- Virtual reality, Traditional physical therapy programme
- Keywords
- virtual reality, Hamstring tightness, flexibility, Muscle strength, gait parameters, young adults
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Virtual realityDevice
A five-minute warm-up, thirty minutes of intervention training, and a five-minute cool-down will all be included in each session. Five minutes of stretching and walking were part of the warm-up. Every participant will play five sports games (running, cool-running, catching gift, football, skate) during each session. These gamed can help teenagers to improve their physical strength, endurance, balance, and coordination. Every game lasted Five minutes.
Traditional physical therapy programmeOther
The exercise programme includes farmer walks, squats, calf raises, stretching exercises, and strengthening activities. The exercises will be performed in one or two sets of 15-20 repetitions, with a 60-second rest in between. The sets, repetitions, and loads will be increased as the participants advance, up to three sets of 60 repetitions for a perceived effort of 70%-80% of 1RM
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Group A (Virtual reality group) | Experimental | Participants will receive virtual reality (VR) in addition to the traditional physical therapy program 2 times/week for 5 weeks. Receives: Device: Virtual reality; Other: Traditional physical therapy programme |
| Group B (control group) | Active comparator | Participants will receive a traditional physical therapy program only, 2 times per week for 5 weeks. Receives: Other: Traditional physical therapy programme |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Muscle strength
Microfit hand-held dynamometer (HHD) will be used for assessment of hamstring muscle strength. Each participant will lie prone on a standard treatment table. In this position, the participant will be instructed to bend their knee to 90° of knee flexion, where the Microfet 2 MMT-Wireless HHD will be placed on the lower leg, and a downward force toward the table will be held for 5s while the participant resists the downward force. The participant will be instructed to use their maximum effort. It will be performed three times, and an average will be recorded.
Measured: 5 weeks
Secondary outcomes (5)
Active Knee Extension (AKE) Test
A typical, double-arm, plastic goniometer with an arm length of 31.75 cm will be used to measure the AKE angle. With the stationary arm over the thigh and directed to the greater trochanter, and the moving arm over the leg and directed to the lateral malleolus, the goniometer's axis will be fixed over the lateral epicondyle of the femur. The participant will be asked to fully extend the knee of the dominant leg while relaxing their foot. To measure the AKE angle, which is the degree of knee flexion from the last knee extension, they will maintain this position for five seconds.
Measured: 5 weeks
Step length
A GAITRite® electronic walkway system, which includes a walkway with overall measurements of 90 cm × 7 m × 3.2 mm, will be used to assess gait metrics. A 9 m × 4 m laboratory space that is protected from light and noise will be used for the examination of step length. First, participants will be instructed to stand at the start line in an orthostatic position to adopt the start position. Following that, participants will be told to walk along the GAITRite® system's walkway at their own pace, pausing at the goal line.
Measured: 5 weeks
Stride length
A GAITRite® electronic walkway system, which includes a walkway with overall measurements of 90 cm × 7 m × 3.2 mm, will be used to assess gait metrics. A 9 m × 4 m laboratory space that is protected from light and noise will be used for the examination of velocity. First, participants will be instructed to stand at the start line in an orthostatic position to adopt the start position. Following that, participants will be told to walk along the GAITRite® system's walkway at their own pace, pausing at the goal line.
Measured: 5 weeks
Cadence
A GAITRite® electronic walkway system, which includes a walkway with overall measurements of 90 cm × 7 m × 3.2 mm, will be used to assess gait metrics. A 9 m × 4 m laboratory space that is protected from light and noise will be used for the examination of cadence. First, participants will be instructed to stand at the start line in an orthostatic position to adopt the start position. Following that, participants will be told to walk along the GAITRite® system's walkway at their own pace, pausing at the goal line.
Measured: 5 weeks
Velocity
A GAITRite® electronic walkway system, which includes a walkway with overall measurements of 90 cm × 7 m × 3.2 mm, will be used to assess gait metrics. A 9 m × 4 m laboratory space that is protected from light and noise will be used for the examination of velocity. First, participants will be instructed to stand at the start line in an orthostatic position to adopt the start position. Following that, participants will be told to walk along the GAITRite® system's walkway at their own pace, pausing at the goal line.
Measured: 5 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted20 Nov 2025
- Study start20 Nov 2025
- Primary completion28 Mar 2026
- Study completion10 Apr 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Hamstring Muscle TightnessStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Cairo UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 84 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Cairo University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Nesma Morgan Allam, Cairo University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07238491
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 11328
- Status last verified
- Nov 2025
- First submitted
- 14 Nov 2025
- Last updated
- 7 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 7 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Impact of Virtual Reality on Flexibility, Muscle Strength and Gait Parameters in Sedentary Adults With Hamstring Shortening: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07238491
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 11328
- Conditions
- Hamstring Muscle Tightness
- Keywords
- virtual reality, Hamstring tightness, flexibility, Muscle strength, gait parameters, young adults
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 84 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Cairo UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 20 Nov 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 28 Mar 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 10 Apr 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 20 Nov 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Tightness of hamstring muscle is known as a reduction in range of motion accompanied by a sensation of restriction in the posterior aspect of thigh. Numerous reasons can cause it, such as genetic susceptibility, compensatory tightness due to persistent abnormalities, and muscular strain. Tight hamstrings cause a small amount of knee flexion during exercise and require comparatively high quadriceps efforts to offset the hamstrings' passive resistance. This could result in knee joint pain that affects gait and raise the reaction forces at the patellofemoral joint.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Group A (Virtual reality group) | Experimental | Device: Virtual reality, Other: Traditional physical therapy programmeParticipants will receive virtual reality (VR) in addition to the traditional physical therapy program 2 times/week for 5 weeks. |
| Group B (control group) | Active comparator | Other: Traditional physical therapy programmeParticipants will receive a traditional physical therapy program only, 2 times per week for 5 weeks. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 30 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Sedentary adults with tightness of hamstring muscle with the degree of flexion for knee joint more than 20° throughout active knee extension (AKE) test.
- Their age between 18 and 30 years.
- BMI less than 30 kg/ m2 .
- Sedentary lifestyle that includes sitting on the chair for long period of time for minimum 6 hours per day, 5 days/week for 6 months minimally.
- Participants who did not engaged in a physiotherapy programs in the previous 6 months.
Key exclusion criteria (9 listed)
- Any neurological diseases (such as; severe disc prolapse and radiating pain).
- Injury of hamstring in the previous 2 years.
- History of knee injury.
- Fracture in lower extremity or the spine.
- Surgery in the spine.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual realityA five-minute warm-up, thirty minutes of intervention training, and a five-minute cool-down will all be included in each session. Five minutes of stretching and walking were part of the warm-up. Every participant will play five sports games (running, cool-running, catching gift, football, skate) during each session. These gamed can help teenagers to improve their physical strength, endurance, balance, and coordination. Every game lasted Five minutes. | Device | Group A (Virtual reality group) |
| Traditional physical therapy programmeThe exercise programme includes farmer walks, squats, calf raises, stretching exercises, and strengthening activities. The exercises will be performed in one or two sets of 15-20 repetitions, with a 60-second rest in between. The sets, repetitions, and loads will be increased as the participants advance, up to three sets of 60 repetitions for a perceived effort of 70%-80% of 1RM | Other | Group A (Virtual reality group), Group B (control group) |
Primary outcome
Muscle strength
Time frame: 5 weeks
Microfit hand-held dynamometer (HHD) will be used for assessment of hamstring muscle strength. Each participant will lie prone on a standard treatment table. In this position, the participant will be instructed to bend their knee to 90° of knee flexion, where the Microfet 2 MMT-Wireless HHD will be placed on the lower leg, and a downward force toward the table will be held for 5s while the participant resists the downward force. The participant will be instructed to use their maximum effort. It will be performed three times, and an average will be recorded.
5 secondary outcomes
Active Knee Extension (AKE) Test
Time frame: 5 weeks
Step length
Time frame: 5 weeks
Stride length
Time frame: 5 weeks
Cadence
Time frame: 5 weeks
Velocity
Time frame: 5 weeks
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 7 Oct 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Virtual reality and Traditional physical therapy programme in people with Hamstring Muscle Tightness, run by Cairo University at 1 site in Saudi Arabia.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 9 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 7 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Saudi Arabia. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Muscle strength (time frame: 5 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 7 Oct 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 31 Oct 2026.