Evaluation of the acute effects of mulligan traction straight leg raise technique on quadriceps and hamstring muscle strength, passive joint position sense and range of motion in healthy individuals

The purpose of the study was to determine the acute effects of Mulligan traction straight leg raise technique on the range of motion, knee proprioception, strengths of knee extansor and flexor muscle groups. The study was performed with 28 healthy subjects aged between 18 and 35 years at the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of Başkent University on the 5th Street. Mulligan traction straight leg raise technique was applied to each subject for 3 consecutive days with 3 repetitions per one session. Knee proprioception, isokinetic and isometric muscle strengths of the subjects were evaluated before and after the application on the first, second and third days respectively by using Cybex 770 Norm isokinetic dynamometer equipment (Lumex Inc, Rankokoma, NY USA). Furthermore, the range of motions of the straight leg raise of the subjects were measured with a goniometer before and after the applications on each day. The cases were evaluated in itselfs before and after the intervention. There was no significant difference between the values of the knee proprioception and isometric muscle strengths before and after intervention (p>0,05). On the other hand, there was a statistically significant increase in the values of isokinetic muscle strength (p<0,05) and range of motion (p<0,001). In this study, it was concluded that Mulligan traction straight leg raise technique increased the isokinetic quadriseps and hamstring peak torque and improved the range of motion of straight leg raise.