Comparison of Hamstrings Flexibility among Regular and Irregular Muslim Prayer Offerers

Background: Muslim prayer (salaat/namaz) is a moderate exercise, the body's muscle contraction is both isotonic and isometric during its performance. Two main flexion postures of salaat Rukku and Sujood have a positive effect on the flexibility of the lower back and hamstring muscles. Objective: To explore the effects of Rukku posture on the flexibility of hamstring muscles in female students and to promote the physical benefits of Muslim prayers on the normal population. Methods: This cross-sectional study comprised 400 students, 200 of them were regular prayer offerers and 200 were irregular prayer offerers. Both groups were selected with the help of a questionnaire about the number of prayers offered regularly and posture used for praying and some other questions of inclusion and exclusion criteria. The flexibility of the hamstring muscles was measured by the chair sit and reach test and the straight leg raise test. SPSS v20 was used to calculate the data and the quantitative variables are represented as mean and standard deviation, both groups were compared through the paired sample t-test within groups and between groups performed. Results: On comparison of both groups regular prayer offerers and irregular prayer offerers for hamstring flexibility. It is found that the mean score of the chairs sit and reach test of the regular prayer offerers group is 0.9 for the left leg and 1.3 for the right leg and in irregular prayer offerers for the left leg is -2.0 and for the right leg is -1.8. The mean score of the straight leg raise test regular prayer offerers group, for the right leg is 72 and for the left leg is 64 and in the irregular prayer offerers group, it scores 54 for the right leg and 52 for the left leg. Conclusion: It concludes that Ruku's posture has a significant positive effect on hamstring flexibility. Female students perform Muslim prayers regularly and five times have more flexible hamstring muscles when compared with irregular prayer offerers. Lack of physical activity and prolonged use of computer and mobile phones is causing poor body postures and musculoskeletal pains among the young population.