In physical therapy, a large portion of the patient population consists of non-athletic individuals. The purpose of the study was to achieve a better understanding about the use of a stretching program prior to activities non-athletes perform that require power. Twenty-seven non-athletic individuals were measured for hamstring flexibility, performed a vertical jump, and were divided into control and treatment groups. The treatment group was assigned a 6 week stretching program while the control group continued normal activities. Pre and post sit and reach measurements were obtained for all participants. No significant correlation was found between jump height and flexibility. Hamstring flexibility and jump height did not change significantly (p>0.05).

Paper presented to the 6th Annual Symposium on Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects (GRASP) held at the Hughes Metropolitan Complex, Wichita State University, April 23, 2010.Research completed at the Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Professions