Original Article: JRCRS. 2024; 12(4):219-222.
10- Association of Prolonged Cross-Legged Sitting with Iliotibial Band Tightness Among University Students
Umme Hani1, Dr Bazal Bukhari2, Dr Arooj Fatima3
1 Student at university of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
2 Assistant Professor at university of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
3 HOD at university of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND: The human erect posture has been linked to the iliotibial band, also known as Maissiat’s band. The ITB is a fibrous and tough fascial tissue that extends from the iliac crest to the lateral proximal tibia. Increased tension or stiffness in the iliotibial band is referred to as ITB tightness. Flexibility is a critical element needed for optimal musculoskeletal function.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between prolonged cross-legged sitting with IT band tightness among university students.
METHODOLOGY: It was a cross-sectional study. Total 266 university students from The University of Lahore, aged 20-27 who regularly cross-legged were included through convenient sampling. The prolonged cross-legged sitting duration was set for about 1 hr. – 5 hrs. a day. After getting ethical clearance from the University of Lahore’s research and ethics council. A self-designed questionnaire, NRPS and Ober’s test was utilized to find out ITB tightness and related pain and discomfort. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 26.
RESULTS: The results revealed that out of all participants, 16.9 % spend 1-2 hours, 26.7% spend 2-3 hours and 27.1% spend 3-4 hours, while 29.3% spend 4-5 hours seated cross-legged in a day. The Chi-square p-value of 0.077 indicates that there is no statistically significant association between the number of hours spent sitting cross-legged in university and the results of Ober’s test.
CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the study shows that increasing iliotibial band tightness is not caused by prolonged periods of cross-legged sitting in university students.
KEYWORDS: Cross-legged sitting, ITB, long sitting hours, university students, tightness.