Purpose: sciatica represents a common worldwide condition that often impacts on general life and leads to several adverse health consequences, such as trouble walking, working, sleeping, and regulating mood. Accordingly, this study aimed to determine the impact of hamstring stretching with core stabilization versus kinesio tape (KT) and myofascial release (MFR) on sciatica. Material & Methods: Seventy patients suffering from sciatica pain participated in this trial. They were aged between 20 and 45 years, were 8-10 weeks sciatica pain. Participants were randomly assigned to two equal groups, each comprising 15 person. Group-A received hamstring stretching and core stabilization treatment regularly for 15 days, while Group B underwent MFR with K-tapping sessions daily for 15 days. Pre- and post- treatment evaluations were conducted for both groups, measuring pain intensity using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and functional outcomes using Oswestry Disability Index(ODI). Results: Both groups indicated statistically significant improvements (P<0.05) in pain and functional disability in all directions post-treatment. Between-group comparisons post-intervention showed that Group A demonstrated statistically significant superiority (P<0.05) in pain reduction and functional improvement in all as compared to Group B. Conclusions: The study demonstrated that both hamstring stretching with core stabilization and kinesio tape (KT) with myofascial release (MFR) on sciatica are effective interventions for reducing pain and improving functional status in person suffering from sciatica pain. However, the significantly superior outcomes achieved with Gp-A across all measured variables suggest it is a more potent method for producing immediate improvements in this specific problem.
Mangaraj et al. (2026) studied this question.