To the Editor: I read with interest the article by Li et al entitled “The Effect of Hamstring Muscle Stretching on Standing Posture and on Lumbar and Hip Motions During Forward Bending,” the invited commentaries by Drs Sahrmann and Snyder-Mackler, and the authors' response (August 1996). I commend the authors for their efforts. Together, the article, the commentaries, and the authors' response take us one step closer to understanding the influence, or lack of influence, of hamstring muscle length on static and dynamic postures and the difficulties and the controversies associated with attempts to study this. Given that I have some research experience assessing hamstring length with both the active-knee-extension (AKE) test and the passive straight-leg-raising (SLR) test, as well as some research experience examining the influence of hamstring length on postural characteristics, I was stimulated to participate in this lively written discussion. [ ARTICLE][1] [ ARTICLE][2] [ ARTICLE][3] [ ARTICLE][4] [ ARTICLE][5] [1]: /lookup/volpage/76/836?iss=8 [2]: /lookup/volpage/76/845?iss=8 [3]: /lookup/volpage/76/847?iss=8 [4]: /lookup/volpage/76/847-a?iss=8 [5]: /lookup/volpage/63/1085?iss=7