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Is There a Relationship between the Functional Reach Test and Flexibility?

The functional reach test (FRT) (Duncan et al., 1990) is a simple test for balance assessment in which the maximal forward reach distance is measured. FRT scores are useful for screening fall risk of the elderly with a cutoff point subtracted 15 cm from a standard value as well as for balance assessment (Duncan et al., 1990). It was reported that the FRT has good intra-rater and inter-rater reliabilities and correlates with gait velocity, tandem gait, and single-limb stance (Whitney, Poole, & Cass, 1998). In this study, we hypothesized that the FR test score would improve with short-term stretching and increased joint flexibility.

The functional reach test has been commonly used as a clinical test measuring the limit of stability (margin of stability) and was reported to have high reliability and validity as a balance test (Duncan et al., 1990). However, participant’s flexibility, particularly range of motion (ROM) of the shoulder and/or hip joints, may largely influence the reaching distance, because the motion task of this test requires maximal extension of the extremities and a large flexing action of the hip and shoulder joints. In this study, the FRT was conducted before and after a short-term intervention that increased joint mobility.

First, it was confirmed that there was no decline in maximal plantar flexion strength due to the intervention and the range of motion of shoulder and hip joints significantly increased. In contrast, there was no intervention effect in the FRT per formances (reach distance and rotation angle of various joints during reaching). The stretching used in this study increased the ROM of various joints. However, it was suggested that this change in ROM makes neither the motion nor the reach distance of the FRT change.

In conclusion, in healthy young adults, improvement of the range of motion of joints by warming-up and stretching has little influence on FRT scores.

Article by Sohee Shin,et al,from Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan


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