ABSTRACT

Flexibility is a measure of the range of motion at a specific joint. Just because an individual has a large range of motion at the shoulder joint does not mean the person is also “flexible” at the hip joint. Therefore, no single test can adequately represent overall body flexibility. However, many people experience low back pain, which is often related to poor flexibility in the low back and hamstring muscles. Therefore, the sit-and-reach test is the most commonly used measure of flexibility. The sit-and-reach test requires the subject to reach forward, stretching the muscles of the low back and hamstrings. In this laboratory experience, you will learn how to use the sit-and-reach test to evaluate an individual’s flexibility, and you will compare the results to norms for individuals of the same age and gender (see tables 30.1 and 30.2).