ABSTRACT
F lexibility, put simply, is the range of motion at a joint (as in the hip joint) or series of joints (as when the spinal column is involved). Flexibility is specific to a given joint or combination of joints. An individual can have some joints that are unusually flexible, some that are inflexible, and some of average flexibility. Therefore, no single test can adequately represent overall body flexibility; tests are specific to the joint (see Chapter 12 Labs A and B for the sit-and-reach test to measure the flexibility in the lower back and hamstring muscles and the shoulder elevation and trunk extension flexibility tests of the shoulder joints and lower back).
