flexibility

Question 1

flexibility

Answer 1

• ability of a joint, or series of joints to move through a full ROM without injury

Question 2

what is flexibility important for

Answer 2

• sports
• occupations
• ADLS
• maintaining ROM during aging
• rehab
• helps to kinda prevent injuries

Question 3

static flexibility

Answer 3

• ability to move a joint through the total range of motion and maintain the limits of that range
• safe, low risk of injury
• low energy requirement
• practical to assess
• standardization of protocols, has good standardized outcomes
• valid and reliable

Question 4

dynamic flexibility

Answer 4

• ability to move a joint quickly through a ROM and is dependent in the resistance of the joint to the movement
• do not hold the movement
• questionably safe
• higher energy demanding depending on movement type and velocity
• standardization is difficult to control
• more difficult to establish validity and reliability
• more realistic in respect to health and performance

Question 5

factors influencing flexibility

Answer 5

• structure of the joint capsule and the interface between the bones (47%)
• difficult to modify a joint structure
• soft tissue around the joints
• contractures
• age
• body type
• ## gender

Question 6

soft tissue and flexibility

Answer 6

(muscle , fascia 41%, tendons, ligaments 10%, skin 2%)
- easier to alter soft tissue to change flexibility

Question 7

joint structure and flexibility

Answer 7

• difficult to modify a joint structure
• even with lots of flexibility, when the joint is loaded it is hard to be flexible

Question 8

contractures

Answer 8

• due to chronic immobilization or shortening of the joint (spasticity) such that soft tissue loses its elasticity and remains permanently shortened
• maladaptation

Question 9

age and flexibility

Answer 9

• general flexibility decreases with age
• elasticity of soft tissues decreases and levels of arthritis increase
• difference to body structure disrupts initial 40%
• increase in collagen

Question 10

body type and flexibility

Answer 10

• excessive muscle mass and body fat can influence flexibility
• physical constraint for ROM (muscle bound)
• soft tissue approximation
• does not mean body builders and obese individuals are not flexible

Question 11

gender and flexibility

Answer 11

• women are more flexible than women at all stages
• anatomical differences
• influences elasticity of soft tissues
• men have greater rom in hip extension/spinal flexion so it is “joint specific”

Question 12

direct measures of static flexibility

Answer 12

• equipment used to measure ROM about a joint in degrees
• measure angular displacements between adjacent segments from an external reference
• Leighton flexometer

Question 13

leighton flexometer

Answer 13

• has a weighted 360 degree dial and pointer to measure ROM in relation to downward pull of gravity on dial and pointer
• can be strapped onto a variety of standardized positions on limbs
• measures ROM in degrees
• limitations include difficulty to distinguish the difference between hip and trunk ROM
• limited to which body part used

Question 14

goniometer

Answer 14

• 360 manual dial to measure degrees
• ROM measured through movement pattern in degrees
• high validity and reliability
• can be influenced by difficulties in locating the joint center and maintaining position

Question 15

inclinometer

Answer 15

• gravity dependent device
• hand-held on pre-determined body parts and can measure ROM in degrees
• clinically convenient
• measures entire back ROM
• gives a relative change in degrees

Question 16

isokinetic dynamometer

Answer 16

• can provide isolated joint ranges of motion
• accurately measures dynamic flexibility
• gain lots of info from it
• flexes and extends

Question 17

indirect methods of flexibility

Answer 17

• measures in other units
• linear measurement of distances between segments or from an external object
• distance you have moved in a certain ROM
• involves distance measured by a tape measurer as opposed to ROM in degrees
• practical
• reliable, but questionable validity

Question 18

modified sit and reach test

Answer 18

• indirect
• measures the horizontal displacement during forward flexion
• in cm
• does NOT isolate particular joints
• standardizes the starting point as back straight against the wall
• client reaches forward and a meter stick is placed on top of a box of Wells Dillon flexometer so that the zero point is at the finger tips
• attempts to reduce bias due to people with limb length differences
• related to degrees
• measured to the nearest 0.5

Question 19

back saver sit and reach test

Answer 19

• hamstring ROM
• can modify to focus on different body parts
• performed one leg at a time
• modify by sitting on a bench or chair

Question 20

apley’s scratch test

Answer 20

action 1: touch the opposite shoulder , check Gh adduction, internal rotation, horizontal adduction, and scapular protraction
action 2: reach behind the neck to touch the upper back, checks GH abduction, external rotation, and scapular upward rotation/elevation
action 3: reach upward as far as possible , GH adduction , internal rotation, scapular retraction with downward rotation

Question 21

PNF stretching

Answer 21

• partner assisted proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation
• stretching technique but not normally tested with a standard protocol
• relevant for some sport populations
• increases ROM