flexibility Flashcards
flexibility
- ability of a joint, or series of joints to move through a full ROM without injury
what is flexibility important for
- sports
- occupations
- ADLS
- maintaining ROM during aging
- rehab
- helps to kinda prevent injuries
static flexibility
- 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
dynamic flexibility
- 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
factors influencing flexibility
- 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
soft tissue and flexibility
(muscle , fascia 41%, tendons, ligaments 10%, skin 2%)
- easier to alter soft tissue to change flexibility
joint structure and flexibility
- difficult to modify a joint structure
- even with lots of flexibility, when the joint is loaded it is hard to be flexible
contractures
- due to chronic immobilization or shortening of the joint (spasticity) such that soft tissue loses its elasticity and remains permanently shortened
- maladaptation
age and flexibility
- 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
body type and flexibility
- 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
gender and flexibility
- 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”
direct measures of static flexibility
- equipment used to measure ROM about a joint in degrees
- measure angular displacements between adjacent segments from an external reference
- Leighton flexometer
leighton flexometer
- 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
goniometer
- 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
inclinometer
- 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
isokinetic dynamometer
- can provide isolated joint ranges of motion
- accurately measures dynamic flexibility
- gain lots of info from it
- flexes and extends
indirect methods of flexibility
- 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
modified sit and reach test
- 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
back saver sit and reach test
- hamstring ROM
- can modify to focus on different body parts
- performed one leg at a time
- modify by sitting on a bench or chair
apley’s scratch test
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
PNF stretching
- partner assisted proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation
- stretching technique but not normally tested with a standard protocol
- relevant for some sport populations
- increases ROM