Slide 9 - Flexibility Flashcards
Flexibility is
The ability to move a joint through its complete range of motion
Benefits of flexibility
Reduce injury
Inhibit lower back pain
Prevent post exercise pain/injury
Reduce DOMS
Relieve emotional tension
Improve JOINT HEALTH
What do studies suggest to have adequate flexibility in in order to have healthy lower back
Oblique
Hamstring
Hip Flexor
Low back muscles
What is static flexibility
A measure of total ROM at the joint
What is dynamic flexibility
A measure of the rate of torque or resistance developed during stretching throughout the ROM
Dynamic and static flexibility are
RELATED
Which flexibility should we focus on for testing
STATIC
What are the factors that affect flexibility
Body type - muscle hypertrophy
Age
Gender
Physical activity
Warm up
What do proprioceptors control
Speed, strength and coordination of muscle contractions
Where are muscle spindles located
What do they do
What occurs here
In the center of a muscle
Send messages for the muscle to contract
Myotatic stretch reflex
Where are golgi tendon organs located
What do they do
What occurs here
Near the end of the muscle fiber
Send message for the muscle to relax
Inverse stretch reflex
What does PNF stretching do
Rapid powerful and sudden changes in muscle length stimulate receptors and can cause powerful reflex muscle contractions
What are the steps of the Myotatic stretch reflex
Muscle spindles detect stretch
Sensory neurones conduct AP to the spine
Sensory neurones synapse with alpha motor neurons
Stimulation of the alpha motor neuron causes the muscle to contract and resist being stretched
What are the steps of the inverse stretch reflex
Golgi tendon organs detect tension applied to a tendon
Sensory neurons conduct action potentials to the spinal cord
Sensory neurons synapse with inhibitory interneurons that synapse with alpha motor neurons
Inhibition of the alpha motor neurons causes muscle relaxation
What is PNF
Stretching technique that uses reflexes and neuromuscular principles to relax the muscle being stretched
What are the two ways to measure flexibility that are joint specific
Direct = measure ROM in degrees
Indirect = Measure static flexibility in linear units
When assessing flexibility you should
Make it joint specific
Warm up
3 trials
Compare to norms and or contralteral side
Identify areas of needed improvement
What are the 3 ways of measuring static flexibility
Which of these is the gold standard
Goniometer
Flexometer
Inclinometer
Goniometer
Method for goniometer
Place the center where it coincides with the fulcrum
Align the arms of goniometer with bony landmarks along the longitudal axis of each movement body segment
Measure the ROM as the difference between the joint angles at the extremes of the movement
Follow standard procedures by joint
Sit and reach evaluates
Validity of this procedure
Lower back and hip joints
Moderate for hamstrings
Poor for low back
What tips would you suggest for someone doing the sit and reach test
Lower head and exhale
Do not count measurement if knees are flexed, motion is jerky or bouncing or fingertips do not maintain contact with slider
Do 3 trials and record the MAX SCORE to nearest 0.5cm
How is shoulder flexibility tested
What does it involve
How many trials
Back scratch test
Client reaches with preffered hand over the should and down the back
Client also reaches around and up the middle of the back with other hand
Use ruler to measure overlap or gap between middle fingers of each hand
2 practice trials and 2 test trials
Stretching is defined as the ability to move a joint through its complete range of motion.
False
When measuring range of motion (ROM) for hip abduction, the femur is allowed to externally rotate to maximize the ROM
False
When measuring range of motion (ROM) for forearm pronation and supination, the upper arm must be stable against the body
True
The goniometry is a gold standard to assess static flexibility
True
Muscle temperature affects flexibility
True
When measuring range of motion for hip extension, both hips must be stabilized (i.e., both ASIS firmly on table or surface)
True
There is a high positive correlation between hip and shoulder flexibility (i.e., individuals with good flexibility in the hips typically have good flexibility in the shoulders)
False
Which of the following factors decrease flexibility
Muscle Hypertrophy
Being old than young
Flexibility can be assessed indirectly by sit and reach test
True
For sit and reach test, the subject sits without shoes and the soles of the feet flat against the box at the _____ mark
26cm
If you are 60 years old woman and your result from Back scratch test was 0, what is your percentile rank for shoulder flexibility
About 57%
_______ detects the changes in length of muscle fibers, and it _______ muscles as a reflex
Muscle spindle
Contracts
During PNF stretching, contraction of the agonist muscle is designed to activate which sensory organ, and cause which reflex action
Golgi tendon organ
Causes reflex muscle relaxation
Which of the following sensory organs is activated during the myotatic stretch reflex, and what is the reflex action
Muscle spindle, causes reflex muscle contraction
