DO FLEXIBILITY SCREENING TESTS REFLECT JOINT RANGE OF MOTION DURING DYNAMIC TASKS?

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate if ankle joint range of motion (ROM) during a functional screen test was related to ankle ROM and plantarflexor reactive strength index (RSI) during a dynamic task. The three measures were correlated for the dominant and non-dominant legs to identify what relationship, if any, existed between the three measures. Results showed that there was no relationship between the two measures of ROM, and ROM during the sledge task was positively related to plantarflexor RSI. This is in contrast to other work, possibly due to the isolation of the plantarflexor muscles in the sledge task. Interestingly, between-leg relationships were lower in the dynamic task, suggesting increased variability in the movement strategies used or underlying training differences.