The Scores and Manner of Performing the Stand and Reach Test in Girls and Boys of Different Body Weight

Introduction: Flexibility is one of the components of Health-Related Fitness. The range of flexion has been the participant of numerous publications, but research into the quality of flexibility is lacking. The aim of the study has been to compare the scores and the quality of the stand and reach test in both overweight girls and boys and girls and boys with normal body weight. We have checked whether the forward bend movement is symmetrically distributed over the hip joints and the lumbar and thoracic spine and how it influences the position of the knee and ankle joints. Material and methods: 100 girls and 100 boys aged 10–14 years were examined. Flexibility was measured using the stand and reach test. The quality of the bend was assessed by examining the range of movement in individual body segments: the range of flexion of the thoracic and lumbar spine (linear measurements), the range of flexion of the hip joint, and the position of the knee and ankle joints at maximum flexion (angular measurements). The results were subjected to statistical analysis. Results: The participants, especially boys, had poor flexibility. A poor stand and reach test result correlated with a lower range of flexion of the thoracic and lumbar spine, greater flexion of the hip and knee joints, and greater plantar flexion at maximum torso bend position. Although the mean stand and reach score was slightly greater for the girls, gender did not significantly differentiate the way in which the stand and reach test was performed. Being overweight also did not affect the quantity or quality of the stand and reach test. Conclusions: Limitation of flexibility is common in 10–14-year-old children and results mainly from limited mobility of the spine. The compensation for this is excessive movement in the joints of the lower extremities.