Investigation of the relationship between sit-and-reach flexibility and the height, the leg length and the trunk length in adolescent athletes

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the Sit-and-Reach (SR) test and the height, the leg length, and the trunk length of the male and female adolescent athletes, and to obtain relative SR test results using these anthropometric values. Material and methods: Fifty-six adolescent athletes were included in the study. The athletes' trunk, hip, and hamstring flexibility were evaluated with the SR test (traditional). The height-relative SR, leg length-relative SR and trunk length-relative SR test values were calculated by proportioning each data with the SR test values. Pearson/Spearman correlation analysis were used according to the distribution status. Statistical significance was taken as p<0.05. Results: There was a very strong positive correlation between the traditional SR and all relative SR in female and male athletes (r:0.991/0.996; p<0.05). Traditional values of SR flexibility were similar between genders; however, relative SR according to the height, the trunk length, and the leg length were found to be higher in female athletes. Conclusions: We think that the height-relative SR, leg length-relative SR and trunk length-relative SR values will give more accurate results in comparing trunk, hip, and hamstring flexibility. Therefore, we suggest that flexibility should be evaluated with relative SR tests, and its practical use should be increased.