NORMATIVE VALUES OF LOWER BACK AND HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY FOR NIGERIANS USING THE MODIFIED SIT-AND-REACH TEST

Abstract

Purpose: Dearth of population-specific reference values is a limitation in the assessment of lower back and hamstrings flexibility. This study sought to establish a gender and age normative data for lower back and hamstrings flexibility in healthy Nigerians using the modified sit-and-reach test. Methods: This study involved 4000 (1988 males and 2012 females) participants recruited using multistage sampling technique. The participants' whose ages ranged between 5 and 61 years were grouped into 12 age strata. The Acuflex-1 tester (modified sit-and-reach box) was used to assess lower back and hamstring flexibility following standardized procedures. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation, percentiles. Results: The mean of the modified sit-and-reach test scores (MSRTS) differed significantly between the sexes (p = 0.001). MSRTS increased with age up to age of 15–19 years for male, and 30–39 years for female. There were age and gender variations in the percentile normative values of MSRTS for each of the 16 age categories. Conclusion: This study established a population-specific normative data according to age and gender for lower back and hamstrings flexibility using the modified sit-and-reach test for healthy Nigerians. In general, females had better lower back and hamstrings flexibility than males.