Criterion-Related Validity of Sit-and-Reach and Toe-Touch Tests as a Measure of Hamstring Extensibility in Athletes

Abstract

The aims of this study were (a) to determine and compare the concurrent hamstring criterion-related validity of the sit-and-reach (SR) and toe-touch (TT) tests in different athletes (tennis players, kayakers, canoeists, and cyclists); (b) to determine the criterion-related validity of the pelvic tilt assessed by the Spinal Mouse system as a measure of hamstring flexibility in athletes; and (c) to evaluate the influence of spinal posture, pelvic tilt, and hamstring muscle flexibility in the SR and TT scores. Twenty-four tennis players, 30 canoeists, 43 kayakers, and 44 cyclists were recruited. Passive straight leg raise (PSLR), SR, and TT tests were randomly performed. Spinal curvatures and pelvic tilt were evaluated with a Spinal Mouse system when the maximal trunk flexion was achieved in the SR and TT tests. Tennis players and cyclists showed moderate correlations between PSLR with respect to SR (β = 0.78 and β = 0.76, respectively) and TT (β = 0.77 and β = 0.74, respectively). Correlations were slightly lower in canoeists (SR, β = 0.64; TT, β = 0.75). Kayakers showed the lowest correlation values (SR, β = 0.53; TT, β = 0.57). Correlation values between PSLR and pelvic tilt angle in both the SR and TT tests were β < 0.70 in all the groups of athletes. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed a high variance explained from pelvic tilt and lumbar spine in the SR score. In conclusion, the SR and TT tests can be appropriate measures to determine spine flexibility and pelvic tilt range of motion but not to evaluate the hamstring muscle flexibility in tennis players, canoeists, kayakers, and cyclists.

Comparison of sagittal spinal curvatures and pelvic tilt in highly trained athletes from different sport disciplines

“…Trunk flexion postures are habitual positions in sport training (Grabara, 2012;López-Miñarro & Alacid, 2010a, 2010bLópez-Miñarro, et al, 2008, 2010c, 2010dMrozkowiak, et al, 2012;Muyor, et al, 2011aMuyor, et al, , 2011bMuyor, et al, , 2012aMuyor, et al, , 2014Rajabi, et al, 2007Rajabi, et al, , 2012Sokolowski, et al, 2013). As hamstring muscles influence spinal curvatures and pelvic tilt during trunk flexion with the knees extended (López-Miñarro & Alacid, 2010b;López-Miñarro, et al, 2010cMuyor, Alacid, Rodríguez-Garcia, & López-Miñarro, 2012b;Muyor, et al, 2014), the analysis of spinal curves during trunk flexion with the knees both extended and flexed is suitable.…”

“…As paddlers spend a large amount of time training in their boats in the flexed postures (López-Miñarro & Alacid, 2010a), they may suffer a high creep deformation in spinal viscoelastic tissues, which induces an increase in spine and pelvic tilt mobility (McGill & Brown, 1992;Shin & Mirka, 2007;Toosizadeh, et al, 2012). Conversely, tennis players adopt a more erect posture with fast trunk movements in both directions in the sagittal and frontal plane and rotational movements around the long axis (Dalichau & Scheele, 2002;Muyor, et al, 2013Muyor, et al, , 2014, which are not related to creep deformation in viscoelastic tissues (McGill & Brown, 1992;Shin & Mirka, 2007;Toosizadeh, et al, 2012). It is possible, therefore, that paddlers achieve increased anterior pelvic tilt positions in the Macrae & Wright test as a consequence of a high creep deformation in spinal viscoelastic tissues.…”

“…Creep in trunk viscoelastic tissues induces a decrease in trunk joint stiffness (McGill & Brown, 1992) and, as a consequence, elevated spine mobility. These relationships may be partly explained by the fact that previous studies have found increased lumbar flexion angles in the maximal trunk flexion with the extended knees (López-Miñarro & Alacid, 2010a;Muyor, et al, 2014) and increased thoracic kyphosis in relaxed standing in kayakers (López-Miñarro & Alacid, 2010a;López-Miñarro, et al, 2008, 2010c, 2010dMuyor, et al, 2011a). However, kayakers have showed neutral lumbar lordosis in relaxed standing (López-Miñarro & Alacid, 2010a;López-Miñarro, et al, 2008, 2010c, 2010dMuyor, et al, 2011a).…”

“…Some sports are characterized by trunk flexion postures while sitting, for example, cycling, kayaking or rowing (López-Miñarro, & Alacid, 2010a, 2010bLópez-Miñarro, Alacid, Ferragut, & García, 2008;López-Miñarro, et al, 2010c;López-Miñarro, Muyor, & Alacid, 2010d;Muyor, et al, 2011b;Muyor, Alacid, López-Miñarro, & Casimiro, 2012a; or kneeling, for instance, canoeing (López-Miñarro, & Alacid, 2010a, 2010bLópez-Miñarro, et al, 2008, 2010c. Other sports involve a slight trunk flexion combined with extension and rotational trunk movements while standing, such as tennis (Dalichau, & Scheele, 2002;Muyor, Sánchez-Sánchez, Sanz-Rivas, & López-Miñarro, 2013;Muyor, et al, 2014), table tennis (Barczyk-Pawelec, Bánkosz & Derlich, 2012), handball (Grabara, 2014a(Grabara, , 2014b, volleyball (Grabara, 2014b(Grabara, , 2015, basketball (Grabara, 2014b), football (Grabara, 2012), wrestling (Mrozkowiak, et al, 2012;Rajabi, Doherty, Goodarzi, & Hemayattalab, 2007;Sokolowski, et al, 2013) or field hockey (Rajabi, et al, 2012). These differences in spinal postures may induce specific modifications in spinal curvatures when training for long periods (Wojtys, et al, 2000).…”

“…In contrast to the paddling disciplines, tennis is an acyclic and one-sided racquet sport with a predominance of fast flexion, extension and rotation trunk movements in the sagittal and frontal planes in erect postures (Dalichau & Scheele, 2002;Muyor, et al, 2013Muyor, et al, , 2014. Repetitive, strenuous and intensive training may generate adaptations in spinal morphology (López-Miñarro, Muyor, Belmonte, & Alacid, 2012;McGill & Brown, 1992;Shin & Mirka, 2007).…”