A novel test for adductor muscle flexibility in females.

Thesis (MTech. degree in Sport and Exercise Technology)--Tshwane University of Technology, 2004.The evaluation of any muscle, be it for performance or injury is based on two main functions: the strength and the flexibility of the muscle group and relevant agonists and antagonists. Emphasis is placed on strength testing in most protocols and the role of flexibility is very often overlooked. In the hip adductor group various tests are available for evaluating the strength in the group, but limited methods are available to assess flexibility, with the predominant protocols using goniometer measurements. This technique is time consuming and requires experienced assessors to administer. The primary aim of this study was to development of a reliable, quick, easy administrateable test for adductor flexibility, and validate it against goniometer measurements, which is the only other available test for adductor group flexibility. With the limited research being done on female subjects, a further attempt was made to see in what way, if at all, hormonal changes occurring through the menstrual cycle could affect range of motion. Eighty-three active female subjects volunteered for the study during which adductor range of motion was assessed twice using an experimental method, with the two assessments being one menstrual cycle apart. These values where then compared to a reference method (goniometer) for validity. III The method showed low validity, which could be attributed to inexperience on the part of some of the assessors. An interesting finding was that range of motion mimics the pattern of oestrogen throughout the cycle, which could have many implications for female health and sport participation. It is recommended that this aspect should be investigated further