Assessment of the Reliability and Validity of the Leg Lateral Reach Test in Adolescent Tennis Players
Condition: Trunk Injury; Mobility Limitation; Spine Injury; Athletic Injuries
MeSH terms: Mobility Limitation; Wounds and Injuries; Athletic Injuries; Spinal Injuries
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The aim of this study is to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Leg Lateral Reach
      Test to measure thoraco-lumbo-pelvic segment mobility in adolescent tennis players. The fact
      that the test is valid and reliable for tennis players will contribute to monitoring trunk
      rotation flexibility in athletes, comparing them bilaterally, and revealing the exercise
      training necessary to improve performance.
    

Detailed description: 
      Tennis is a sport characterized by coordinated, repetitive, and rotational movements along
      the kinetic chain. Ineffective use of the trunk segment to generate rotational momentum is
      thought to increase the load on the upper extremity. Limited trunk rotation flexibility can
      cause abnormal trunk motion patterns, resulting in lower back injuries and pain as well as
      upper extremity injuries in throwing athletes. Therefore, assessment of trunk flexibility in
      athletes who perform repetitive trunk rotations, such as tennis players, is critical for
      effective rehabilitation and prevention of sports injuries.

      The Leg Lateral Reach Test was developed to measure the rotation of the thoraco-lumbo-pelvic
      segment and was found to be valid and reliable in physically active, healthy individuals.
      Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Leg
      Lateral Reach Test to measure thoraco-lumbo-pelvic segment mobility in adolescent tennis
      players. The fact that the test is valid and reliable for tennis players will contribute to
      monitoring trunk rotation flexibility in athletes, comparing them bilaterally, and revealing
      the exercise training necessary to improve performance.
    

Intervention name(s): Leg Lateral Reach Test
Intervention type(s): Diagnostic Test
Intervention description(s): To conduct the leg reach test, participants began by positioning themselves with their arms hanging at their sides. They were then guided to raise the leg under assessment and extend it across the opposite leg to make contact with a wooden bar, employing trunk rotation in the process. During each trial, participants were consistently motivated to ensure that both shoulders remained in contact with the floor and to stretch their tested leg as far as they could along the length of the wooden bar. If a participant was unable to sustain contact between their foot and the wooden bar for a duration of 5 seconds at the point of maximal reach, or if both shoulders lifted off the floor, that specific trial was considered invalid and not included in the analysis.
Each participant completed three repetitions of this test for both the right and left sides, and the average of their reach distances was subsequently calculated for assessment.
Intervention model: Sequential Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Diagnostic
Keywords: Spine; Leg lateral reach test; Range of motion; Tennis player; Low Back Pain; Mobility