title: Assessment of flexibility in young female skaters with the modified Marshall Test.
abstract: A cross-sectional study was performed on 62 female precision ice skaters to determine whether a modified Marshall Test is a reliable measure of constitutional flexibility in young female athletes. These skaters were from the Colonial Precision Skating Club of Acton, Massachusetts. Chronologic age ranged from 7 to 18 years with an average of 12.5 years (SD, 2.6 years). All skaters were assigned a modified Marshall Test score (Micheli's 5-point score) for both left and right thumbs. This score was then compared with their hamstring-flexibility measure (left and right) and the external and internal rotation (ER and IR, respectively) of their shoulders. Positive linear relationships were found between Micheli's 5-point score (MS) on the right side and both left and right hamstring and shoulder flexibility. However, the left-side MS was positively correlated only with the left hamstring and left shoulder flexibility. We conclude that the modified Marshall test is a reliable predictor of upper and lower extremity flexibility in female adolescent athletes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Sports Medicine, Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Micheli
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Greene
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cassella
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gruber
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zurakowski
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012861:Skating / Q000502:physiology*