Objective: To determine whether ankle plantar flexors stretching exercise affects functional reach in elderly men.
Method: Twenty elderly men with an average age of 78.2 years were selected for this study. A active range of motion of ankle dorsiflexion and a functional reach (FR) distance were measured before and after ankle stretching exercise. The ankle dorsiflexion was measured by goniometer in knee extended position. The FR distance was measured in standing position. Ankle plantar flexors stretching exercises were carried out by physical therapist 4 times per week for 4 weeks. At 4 weeks after the stretching exercise, we retested the active range of motion of ankle dorsiflexion and the FR distance using the same method.
Results: At 4 weeks after the stretching exercise, the active range of motion of right ankle dorsiflexion was increased from 2.81⁑3.26o to 5.98⁑4.34o, and the left ankle dorsiflexion was increased from 3.15⁑3.77o to 6.35⁑2.45o. The FR distance was increased form 12.22⁑7.54 cm to 19.69⁑8.59 cm after the stretching exercise.
Conclusion: The FR distance was significantly increased after the ankle plantar flexors stretching exercise (p＜0.01). This results suggest that the ankle plantar flexors stretching excercise may be capable of increasing the FR distance in elderly.
