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Objective: To determine whether adolescent growth is associated with a decrease in flexibility.

Longitudinal cohort study of urban high school students.

Flexibility of hamstring muscles (popliteal angle), quadriceps muscles (quadriceps angle), lumbar extensor muscles (Schober test), and combined lower extremity-trunk muscles (Sit and Reach test).

There was no relation between growth and changes in flexibility for the lumbar flexor muscles, hamstring muscles, or muscles involved in the Sit and Reach test. Although there was a slight decrease in flexibility of the quadriceps muscle with increases in growth, the very low i2adj value (0.01-0.06) strongly suggests that growth plays only a small role in determining the flexibility of individuals.

These results strongly suggest that growth is not a cause of decreased flexibility during the peripubescent period.

(C) 1999 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.