Flexibility Assessment
Before testing, each subject was positioned lying on the left side on the examination table for bony landmark identification. The right hip and knee were flexed to 900, simulating the position of the AKE test. We used a black felt-tip marker to draw a circle around the lateral femoral epicondyle, the head of the fibula, and the lateral malleolus of the right leg. Once the subject was placed in the supine AKE position, we palpated the circles to verify that they identified the desired bony landmarks. This procedure was done to ensure that the same reference points were used for hip and knee repositioning over repeated measures. After placement of the protractor on the proximal tibia, each subject actively extended his lower leg. The ankle remained in a relaxed position that was comfortable to the subject. When the subject could not extend his lower leg any further without his thigh's moving away from the crossbar, he informed the examiner and held that position until a measurement was taken. The protractor was not removed from its position throughout the AKE pretest or posttest period. Protractor adjustment to read 0° when the knee was flexed to 900 was performed as needed. Subjects kept the right hip and knee flexed with the foot flat on the table between trials. We used the goniometer to reposition the hip to 900 of flexion for each trial.