Trunk Rotation Flexibility Test

Many people think about having flexible legs and arms when stretching the body. It is also important for your torso and shoulders to be flexible. Many injuries can be avoided when the core area is flexible.

The trunk rotation test measures trunk (torso) and shoulder flexibility.



1. Mark a vertical line on the wall. Stand with your back to the wall directly in front of the line. You should be about arms length away from the wall with your feet about shoulder width apart.

2. Extend your arms out in front of you (parallel to the floor). With your arms extended and parallel to the floor, twist your torso to your right and the touch the wall with your fingertips. You can turn your shoulders, hips and knees. Your feet should not move.

3. Have someone mark the position where your fingertips touches the wall. Measure the distance from the line. A touch before the line is a negative score and a touch after the line is a positive score.

4. Repeat for the left side and take the average of the 2 scores.

Compare your results with the numbers below:

Poor - 0 cm
Fair - 5 cm
Good - 10 cm
Very Good - 15 cm
Excellent - 20 cm

You can improve your trunk (torso) flexibility with seated torso twists and standing dynamic (with controlled movement) torso twists.

Improve shoulder flexibility with with anterior and posterior shoulder stretches and dynamic arm circles (take shoulders through full range of motion).

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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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