Lateral reach test: A normative study of adults of Dakshina Kannada-a cross-sectional study

The purpose of this study was to establish normative data for the lateral reach test in the adult population of the Dakshina Kannada region in India. A normative study was done in a sample of 506 (250 male and 256 female) adult subjects in the age group 20-70 years, recruited from the Dakshina Kannada region of Karnataka State, India. The mean, standard deviation, and standard error for the variables, i.e., age, height, weight, right lateral reach, and left lateral reach, were calculated for the entire population (20-70 years), as well as for 20-45 years and 45-70 years age subgroups, separately. We found that mean lateral reach was 6.88 cm and 6.70 cm toward the right and left side, respectively, for females in the age group of 20-45 years (mean age, 35.20 ± 7.139 years), and 3.61 cm and 3.53 cm toward the right and left side, respectively, in females in the age group of 45-70 years (mean age 57.96 ± 6.581 years). In males of 20-45 years (mean age, 32.01 ± 7.135 years), we found the mean lateral reach was 8.06 cm and 7.76 cm, respectively, toward the right and left sides, whereas it was 3.74 cm and 3.58 cm toward the right and left sides, respectively, in those aged 45-70 years (mean age, 56.70 ± 6.199 years).