Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Katsutoshi TACHIIRI*1
Musculoskeletal Dysfunction
Can’t raise the arms Can’t touch the floor! Can’t squat down all the way
all the way! to the floor!
Fig. 2 Flexibility tests: raising both arms (left), bending the body forward (middle),
and squatting down (right)
Height
Height
55
55
Softball 50
Softball 50 throw Weight
throw Weight
45
45
40
40
Standing Grip
Standing Grip long jump
long jump strength
strength with both legs
with both legs
Height Height
55 55
Handball 50 Handball 50
throw Weight throw Weight
45 45
40 40
(Cited from the School Health Survey Report for FY 2007, by Sports and Youth Bureau,
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan)
Fig. 3 Comparisons of body size and physical strength between 1985 and 2007
body was the consequence of lack of physical exer- level of physical strength. However, in terms of
cise, excessive physical exercise, or unbalanced the frequency of exercise among elementary
growth (or elongation) of bones and muscles. school children, the proportion of students who
However, we can easily imagine that such stiff ‘exercise almost every day’ has been decreasing
body conditions are ‘likely to induce injury’ when both in boys and girls, especially in girls.6
children perform physical exercise or sports
activities. Causes for the Decline in Physical
Needless to say, it is important to partake in Strength among Children
sports activities based on appropriate practice
schedules to prevent sports-related injuries. In MEXT has concluded that there are several pos-
addition, it is crucial not to skip basic training of sible causes for the decline in physical strength
the body, especially daily stretching or stepwise among children in Japan. One is the issue of the
muscle training. awareness among Japanese people, that people
are neglecting the importance of playing out-
The Actual Status of ‘Decline in Physical side/outdoors and participating sports activities.
Strength’ among Children, Based on The urbanization and convenient life-styles have
the Results of School Health Survey changed the living environment, too. Children
(Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, are exposed to much irregular life-styles now,
Science and Technology, Japan) both in terms of sleep and diet. Various other
factors are also involved, and as a consequence,
Every year, the Ministry of Education, Culture, there are fewer opportunities for children to take
Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan part in physical exercise nowadays.6
conducts the School Health Survey to examines
physical strength and exercise ability among Prevention of Musculoskeletal
schoolchildren and students. The report from Dysfunction Caused by the Decline in
FY 2007 suggested three main issues; 1) physical Physical Strength and Lack of Exercise
strength of children has been decreasing since among Children
around 1985, 2) the gap in physical strength
between the children who are well fit and those Regarding the future physical exercise programs,
who are not has been increasing, and 3) the levels MEXT has suggested the following. For elemen-
of physical strength among children are corre- tary school children, the frequency of physical
lated with the frequency/duration of exercise exercise/sports is an important factor to improve
activities they practice.6 their physical strength. Thus, it is necessary for
Among elementary school children, their phy- the families, elementary schools, and local com-
sique (namely body height/weight) has been munities to work together in order to increase
increasing both in boys and girls since 1985, but opportunities for children to participate in physi-
their physical strength/ability has been decreas- cal exercise. For middle school students, the fre-
ing across all survey items in both genders. A quency of physical exercise/sports shows a sign
significant decrease was observed particularly in of increase. However, the fact remains that the
the 50-m run, standing long jump with both legs, level of physical strength is generally lower than
and softball throw (Fig. 3). The decrease in physi- that of 1985, with large decrease in overall
cal strength/ability has also been observed in stamina. In the future, the detailed investigation
middle school students since 1985, however, the on exactly how children participate in physical
extent of the decrease in middle school boys was exercise and sports activities would be necessary
relatively smaller than that of elementary school in order to evaluate the intensity and the con-
boys (Fig. 3).6 tents of those activities.6
The correlation between the frequency of exer- MEXT has set the “improvement of physical
cise and the level of physical strength becomes strength in children through the promotion of
apparent at approximately 8 to 9 years of age, sport activities” as the primary goal in its Basic
and the such correlation appear to exist until Plan for the Promotion of Sports. Their intension
the age of 79. A similar correlation is observed is to control the decreasing tendency of physical
between the duration of exercise per day and the strength among children by promoting sports
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