Association between functional reach test scores and center of pressure measures in preschool-aged children

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Dynamic balance is a fundamental component of early motor development and is essential for functional movement and postural control in childhood. The Functional Reach Test (FRT) is widely used as a simple clinical measure of dynamic balance in pediatric populations; however, its relationship with objective postural control parameters, such as center of pressure (COP) displacement, remains unclear in preschool-aged children. The objective of this study was to examine the association between the FRT and forward COP displacement to explore the clinical utility of the FRT in healthy Japanese preschool-aged children. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 98 typically developing Japanese children aged 3-6 years. Each participant performed two FRT trials while standing on a force platform, during which COP data were recorded simultaneously. The mean values of the two trials were used for analysis. Correlation analyses were conducted to evaluate the association between FRT performance and forward COP displacement. Data normality was confirmed prior to statistical analysis. RESULTS: < .001). In age-stratified analyses, significant associations were maintained in the 3-, 4-, and 6-year-old groups, while the association was not statistically significant in the 5-year-old group. Children with greater reach distances tended to exhibit larger anterior COP excursions during the reaching task, indicating a meaningful association between clinical FRT performance and objective postural control measures. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide supportive evidence regarding the clinical utility of the Functional Reach Test as a simple and clinically practical measure of dynamic balance in preschool-aged children. The FRT may serve as a useful screening tool for assessing balance development in early childhood, particularly in settings where laboratory-based posturography is not available.