The relationship between lower limb alignment and physical fitness in children aged 10-12: A sex-specific analysis using the ALPHA-fitness test battery.

The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot show that posture or weight caused fitness differences. It included 59 children from fifth and sixth grades at a primary school in Navarre, Spain, so results may not apply to other settings. The children were aged 10 to 12 years and were undergoing rapid physical development, which can affect knee alignment and fitness values. No participants with genu varum were included, so the study cannot speak to that knee position. The analysis focused on lower limb alignment and a high-priority version of the ALPHA-Fitness Test Battery, not the full test battery. Descriptive differences by knee, foot posture, and footprint were not confirmed as independent predictors after regression adjustment.

The authors declare no competing interest.

Do not conclude that lower limb alignment causes poorer fitness in children. The study found knee alignment was not an independent predictor of fitness, and foot posture had only a limited association with lower jump distance; sex and BMI were stronger factors.