Dr. Otsuka Mitsuo is Assistant Professor in Faculty of Sport and Health Science of Ritsumeikan University, and his research manuscript was accepted and published in Gazzetta Medica Italiana Archivio per le Scienze Mediche, which collaborated with Professor Tadao Isaka, Toshiyuki Kurihara, Junichi Yamauchi and Noriteru Morita. The cross-sectional study focused on junior high school student revealed that significant relationships were found between the toe-flexor muscular strength times and the fitness tests in lower limb.  This suggests that an assessment of toe flexor muscle prior to an exercise class is important for students to understand their dynamic lower-limb physical performance.

Otsuka M., Yamauchi J., Kurihara T., Morita N., Isaka T. (2015) Toe flexor strength and lower limb physical performance in adolescent.  Gazzetta Medica Italiana Archivio per le Scienze Mediche, 174(7-8):307-313.