Are Functional Performance Test Scores Better When Compared to Baseline or Contralateral Limb Scores Following LE Injury in Adolescent Athletes?
Edward Jones, Jessica Jochum, Hannah Corn and 4 others
PMID 38707858WHAT IT FOUND
For high school athletes returning from lower limb injury, baseline testing helps detect agility and balance deficits, while comparing limbs helps detect power deficits.
No single reference standard works for every test, so choose your comparison based on which test you use.
Key findings
01Y-Balance anterior reach and T-test agility scores were significantly worse at return-to-play than preseason baseline, but limb-to-limb comparisons were not significant.
02Single-Leg Hop and Triple Hop scores were significantly lower on the injured limb compared to the uninjured limb at return-to-play, whereas comparison to baseline was not significant for the Triple Hop.
03The study authors suggest using baseline scores for agility and balance tests, and contralateral limb scores for hop tests, because each reference standard detected different deficits.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only nineteen athletes were included in the final analysis, making the results very preliminary. The study grouped all lower extremity injuries together, so a severe ACL injury was treated the same as a mild ankle sprain. Multiple testers were used to handle the large volume of athletes, which may have introduced inconsistency in how the tests were administered. Four injured athletes did not complete the follow-up testing, which could bias the results.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that failing to return to preseason baseline scores means an athlete is not ready to return to sport. For hop tests, the injured leg was not significantly different from preseason scores, yet it was significantly weaker than the uninjured leg. Relying only on baseline comparisons for power tests could lead to clearing an athlete who still has significant limb asymmetry.