Dynamic balance asymmetries in pre-season injury-prevention screening in healthy young soccer players using the Modified Star Excursion Balance Test-a pilot study.
Panagiotis Gkrilias, Athanasios Zavvos, Konstantinos Fousekis and 3 others
PMID 30214113WHAT IT FOUND
Young male soccer players had a side-to-side dynamic balance asymmetry when reaching backward and outward, with the stability-dominant leg farther.
This pilot found asymmetry only; it did not show that the asymmetry causes or predicts injury.
Key findings
01The only statistically significant side-to-side dynamic balance difference was posterolateral reach, with the stability-dominant leg reaching farther: 98.1 ± 10.4 cm versus 94.5 ± 13.3 cm, and 107.8 ± 11.4% versus 103.8 ± 13.6% of lower-limb length.
02Twelve players had posterolateral asymmetry over 4 cm, and thirteen players had a composite asymmetry score over 12 cm.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study was a pilot with only 24 healthy male soccer players, so it cannot be generalised to female players, older or younger athletes, injured athletes, or other sports. No injuries were measured or followed up, so the paper cannot show that the asymmetry predicts injury or that screening prevents injury. The 4 cm and 12 cm composite cutoffs came from other studies, and the authors note that equivalent limits for pre-adolescent players are not known. Participants were selected to have no recent lower-limb injury and no leg-length discrepancy over 1 cm, which may limit applicability to players with symptoms or structural differences. The stability-dominant leg was assigned by questionnaire rather than by performance testing.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that a posterolateral asymmetry predicts injury or that screening with the Modified Star Excursion Balance Test prevents injury. This pilot measured balance in healthy young players and did not follow them for injuries, so it cannot show that the asymmetry causes risk.