Evaluation of the Back-in-Action test Battery In Uninjured High School American Football Players.
Marcel Rohde, Alina Ruhlemann, Andre Busch and 3 others
PMID 37425120WHAT IT FOUND
Uninjured high school football players performed worse on balance and agility tests than untrained peers, despite having higher power output.
Most failed to meet the strict limb symmetry standards required for return-to-sport clearance, suggesting current benchmarks may be unrealistic for this population.
Key findings
01Football players showed significantly poorer balance scores on both two-legged and one-legged tests compared to an untrained reference group.
02Only 34% of athletes achieved the required limb symmetry index of over 90% for counter-movement jump height.
03None of the uninjured athletes would have met the return-to-sport criteria if they had been evaluated using the study's standard thresholds.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 53 uninjured athletes from a single state team, limiting generalizability. Testing occurred during pre-season, so athletes may not have reached peak fitness. The BIA battery focuses on knee capability and does not assess core stability or neighboring joints. The test battery has no proven predictive value for injury risk in this population.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was approved by the local ethics committee.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the poor performance of uninjured athletes as a sign that they are unfit or at high risk of injury. The results likely indicate that the Back-in-Action test's return-to-sport cutoffs are too stringent for this specific population rather than a lack of athletic ability.