Limb Dominance Does Not Affect Y-Balance Test Performance in Non-Athlete Adolescents.
Carissa A Stoddard, Sharon Wang-Price, Satoko E Lam
PMID 35136685WHAT IT FOUND
In 26 non-athlete adolescents, the Y-Balance Test showed no significant difference between dominant and non-dominant limbs.
However, anterior reach reliability was poor, and many participants failed the task. Clinicians should not assume limb symmetry in this group and should avoid using anterior reach for injury prediction.
Key findings
01There were no significant differences in Y-Balance Test reach distances between the dominant and non-dominant limbs in non-athlete adolescents.
02Between-day reliability was moderate-to-good for posterior reaches but poor for the anterior reach and composite scores.
03A substantial portion of participants failed to complete the anterior reach trial, and many showed asymmetries that would falsely suggest injury risk.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample was small (26 participants) and heavily skewed toward girls (22 girls, 4 boys), which limits generalizability. Participants wore athletic shoes during testing, which may have affected balance and reliability compared to barefoot protocols. Baseline physical activity levels were not controlled, potentially introducing variability. A significant number of participants failed the anterior reach task, reducing the sample size available for that specific analysis. The study only included non-athletes, so results may not apply to competitive adolescent athletes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of difference between limbs as proof that all adolescents have symmetrical balance. The poor reliability and high failure rate on the anterior reach suggest that many adolescents simply cannot perform the task consistently, masking potential deficits or creating false asymmetries.