Physical function factors associated with the modified star excursion balance test in healthy university students.
Shomaru Ito, Rio Suzuki, Kanta Hiramatsu and 6 others
In 35 healthy students, balance test scores correlated with ankle strength, leg muscle mass, and other factors, but no single factor independently predicted performance.
A low balance score reflects multiple combined deficits, not one fixable problem.
Key findings
1Bivariate correlations showed significant positive associations between mSEBT performance and ankle plantarflexion strength, knee extension strength, back muscle strength, leg fat-free mass, and skeletal muscle index across the three reach directions.
2Multiple regression analysis identified no independent significant predictors of mSEBT performance in any of the three directions, even where the overall model reached statistical significance.
3The study was cross-sectional with 35 participants, which the authors note limits causal inference and the stability of regression models with multiple candidate variables.
to read the rest of this summary — three full summaries a month, no card.
Already have an account?
What it does not show
Cross-sectional design: correlations cannot be read as cause-and-effect; a low balance score may reflect deconditioning rather than a specific deficit. Small sample (35 participants) makes the regression models vulnerable to overfitting and unstable coefficient estimates, as the authors themselves note. Variables were selected for regression based on which ones showed significant bivariate correlations, introducing selection bias and inflating the chance of false-positive findings. No adjustment for multiple comparisons across the many correlation tests performed. Adjusted R² values around 0.2 mean roughly 80% of the variation in balance performance is unexplained by the variables measured. No electromyography, motion analysis, or perturbation testing, so the neuromuscular mechanisms behind the correlations are speculative. Body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance, which is sensitive to hydration, meal timing, and time of day. Left and right limb scores were averaged, potentially masking meaningful side-to-side asymmetry. Sex, height, and sport participation were not controlled for, and the sample is limited to healthy young adults, so findings may not generalise to clinical or athletic populations.
Declared interests
Funded by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP24K20382 (a Japanese government research council). The authors declare no conflicts of interest. No commercial sponsor designed, conducted, or wrote the study.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →