Test-Retest Reliability of the Isometric Soleus Strength Test in Elite Male Academy Footballers.
David Rhodes, Josh Jeffery, Daniel Brook-Sutton and 1 others
PMID 35136698WHAT IT FOUND
The isometric soleus strength test gave repeatable force scores in 30 elite male footballers when repeated 72 hours apart, so physical therapists can use it to track soleus strength.
It does not show the test prevents injury.
Key findings
01The force scores from the two testing sessions were significantly related (p<0.001), with r=0.89 for the right limb and r=0.79 for the left limb.
02No significant difference was found between test and retest mean scores for the right limb (p=0.09) or the left limb (p=0.52).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The participants were healthy, uninjured, full-training elite male academy footballers, so the findings do not show what the test does in injured, female, youth, or non-elite patients. The study used one convenience sample from a club pre-season setting, so the result may not apply to other sports, other times of the season, or other testing environments. Only peak force was assessed; the paper did not test other soleus strength metrics such as rate of force development. The study tested reliability only. It did not show that the test predicts injury risk or improves performance.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the high repeatability as proof that the isometric soleus strength test predicts injury risk or improves performance. This study only tested whether repeated force measurements were consistent in healthy elite male footballers.