Utility of the anterior reach Y-BALANCE test as an injury risk screening tool in elite male youth soccer players.
Paul J Read, Jon L Oliver, Gregory D Myer and 3 others
PMID 32726731WHAT IT FOUND
The Y-Balance anterior reach test failed to predict injury risk in elite male youth soccer players.
The commonly used 4 cm asymmetry threshold showed no significant difference between injured and non-injured groups, and overall prediction accuracy was low.
Key findings
01Players with an anterior reach difference greater than 4 cm did not have a statistically significant higher injury prevalence compared to those with less than 4 cm difference.
02Multivariate analysis showed only weak associations between Y-Balance scores and injury, with models predicting injured players at rates between 1% and 15.6%.
03Younger, pre-PHV players achieved the highest reach distances when normalized to leg length, suggesting the test measures mobility rather than dynamic balance.
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 all non-contact lower extremity injuries, which may dilute specific associations with knee or ankle injuries. Previous injury history was not accounted for, which is a known risk factor. The prediction models had very low accuracy for identifying injured players. The sample was limited to elite male youth soccer players, so findings may not apply to female players or other sports.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not use the 4 cm anterior reach asymmetry threshold to identify elite male youth soccer players at high risk of injury. This study found no significant difference in injury prevalence between players above and below this threshold.