The association between Y-balance test scores, injury, and physical performance in elite adolescent Australian footballers. Issue 4 (April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bennett, Hunter; Chalmers, Samuel; Milanese, Steve; Fuller, Joel
• Is Part Of: Journal of science and medicine in sport. Volume 25:Issue 4(2022)
• Page Start: 306
• Page End: 311
• Publication Date: 2022-04
• Subjects: Neuromuscular control -- Athletic performance -- Balance -- Fitness testing; Sports sciences -- Periodicals; Sports medicine -- Periodicals; Exercise -- Physiological aspects -- Periodicals; Sports -- physiology -- Periodicals; Sports Medicine -- Periodicals; Sportgeneeskunde; 617.102705
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2021.10.014
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1440-2440

Abstract

Abstract: Objectives: Identify how modified Lower-Quarter Y-Balance Test (mYBT-LQ) and Upper-Quarter Balance Test (mYBT-UQ) scores relate to injury risk and measures of physical performance in elite adolescent Australian Football (AF) athletes. Design: Prospective cohort study. Methods: Pre-season mYBT-LQ, mYBT-UQ, and physical performance measures (speed, jump height, and agility) were obtained in 257 elite adolescent male AF athletes. Injury status was tracked across the 18-game season to determine the relationship between mYBT scores and injury risk based on time-to-event analysis. Cross-sectional analysis of mYBT-LQ scores and performance measures determined the relationships between these variables. Results: There were no significant associations between injury risk and any single mYBT parameter. However, athletes with high posteromedial asymmetry and good agility performance (top 25% of the cohort) had moderately increased injury risk with and tended to without a previous injury history (Hazard Ratio = 3.26 [95% Confidence Interval: 1.01, 10.54; p = 0.048] and 2.69 [95% Confidence Interval = 0.92, 7.82; p = 0.069], respectively). There were significant correlations between faster agility times and higher composite limb-length normalised mYBT-LQ ( r = −0.210; CI = −0.324, −0.090), limb-length normalised average posteromedial reach score ( r = −0.227; CI = −0.340, −0.108), and limb-length normalised average posterolateral reach score ( r = −0.250: CI = −0.361, −0.132). Conclusion: In isolation, the mYBT is not useful for identifying injury risk in junior AF athletes, and only small correlations between mYBT-LQ and physical performance variables were identified. However, high mYBT-LQ posteromedial asymmetry is associated with increased injury risk for athletes with good agility performance. This should be considered within athlete preparation programs. Graphical abstract: Unlabelled Image