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. 2019 Jan-Feb;13(1):1557988319831920.
doi: 10.1177/1557988319831920.

Preseason Dynamic Balance Performance in Healthy Elite Male Soccer Players

Roxana-Ramona Onofrei  1   2 , Elena Amaricai  1   3 , Radu Petroman  1   2 , Dan Surducan  1 , Oana Suciu  1
Affiliations

Preseason Dynamic Balance Performance in Healthy Elite Male Soccer Players

Roxana-Ramona Onofrei et al. Am J Mens Health. 2019 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Lower limb musculoskeletal injuries in sports are linked with balance abnormalities and altered postural control. Dynamic balance screening should be performed in order to identify athletes at risk. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the preseason dynamic balance performance and side-to-side asymmetry of healthy elite male soccer players, using modified Star Excursion Balance Test (mSEBT). Seventy-three elite soccer players (23.8 ± 5.4 years) were evaluated using the mSEBT. Normalized reach distances, side-to-side asymmetries, and composite scores were determined. The composite scores were 93.33% ± 8.99% for dominant leg and 93.36% ± 9.23% for nondominant leg. No significant differences were found between dominant and nondominant limb in any direction. The mSEBT is an easy-to-use tool to measure the dynamic balance performance in elite athletes. It can be applied successfully during preseason physical examinations. Future studies are needed to establish predictive cutoff points in order to increase mSEBT use in screening soccer players for dynamic balance abnormalities and identify those at risk for noncontact lower limb injuries.

Keywords: Star Excursion Balance Test; athletes; screening; side-to-side asymmetry.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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