TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2021//
TI  - The association between Y-balance test scores, injury, and physical performance in elite adolescent Australian footballers
JO  - Journal of science and medicine in sport
A1  - Bennett, Hunter
A1  - Chalmers, Samuel
A1  - Milanese, Steve
A1  - Fuller, Joel
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - 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. <br><br>DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. <br><br>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. <br><br>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). <br><br>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.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1440-2440
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2021.10.014
ID  - ref1
ER  -