ABSTRACT
Introduction
The ankle has the highest incidence of soccer injuries (17 to 20% of injuries), which can cause personal and professional losses for the athlete. Ankle stability is due to a number of mechanisms, such as muscle control between agonists and antagonists, proprioception, balance, and muscle strength. If there are changes in any of these mechanisms, there is an increased risk of ankle injuries.
Objective
The purpose of this study was to analyze the ankle function of amateur and professional soccer players in the preseason, using Y Balance Test (YBT) and Dorsiflexion Lunge Test (DLT), observing possible functional deficits in this sample, and subsequently analyzing the relationship of results between the functional tests in this population.
Methods
A total of 107 soccer players were assessed, of whom 36 were amateur and 71 professional athletes. The volunteers initially underwent history taking, followed by a 5-minute warm-up on a stationary bicycle then the YBT and DLT functional tests.
Results
There was no significant difference in the DLT between dominant and non-dominant limbs in amateur and professional athletes. There was also no significant difference in the YBT between dominant and non-dominant limbs of amateur athletes, but there was a significant difference between dominant and non-dominant limbs in professional athletes. There was no correlation between the tests when the dominant and non-dominant limbs of the sample were analyzed.
Conclusion
The weak relationship between the functional tests indicates that both tests are recommended for athletes in clinical practice, since they serve as tools to assess different functional deficits. Level of Evidence III - Case-control study.
Ankle; Physical functional performance; Soccer
