The modified star excursion balance test for the detection of the risk of injury in elite handball female players

Abstract

Background: Elite handball female players are at high risk of injury to the lower limbs. The modified Star Excursion Balance Test (mSEBT) is efficient in detecting players with a risk of injury. However, performed once before the season, the mSEBT cannot determine with precision when the injury will occur. Purpose: The objective of the study was to investigate if a repeated measure of mSEBT across the season would help in identifying with precision the period at risk of injury for each player. Methods: Eleven elite female handball players took part in the study. The mSEBT was measured weekly for 25 weeks and the injuries were recorded. Composite Scores (CS) and distances on each axis were computed for both legs of each player. The 94% cut-off on the composite score and the 4 cm difference between the right and left leg on the anteroposterior axis (ANT) was investigated for each player. Results: Five players reported injury. The 94% cut-off on the CS and the 4 cm difference on ANT were not significant indicators of risk of injury in our study. However, for each injured player, a drop in the composite score was noticed the week before the injury. Conclusion: We propose the drop of CS as an indicator for the detection of the risk of injury in a follow-up of elite athletes using repeated mSEBT. This indicator allows the detection of injury a week before it occurs. Further work is needed to confirm, investigate and validate this indicator.