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Keywords

Health Care Competency

Abstract

Lower extremity injuries are very common in collegiate soccer athletes and often lead to long-term rehabilitation programs and a decline in the athlete’s overall quality of life. Using single leg hop tests to identify “at-risk” athletes before the competitive season begins could allow medical staff to implement injury prevention programs that could help reduce the incidence of lower extremity injuries throughout the season. The purpose of this study was to determine if data taken from single leg hop (SLH) testing could help predict lower extremity injuries in female collegiate soccer players. A convenience sample of twenty-one participants were chosen to participate and complete the SLH testing series. This series consisted of the single hop for distance, triple hop for distance, crossover hop for distance, and 6-m timed hopping tests. Both legs were tested twice for each test and an average was calculated as well as an asymmetry percentage. Participants were assessed before pre-season training began and were then followed throughout the competitive soccer season to track lower extremity injuries. Participants were grouped into injured and non-injured groups following the season. Results showed no statistically significant differences in the between-leg asymmetry percentage averages between the injured and non-injured groups for any of the four hop tests. SLH tests alone should not be used to identify athletes that may be at a larger risk for lower extremity injuries. Outside studies have shown SLH tests to be useful in predicting injuries when used as part of a battery of functional performance tests.

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