Effects of Age and Maturation on Lower Extremity Range of Motion in Male Youth Soccer Players

Abstract

Effects of age and maturation on lower extremity range of motion in male youth soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 36(5): 1417-1425, 2022-Restricted joint range of motion (ROM) has been considered as a primary risk factor for some sport-related injuries. Consequently, preparticipation assessment of lower extremity joints ROM could help identify youth soccer players at high risk of injury and to aid in the design of tailored age and maturational specific training interventions. The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare the influence of chronological age and maturational stage on several lower extremity ROM measures, as well as to describe the lower extremity ROM profile using a comprehensive approach in youth soccer players. A total of 286 male youth soccer players' ROM were assessed including passive hip (extension [PHE], adduction with hip flexed 90˚[PHAD HF90˚] , flexion with knee flexed [PHF KF ] and extended [PHF KE ], abduction with hip neutral [PHABD] and flexed 90˚[PHABD HF90˚] , external [PHER] and internal [PHIR] rotation), knee (flexion [PKF]) and ankle (dorsiflexion with knee flexed [ADF KF ] and extended [ADF KE ]) ROMs. Between-group differences were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and magnitude-based decisions. The results only report statistically significant (p , 0.05; d . 0.5) and clinically relevant differences (.8˚) for the PKF ROM between U12 vs. U19, and Pre-PHV vs. Post-PHV groups. Furthermore, approximately 40, 35, and 20% of players displayed restrictions in their PHF KE , PKF, and ADF KF ROM values, respectively. These findings emphasize the necessity of prescribing (across all age groups and periods of growth and maturation) compensatory measures in daily soccer training, and these exercises should be equally applied to both limbs with the aim of improving PHF KE , PKF and ADF KF ROM values.

Assessment of the Range of Movement of the Lower Limb in Sport: Advantages of the ROM-SPORT I Battery

“…Several assessment sessions required depends directly on the type of study. Generally, scientific studies perform only one evaluation session; specifically, studies to determine the lower-limb flexibility profile [7,42,45,49,91,92] or to associate/predict athletic physical-technical performance [3,37,39,93] and risk of injury [11,12,24,83,94]. The validity and absolute reliability of scientific studies involved 2-4 assessment sessions to determine the relative or absolute reliability of an assessment battery test [58].…”

Comprehensive Lower Extremities Joints Range of Motion Profile in Futsal Players

“…However, when a comprehensive analysis is carried out, the current ROM data shows that a significant number of the futsal players demonstrate limited HF KE (≈47%) and/or ADF KF (≈35%) ROMs, irrespective of their position, competitive level and sex. Previous studies using the same comprehensive analysis employed in the current study also identified a large number of youth ( Robles-Palazón et al, 2020 ) and adult ( López-Valenciano et al, 2019 ) male football players with limited HF KE (≈45%) and/or ADF KF (30%) ROMs, despite the fact that their pooled average scores for these two ROMs were categorized as normal or non-limited [HF KE > 80° ( Kendall et al, 2005 ) and ADF KF > 34° ( Pope et al, 1998 )]. Therefore, collectively these findings support the statement that an accurate diagnosis of the sport-specific adaptations in the lower extremities joints ROM requires reporting not only ROM average scores but also the number of athletes showing limited (based on the previously published cutoff scores to classify athletes at high risk of injury) ROMs.…”

“…Furthermore, and similar to what was carried out in previous studies on football players (Ayala et al, 2019;Robles-Palazón et al, 2020), in each participant, the hip, knee and ankle ROM scores were categorized as normal (i.e., non-pathologic) or limited according to the reference values previously reported to consider an athlete as being more prone to suffer an injury. Thus, ROM values were reported as limited according to the following cut-off scores: <114 • (limited) and ≥114 • (normal) for the HF KF ROM (Holla et al, 2012) (Ekstrand and Gillquist, 1982;Kibler et al, 1988) and <34 • (limited) and ≥34 • (normal) for the ADF KF ROM (Pope et al, 1998).…”

“…In those ROMs in which different cut-off scores have been described in the literature to categorize athletes as having either high or moderate risk of soft-tissue injury, the most restrictive one was selected as the cut-off score for the current study. The cut-off scores previously suggested by Robles-Palazón et al (2020) were used to calculate the number and percentage of players with bilateral differences (≥8 • ) in each ROM. For each ROM, percentage scores larger than 20% of players showing limited values and significant bilateral differences were considered for this study as relevant from an injury prevention standpoint.…”

“…Furthermore, and similar to what was carried out in previous studies on football players ( Ayala et al, 2019 ; Robles-Palazón et al, 2020 ), in each participant, the hip, knee and ankle ROM scores were categorized as normal (i.e., non-pathologic) or limited according to the reference values previously reported to consider an athlete as being more prone to suffer an injury. Thus, ROM values were reported as limited according to the following cut-off scores: <114° (limited) and ≥114° (normal) for the HF KF ROM ( Holla et al, 2012 ), <80° (limited) and ≥80° (normal) for the HF KE ROM ( Kendall et al, 2005 ), <50° (limited) and ≥50° (normal) for the HA ROM ( Gerhardt et al, 2002 ), <26° (limited) and ≥26° (normal) for the HIR ROM ( Roach et al, 2013 ), <30° (limited) and ≥30° (normal) for the HER ROM ( L’Hermette et al, 2006 ), <0° (limited) and ≥0° (normal) for the HE ROM ( Young et al, 2004 ), <120° (limited) and ≥120° (normal) for the KF ROM ( Peat et al, 2007 ), <17° (limited) and ≥17° (normal) for the ADF KE ROM ( Ekstrand and Gillquist, 1982 ; Kibler et al, 1988 ) and <34° (limited) and ≥34° (normal) for the ADF KF ROM ( Pope et al, 1998 ).…”