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Souza Júnior J.R.1,2, Silva-Hamu T.C.D.2, Santos M.G.R.1, Matheus J.P.C.1, Lemos T.V.2
1Universidade de Brasilia, Brasília, Brazil, 2Universidade Estadual de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
Background: The preseason evaluation of professional soccer players is extremely important to identify potential risk factors and development of measures that seek to prevent injuries. The isokinetic dynamometer emerged as a “gold standard” tool for measuring muscle strength and has been widely used in soccer. However, its non-functional characteristichas opened new horizons for the usage of toolsthat could be more directed to functionality. The Hop test and the Star Excursion Balance test can be cited as two of those measurement tools.
Purpose: To compare deficits found in the isokinetic evaluation of the knee joint and the functional performance of professional soccer players.
Methods: The athletes were selected at the Aparecidense Athletic Association, which is a professional sports club in the city of Aparecida de Goiania, Brazil. The research was conducted in the Musculoskeletal Research Laboratory of the State University of Goiás, Brazil. The isokinetic evaluation of the knee was performed by using the Biodex PRO 4 Isokinetic Dynamometer at speeds of 60°/s and 180°/s, with 5 and 10 repetitions, respectively, for each speed. Deficits in the variables peak torque and total work were considered for analysis, and deficits of up to 10% were considered as expected and above 10% as significant. The functional assessment was performed by means of the Single Hop Test and the Star Excursion Balance Test. The SPSS version 23.0, p 0.05, was used, and the Students t-test and Mann Whitney U were carried out to compare the deficits found and the functional performance.
Results: Twenty-eight athletes with a mean age of 27,75 (± 5,84) and BMI of 23.75 (± 1.71) were selected for this cross-sectional study. For the speed of 60°/s, nine (33.3%) athletes had expected deficit on peak torque (Extension), fourteen (51.9%) had deficit on peak torque (Flexion), seven (25.9%) had deficit on total work (Extension) and twelve had deficit (44.4%) on total work (Flexion). For the speed of 180°/s, twelve athletes (42.9%) had expected deficit on peak torque (Extension), ten (35.7%) on peak torque (Flexion), five (17.9%) on total work (Extension) and ten (35.7%) on total work (flexion). When functional performance was compared by the Single Hop test and Star Excursion Balance Test between the individuals who had expected and significant deficits, statistically significant differences were not found (p>0.05).
Conclusion(s): It is concluded that those who showed significant deficits in the isokinetic evaluation do not have worse functional performance when compared to those who show expected deficits. Future studies with larger number of athletes are required to compare the isokinetic evaluation with functional tests.
Implications: The findings of this study suggest that deficits in isokinetic evaluation have no significance for the functional performance of soccer players. Such results reinforce the isokinetic dynamometer as a non-functional assessment tool and show that other tools should be used in the evaluation of professional athletes.
Funding acknowledgements: Program from Incentive of Research and Scientific Production (PROBIP) from State University of Goiás (UEG).
Topic: Sport & sports injuries
Ethics approval: Ethics Committee in humans of the Emergency Hospital of Goiania CEP / HUGO / SES (nº155.482 protocol)
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
