Training & Conditioning April 2007

Test Identifies Injury Risk
Fate, karma, or plain old bad luck—these are often blamed when an athlete gets hurt. But a recent study suggests that some lower-body injuries are more predictable than previously thought, and that a simple five-minute test could determine who is most at risk.

Phil Plisky, PT, DSc, OCS, ATC/L, CSCS, Residency Program Director and Senior Physical Therapist at ProRehab PC in Evansville, Ind., led a study that examined high school basketball players’ risk of ankle sprains, ligament tears, and other common leg injuries. Tracking 235 players during the 2004-05 season, Plisky and his colleagues found the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) was a reliable method for identifying who was most likely to suffer a lower-body injury.