Relationship between lower limb asymmetries, impulsion and balance in senior football players

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Football is the most popular sport in the world and there are over 38 million players practicing it worldwide. In this sport, players usually have a prefered lower limb over other. This preference can lead to bilateral asymmetries and improve the risk of injury in the players. It is important to understand if asymmetries have an influence on athletes’ performance, on balance or impulsion. Objectives The main objective of this study is to evaluate the bilateral and unilateral asymmetries related to the lower limb muscle strength of individuals who practice senior football, and relate them to eventual impulse and balance deficits. Methodology 11 soccer players (age 21.91 ± 3.14 years; weight: 73.45 ± 7.59 Kg; height: 178.91 ± 8.02; BMI: 22.97 ± 2,12) were evaluated. The protocol defined in this study consisted of collecting data on maximum concentric torque at 60o/s, 180o/s and 300o/s in Biodex System 3. Both lower limbs were tested. Then the Y-balance test was performed on a force platform and the athletes’ flight time were recorded. We also calculated the bilateral deficit between the dominant lower limb and the non-dominant lower limb for the quadriceps and hamstrings and the hamstring/quadriceps (H/Q) ratio for each lower limb Results There were no statistically significant differences between the maximum torque produced by the dominant lower limb and the maximum force torque produced by the dominant lower limb (p < 0.05). The conventional I / Q ratio has values similar to those described in the literature. The relationship between bilateral asymmetry of lower limb strength, balance and impulsion was not statistically significant (p > 0.05) at any angular velocity. Conclusion There are no statistically significant differences between bilateral and unilateral asymmetries of lower limb strength, balance and impulsion.