Injury prevalence, stability and balance among female adolescent soccer players

Abstract

Poor balance is a risk factor for injury in adolescent sport including soccer. There has been a rapid growth in female adolescent soccer especially in South Africa, yet the association between balance and injury in this population has not been fully explored. This study determined the relationship between static balance as measured by the Sway Index (SI), dynamic balance as measured by Limits of Stability Direction Control (LOS) and injury. Injury prevalence and the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and static/dynamic balance were also determined. Eighty adolescent female soccer players, between the ages of 14-18 years were recruited through convenience sampling from schools in the eThekwini district of KwaZulu-Natal. Height, weight, Sway Index (SI) and Limits of Stability Direction Control (LOS) readings were measured using a stadiometer, electronic scale and Biodex Biosway Portable Balance System (Biodex Medical Systems Inc., Shirley, New York) respectively. Only 27.5% of the participants sustained one or more injuries when playing soccer. The OR suggests that an injured player with poor SI is 1.44 times more likely to be injured than one with good SI. Significant correlations (p <= 0.05) between BMI and SI were noted. This study revealed that poor static and dynamic balance is associated with injury in adolescent female soccer players.