RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE LOWER QUARTER Y-BALANCE TEST SCORES AND ISOKINETIC STRENGTH TESTING IN PATIENTS STATUS POST ACL RECONSTRUCTION

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Imagine you could use an easy test, in the clinic, that was associated with peak knee strength, without needing isokinetic equipment. Now imagine it discriminated between sides. Now also imagine it was associated with hamstring and quadriceps ratio. Now also imagine it had reliability in many studies, and discriminated between individuals with increased risk of future injury across a wide range of body areas, sports, genders and age groups. Wouldn't that be powerful? That was the objective of Heather Myers and her reputable team of colleagues. They had an outpatient hospital-based sports medicine physical therapy clinic using both the Lower Quarter Y-Balance Test (LQ-YBT) and isokinetic equipment for testing peak torque. All they needed to do was look at their client evaluations and compare the numbers. Let's see what washed out.

METHODS

A clinic looked retrospectively at 45 clients undergoing ACL rehabilitation, between 5-12 months post-operatively, to compare performance on the LQ-YBT and isokinetic performance around knee flexion and extension peak torque. The tests were conducted within a week, not in the same order. Isokinetic testing was conducted in sitting, at 60, 180 and 240 degrees/second, and torque values at 60 degrees/second were used since this is commonly reported in the literature.

RESULTS

The involved leg showed moderate correlation between peak knee flexor torque and each of the three reach distances, as well as composite score. The correlation was weaker with the uninvolved leg. Similar results were seen correlating peak extensor torque, composite

Start free trial

to unlock full access to this review and 799 more

Or log in here