An assessment of Y balance test in adolescent female handball players with chronic ankle instability.

Background: Chronic instability of the ankle joint may contribute to reduction of balance ability in teenager handball players. Therefore, the main goal of the study was to determine whether the female handball players with chronic instability of the ankle joint will obtain lower values in Y test, as compared with their healthy peers. Material and Methods: The sample comprised a group of 40 teenager handball players aged 15-18 years. The competitors were qualified for the study based on the total value obtained from Cumberland Ankle Joint Instability Test (CAIT). The participants were assessed based on their body balance using Y balance test. Results: The group with chronic ankle joint instability (CAI) obtained a statistically significant lower value from Y test as compared with the control group in the direction: forward, the right and next, the left lower limb by 102% (MD: 11.5, 95% PU:6.2-16. 8) the right lower limb, 6.5% (MD: 10.0, 95% CI:5.7-14,2) the left lower limb in the backward lateral direction of Y test, by 9.2% (MD: 9.6, 95% CI:5.1-14,1) the right lower limb and 5% (MD: 5.8, 95% PU:2.4-9,1) the left lower limb. A statistically significant asymmetry between the groups was noted for the forward direction, CAI group obtained an asymmetry greater by 2.6 cm as compared with the control group. Moreover, CAI group obtained (MD: 7.3, 95% CI:4.2-10.4) lower value of the complex Y test by15.7% as compared with the control group. The teenager female handball players with CAI obtained statistically lower values from the Y balance test. Handball competitors obtained results indicating asymmetry in the forward direction, from Y test. Conclusions: The study confirmed the potential of Y balance test for the assessment of functional deficits in teenager female handball players with CAI.