The Impact of an External Load of Football Equipment on Dynamic Balance as Assessed by the Modified Star Excursion Balance Test

Ankle sprains are common injuries, especially for football players, and may result in ankle instability, which can limit performance and increase injury risk. Ankle stability return to play criteria is often assessed under loaded conditions, even though previous research suggests loaded conditions affect dynamic balance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate dynamic balance under loaded conditions. A modified Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), incorporating anterior, posterior medial and posterior lateral reach directions under the loaded condition of NCAA Division III football equipment was evaluated. Thirty male collegiate football players completed the modified SEBT under loaded and non-loaded conditions. Scores for the three reach directions on the SEBT were computed for loaded and non-loaded conditions. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare reach directions under loaded and non-loaded. Under loaded conditions, participants had significantly shorter posterior lateral reach distances for the left (98.05 ± 12.73 cm vs. 89.30 ± 10.45 cm, p = 0.00) and right (103.77 ± 12.78 cm vs. 99.07 ± 13.50 cm, p = 0.00) legs and significantly shorter reach distances for the right leg in both the anterior direction (84.58 ± 5.64 cm vs. 80.57 ± 13.73 cm, p = 0.02) and composite dynamic balance score (105.99 ± 12.99 vs. 102.30 ± 14.28, p = 0.009). The addition of 6.2 kg of external load significantly affected dynamic balance assessed by the modified Star Balance Excursion Test. These findings suggest that return to support assessments should involve sport-specific conditions when determining readiness of return to play.