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Introduction The ankle has the highest incidence of soccer injuries (17 to 20% of injuries), which can cause personal and professional losses for the athlete. Ankle stability is due to a number of mechanisms, such as muscle control between agonists and antagonists, proprioception, balance, and muscle strength. If there are changes in any of these mechanisms, there is an increased risk of ankle injuries. Objective The purpose of this study was to analyze the ankle function of amateur and professional soccer players in the preseason, using Y Balance Test (YBT) and Dorsiflexion Lunge Test (DLT), observing possible functional deficits in this sample, and subsequently analyzing the relationship of results between the functional tests in this population. Methods A total of 107 soccer players were assessed, of whom 36 were amateur and 71 professional athletes. The volunteers initially underwent history taking, followed by a 5-minute warm-up on a stationary bicycle then the YBT and DLT functional tests. Results There was no significant difference in the DLT between dominant and non-dominant limbs in amateur and professional athletes. There was also no significant difference in the YBT between dominant and non-dominant limbs of amateur athletes, but there was a significant difference between dominant and non-dominant limbs in professional athletes. There was no correlation between the tests when the dominant and non-dominant limbs of the sample were analyzed. Conclusion The weak relationship between the functional tests indicates that both tests are recommended for athletes in clinical practice, since they serve as tools to assess different functional deficits. Level of Evidence III - Case-control study.

Background: Etiologically, the risk of an ankle injury depends on extrinsic and intrinsic factors, such as muscle strength asymmetry, decreased flexibility, and decreased proprioception, as well as patient age and history of injuries. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors present in the preseason assessment that may predispose professional soccer players to ankle injuries. We hypothesized that analysis of these parameters could relate the incidence of injuries to the deficits found during the preseason period, enabling the identification of risk factors to predict the occurrence of injuries. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: A total of 89 professional soccer athletes were evaluated in the preseason period; the evaluation included athlete history and anthropometric data collection, an isokinetic ankle evaluation, and functional tests: the Dorsiflexion Lunge Test and Y-Balance Test (YBT). The athletes were monitored during the competitive period, and the incidence of injuries was surveyed. The association of quantitative variables and injury outcomes was analyzed using the Student t test for independent samples, with P < .05. For the association of categorical variables and injury outcomes, the chi-square test was performed, with P < .05. Results: A higher incidence of ankle injuries was associated with lower YBT scores in the dominant ( P = .04) and nondominant ( P = .01) limbs. A higher body mass index was also associated with a higher injury occurrence ( P = .01). Conclusion: Functional tests, such as the YBT, are indicated tools for assessing the physical capacities and possible risks of ankle sprains, as they can evaluate the ankle functional capacity in a complex way, identifying athletes more prone to ankle injuries. Athletes’ body mass index should also be taken into account to prevent such injuries.

Manoel, L. S. Identificação de fatores de risco de lesões de tornozelo em jogadores profissionais de futebol por meio de uma avaliação funcional no período prétemporada 2019. 71f. Tese

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