Asymmetry thresholds for common screening tests and their effects on jump performance in professional soccer players

Context Arbitrary asymmetry thresholds are regularly used in professional soccer athletes, notwithstanding the sparse literature available to examine their prevalence. Objective To establish normative and positional asymmetry values for commonly used screening tests and investigate their relationships with jumping performance. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Elite soccer screening. Patients or Other Participants A total of 203 professional male soccer players. Main Outcome Measure(s) Bilateral and unilateral jumping; range of motion; and hamstrings (HAM), quadriceps (QUAD), and hip-adductor and -abductor strength tests were used to quantify asymmetry. Players were divided into 4 quartiles (Q1–Q4) based on the magnitude of their asymmetry for each test. Single composite scores were also developed to group tests by range of motion and HAM, QUAD, hip-adduction, and hip-abduction strength, and differences in jump performance were examined among players in each quartile. Results Large variability (range = 5.2%–14.5%) was evident in asymmetry scores across the different tests and physical qualities. Forwards displayed greater asymmetry in concentric quadriceps and eccentric hip-abduction strength (P < .05). The HAM and QUAD composite scores indicated that Q4 players jumps were shorter than than in other quartiles during a single-legged countermovement jump and 10-second hop (P < .05). No decrements in unilateral jump performance were shown among players in each quartile for range of motion or hip-adduction and -abduction strength, and no composite measures of asymmetry affected bilateral jump performance. Conclusions No single asymmetry threshold was present for all tests; the outcomes were task, variable, and population specific. Larger asymmetries in HAM and QUAD strength appeared to be detrimental to unilateral jump performance