A comparison of star excursion balance test reach distances between ACL deficient patients and asymptomatic controls

ACL injury has been associated with a decrease in proprioceptive performance and specifically posturalcontrol. Tests of postural control have been criticised for not being sufficiently challenging. The Star ExcursionBalance Test (SEBT) has been proposed to offer sufficient challenge to be a sensitive test for detectingperformance deficits related to pathology. The purpose of this study was to determine if decrements SEBTreach distance is associated with ACL deficiency (ACLD). Twenty five ACLD patients ACLD (17 male and 8female, mean age 30 (SD 4.5) years) and twenty five matched controls were examined carrying out the SEBT.Factorial ANOVA showed the main effects of limb (p=0.006) and direction (pb0.001) and interaction of limband direction (p=0.015) all had significant differences between the groups. Further analysis revealedsignificant differences between the control group and the ACLD limb for the limb movement directions ofanterior (p=0.0032), lateral (p=0.005), posterior-medial (p=0.0024) and medial (p=0.001). There were alsosignificant differences between the control limbs and uninjured limb of the patients for the directions ofmedial (p=0.001) and lateral (p=0.001). ACLD patients appear to have deficiencies in their dynamic posturalcontrol when compared to normal asymptomatic subjects. Interestingly, in the ACLD patients, their uninjuredleg show deficits compared to the control in two of the four directions the ACLD leg was deficient, this maybe indicative of a postural control deficit in these patients, which may have predisposed to the ACL injury andwould warrant further study