Abstract
Asymmetries in mobility, stability, and strength may negatively impact the ability of law enforcement officers (LEOs) to perform occupational tasks optimally and may potentially increase their risk of injury. While there is a growing body of research highlighting current health and fitness trends in LEOs, analyses of biomechanical risk factors such as joint asymmetry are sporadic. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine if bilateral imbalances in strength, mobility and stability were present throughout the kinetic chain in active-duty LEOs. METHODS: Twenty-two active male LEOs (40.5 ± 9.4 y, 178.3 ± 6.9 cm, 93.5 ± 11.7 kg) volunteered to complete measures of hang grip (HG) using a hand-held dynamometer, upper-quadrant and lower-quadrant Y-balance testing (YBT-UQ and YBT-LQ, respectively) using a standard Y-balance kit, ankle dorsi flexion (ADF) using a digital clinometer, and shoulder mobility (SM) using the protocol from an established movement screening tool. All participants were medically cleared and had no current injuries. Scores for the dominant (D) and non-dominant (ND) side were compared for each test using paired t-tests through SPSS version 30 (IBM Corp) software with an alpha significance of p < 0.05. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the D and ND limb scores for HG, YBT-UQ, YBT-LQ and ADF scores (p > 0.05). There was a significant difference observed in D and ND sides for SM (t[21] = 3.464, p = 0.03), coupled with a moderate to high effect size for this relationship (Cohen’s d = 0.74). CONCLUSION: The lone presence of SM asymmetry suggests that LEOs who reported no current injuries do not have a high prevalence of asymmetries throughout the kinetic chain. Although the cause of this asymmetry was not studied here, the SM asymmetry may be related to the unilateral upper body demands of their occupational tasks.
Recommended Citation
Mendes, Juliana; Pottorf, Ofra; Zalot, Andrew; Finkelstein, Jake; Ghigiarelli, Jamie; Heffren, Madison; Zincke, Joshua; and Sell, Katie
(2025)
"Investigation of Mobility, Stability, and Strength Asymmetries Along the Kinetic Chain in Law Enforcement Officers,"
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 15:
Iss.
7, Article 17.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol15/iss7/17