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BASELINE EXAMINATION OF LOWER LIMB DIFFERENCES AMONG ROTC CADETS AS MEASURED BY A Y-BALANCE TEST

Abstract

E. Chavez, N. Martonick, L. Krumpl, J.P. Bailey

University of Idaho, Moscow, ID

High physical demand is required of all enlisted members, making physical fitness an essential aspect of military readiness. Musculoskeletal injuries (MSKIs) directly impact combat, occupational, and task readiness. MSKIs also have a heavy financial burden on service members and the US government. Previous MSKIs is the leading risk factor for MSKIs; other factors include bilateral movement imbalances. Thus, bilateral imbalances may interest the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) due to the increased physical workload demands on the musculoskeletal (MSK) system. PURPOSE: To examine bilateral lower quartile Y-balance test scores among multiple branches of ROTC. METHODS: Members from Army (n=4), Airforce (n=11), Marines (n=5), and Navy (n=8) ROTC participated in lower limb Y-balance testing as part of their baseline testing for a longitudinal tracking study. Participants began with a five-minute self-selected warm-up. Following the warm-up, participants were instructed to perform the lower quartile reaching task in three directions (anterior, posterior-medial, posterior-lateral) with both lower limbs. Participants completed six practice trials of each directional reach test for each lower limb. After completing the practice trials, participants were given six attempts to perform three “good” trials. All participants conducted the lower quartile reach test barefoot. Limb and Group differences were assessed using 2*4 mixed model ANOVAs. Post Hoc analysis used One-way ANOVAs for group with alpha = 0.05. RESULTS: No interactions for Limb*Group and no group differences across all directions and composite scores (p>0.05; Table 1) were found. CONCLUSION: Baseline examination did not show any significant lower limb bilateral asymmetries among collegiate ROTC cadets or their respective military branches. Further analysis needs to be completed to identify how these values, combined with their military fitness scores, can predict MSKI risk.

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Table 1.docx (14 kB)
Table 1

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