Star Excursion Balance Test
The Star Excursion Balance Test was developed to be a reliable measure of dynamic stability.
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By Owen Walker
02 Oct 2016 | 5 min read
Contents of Article
The Star Excursion Balance Test was developed to be a reliable measure of dynamic stability. Since then, it has proven to be a sensitive indicator of lower limb injury risk in a variety of populations. To add to this, the Star Excursion Balance Test has been shown to have high-levels of intrarater test-retest reliability, though no validity coefficients have been studied.
Keywords: Star excursion balance test, dynamic balance, injury risk, composite score.
The Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) is a relatively simple, but somewhat time intensive, test used to measure dynamic balance, otherwise known as dynamic postural control (1). It measures dynamic balance by challenging athletes to balance on one leg and reach as far as possible in eight different directions (2). Though the SEBT is very similar to the Y Balance TestTM, it is important to understand that these are in fact different, with the Y Balance TestTM being a newer and condensed version of the SEBT.
Performance on the SEBT has been shown to differentiate between individuals with lower limb conditions such as chronic ankle instability (3-10), patellofemoral pain (11), and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (12). To add to this, the SEBT is even capable of assessing improvements in dynamic balance following training interventions (13, 14).
Perhaps the SEBT greatest talent is its ability to identify athletes with a higher risk of lower limb injury. For example, an anterior reach asymmetry of greater than 4cm during the SEBT has been suggested to predict which individuals are at higher risk of lower limb injury (15). However, other researchers have found that only female athletes with a composite score of less than 94% of limb length were at greater risk of injury (15). More recent research in collegiate American football players has shown that athletes with a composite score of less 90% are 3.5 times more likely to sustain an injury (16). All of this information suggests that each sport and population (e.g. gender) appear to have their own injury risk cut-off point (15, 16).
Balance, otherwise known as ‘postural control’, can be defined statically as the ability to maintain a base of support with minimal movement, and dynamically as the ability to perform a task while maintaining a stable position (17, 18). In a chaotic sporting environment, the ability to maintain a stable position is vital not only for successful application of the skill but to also reduce the likelihood of injury (15, 16, 19). As dynamic balance is an integral part of performance, and poor balance is related to higher risk of injury (20, 21, 15), then it may be of great interest to test and monitor an athlete’s dynamic stability.
It is important to understand that whenever fitness testing is performed, it must be done so in a consistent environment (e.g. facility) so that it is protected from varying weather types, and with a dependable surface that is not affected by wet or slippery conditions. If the environment is not consistent, the reliability of repeated tests at later dates can be substantially hindered and result in worthless data.
Required Equipment
Before the start of the test, it is important to ensure you have the following items:
Test Configuration
Video 1 displays the test configuration for the SEBT. This setup must be adhered to if accurate and reliable data is desired. The test administrator should stick four 120cm lengths of sticky tape on to the floor, intersecting in the middle, and with the lines placed at 45O angles (2) – as seen in Video 1.
Credit goes to Lauren Bessent
Test Procedure
Warm-up
Conducting the test
NOTE: Failed attempts include the following:
With the test complete and all performances measured and recorded, the test administrator can then calculate the athlete’s SEBT performance scores using the following simple equations (17):
These calculations should be performed for both the right and left leg in each direction, providing you with a total of 16 scores per athlete.
Though no validity coefficients are available for the SEBT, authors (23) have provided evidence that the SEBT is sensitive for screening various musculoskeletal injuries (17). Furthermore, high intratester reliability has been found for the SEBT (intraclass correlation coefficients = 0.78 – 0.96) (24).
Some coaches believe that reading one article will make them an expert on Performance Testing. Here’s why they’re wrong…
Performance Testing entails many, many topics. By choosing to simply read up on The Star Excursion Balance Test and ignore the sea of other crucial Performance Testing topics, you run the risk of being detrimental to your athlete’s success and not realising your full potential.
To make you an expert coach and make your life as easy as possible, we highly suggest you now check out this article on The Landing Error Scoring System (LESS).
Reference List (click here to open)
Owen Walker MSc CSCS
Founder and Director of Science for Sport
Owen is the founder and director of Science for Sport. He was formerly the Head of Academy Sports Science and Strength & Conditioning at Cardiff City Football Club, and an interim Sports Scientist for the Welsh FA. He also has a master’s degree in strength and conditioning and is a NSCA certified strength and conditioning coach.
Learn how to effectively carry out tests on your athletes without spending a penny. You’ll master performance testing, field tests, gym tests and more for free.