Professional Documents
Culture Documents
about the
AUTHOR Assessing Athletic Balance with
Jason Brumitt is an
instructor of physical
the Star Excursion Balance Test
C
therapy at Pacific oaches and sports medicine professionals gener- Anterior
University in Hillsboro, ally agree that athletes should possess good bal-
Oregon. He is a board ance in order to be successful at their sport. The term Anteromedial Anterolateral
The Star Excursion of a “+”. Place the remaining two strips on the floor in-
Balance Test tersecting the “+” at 45° angles (forming an “x”).
State-of-the-art computerized balance machines can
To initiate testing, stand on one leg at the center of
be used to identify asymmetries in athletic individuals.
the “star” (figure 2). Reach with the opposite leg in a
However, most high schools and colleges are unable to
particular direction as far as possible, touching the tape
afford the high price tag associated with these machines.
with either the forefoot or toes (figure 3 & 4). A tester
There is a low tech, inexpensive option called the Star
should then mark this point for future measurement
Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) which can be utilized
(1). Return to the starting position after each reaching
by coaches and sports medicine professionals to quickly
trial. Repeat a test if unable to maintain balance on the
assess an athlete’s dynamic balance (1, 2).
stance leg during the reaching motion or if the reaching
The SEBT is proving to be an effective tool in predict- leg is used to provide support during the test (1). Tests
ing injury risk. Researchers from Rocky Mountain Uni- should be performed in all eight motions to allow for
versity of Health Professions (Provo, Utah) found that side-to-side comparisons.
high school basketball players with asymmetrical reach
distances (as little as 4 centimeters) had a greater risk of
Balance and
experiencing a lower extremity injury (2).
Movement Training
The “star” can also be effectively incorporated into a
Constructing and training or rehabilitation program. If an asymmetry is
Performing the SEBT presented, reaching or movement patterns may be per-
The “star” is easy to construct and requires minimal formed in the challenging direction. Figure 5 demon-
space (figure 1). First, cut athletic tape into four 6 to strates how to perform a functional movement pattern
8-foot strips (1). Lay two strips on the floor in the shape to address a posterior movement dysfunction.
Conclusion
The SEBT is gaining popularity for both its ease of
use in clinical settings and its reliability in research.
The potential uses of the SEBT are only limited by
the coach’s or clinician’s imagination.
References
1. Hertel, J, Miller, SJ, Denegar, CR. Intratester and
intertester reliability during the star excursion
balance tests. J Sport Rehab 9:104 – 116, 2000.
Figure 2. SEBT Starting Position Figure 3. Reaching with the right leg Figure 4. Reaching with the right leg
in the anterolateral direction. in the posteromedial direction.