Relationship between Lower Extremity Tightness and Star Excursion Balance Test Performance in Junior High School Baseball Players

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between lower extremity tightness and lower extremity balance, measured by the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), in junior high school baseball players. [Subjects] Thirty-three male students belonging to baseball clubs in 2 junior high schools participated in this study. [Methods] For the SEBT, we chose to examine the anterior (ANT), posterior (POS), lateral (LAT), and medial (MED) directions. Regarding muscle tightness measurement, the angle of each joint of the bilateral iliopsoas, quadriceps, hamstring, gastrocnemius, hip internal rotator, and hip external rotator was measured. [Results] The ANT direction of the SEBT was significantly negatively correlated with gastrocnemius tightness. The MED direction of the SEBT was significantly positively correlated with hip internal rotator tightness and hamstrings tightness and significantly negatively correlated with gastrocnemius tightness. The LAT direction of the SEBT was significantly negatively correlated with iliopsoas tightness and gastrocnemius tightness. [Conclusion] Since the rate of upper extremity injury is high in these subjects and this could be due to tightness and instability of the lower extremity from a kinetic viewpoint, the SEBT could be used as a standard evaluation test when examining upper extremity injuries in young baseball players.