Upper-Extremity Physical-Performance Tests in College Athletes

Context: Physical-performance tests (PPTs) are commonly used in rehabilitation and injury-prevention settings, yet normative values of upper-extremity PPTs have not been established in high-level athletes. Objective: To establish normative data values for the Closed Kinetic Chain Upper-Extremity Stability Test (CKCUEST) and Upper-Quarter Y-Balance Test (UQYBT) in college athletes and compare results between sports and to analyze the relationship between the 2 tests. Design: Observational. Setting: Laboratory/athletic facility. Participants: 257 (118 male, 139 female) Division I athletes participating in basketball, soccer, baseball, lacrosse, volleyball, track and field, and cross-country. Intervention: CKCUEST and UQYBT scores were recorded as part of a comprehensive injury-risk screening battery. Main Outcome Measure: Pearson correlations assessed the relationship between all measures of the CKCUEST and UQYBT. A factorial ANOVA and a repeated-measures ANOVA (arm dominance) were used to assess interactions between sex, year in school, and sport for CKCUEST and UQYBT scores. Results: Normative values for the CKCUEST and UQYBT were established for 9 men's and women's college sports. No significant relationships were found between PPT scores. Men scored significantly higher than women for the CKCUEST (P=.002) and UQYBT (P=.010). Baseball players scored significantly higher than athletes from all other sports for the UQYBT (P<.001) but showed nonsignificant trends of lower scores for the CKCUEST than lower-extremity-dominant athletes such as runners (P=.063) and lacrosse players (P=.058). Conclusions: Results suggest that average CKCUEST and UQYBT scores in Division I athletes are distinct from those previously reported in recreationally active populations and that performance differences exist between sexes and sports. In addition, the CKCUEST and UQYBT appear to measure different constructs of performance and may complement each other as part of a screening battery.