Y balance test: preditor de risco de lesões em jogadores amadores de basquete

Abstract

Basketball is a sport that places high physical demands on its players, especially on the lower limbs. This sport, combined with a lack of physical conditioning and preventive monitoring, can expose amateur athletes to the risk of injury. This study aimed to analyze whether the Y Balance Test can predict the risk of injury in amateur basketball players, considering the relationship between functional performance, balance, and postural control in the context of the biomechanical and functional demands of the sport. This is a quantitative field study with an observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional design, approved by the Ethics and Research Committee under opinion number: 7.720.116. It was developed with 27 amateur basketball players through the application of a sociodemographic questionnaire, data collection on sports practice, and Y Balance Test results. The results indicated that, although no statistically significant differences were found between the lower limbs in the three directions of the Y Balance Test (p>0.05), a considerable portion of the players exhibited asymmetries greater than 4 cm, a value considered a relevant indicator of a higher risk of injury. Furthermore, most participants had a composite score below the threshold of 89%, which is indicated as a sign of greater functional vulnerability. This suggests that these athletes may be more exposed to demands that increase the risk of injury, although this has not been statistically confirmed in this study. Overall, the results emphasize the importance of systematic functional assessment and preventive strategies focused on stability, strengthening, and neuromuscular control. In addition, they indicate that future research should include larger samples and longitudinal follow-up to further explore the relationship between YBT performance and injury risk.