Simplifying the Star Excursion Balance Test: Analyses of Subjects With and Without Chronic Ankle Instability

The objectives of this study are: (1) to perform factor analyses on data from the 8 components of the star excursion balance test (SEBT) in subjects with and without chronic ankle instability (CAI) in an effort to reduce the number of components of the SEBT, (2) to assess the relationships between performance of the different reach directions using correlation analyses, and (3) to determine which components of the SEBT are most affected by CAI.

The SEBT is a series of 8 lower-extremity-reaching tasks purported to be useful in identifying lower extremity functional deficits. METHODS AND MEASURES: Forty-eight young adults with unilateral CAI (22 males, 26 females; mean +/- SD age, 20.9 +/- 3.2 years; mean +/- SD height, 173.6 +/- 11.1 cm; mean +/- SD mass, 80.1 +/- 22.1 kg) and 39 controls (23 males, 16 females; mean +/- SD age, 20.7 +/- 2.4 years; mean +/- SD height, 174.1 +/- 12.9 cm; mean +/- SD mass, 75.1 +/- 18.6 kg) performed 3 trials of the 8 tasks with each of their limbs. Separate exploratory factor analyses were performed on data for involved limbs of the CAI group, uninvolved limbs of the CAI and control groups, and both limbs of the CAI and control groups. Pearson product moment correlations were calculated to identify the relationships between the different reach directions. A series of eight 2 x 2 analyses of variance were calculated to determine the influence of group (CAI, control) and side (involved, uninvolved) on performance of the 8 tasks.