Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test Reference Values for NCAA American Football

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanics
• Orthopedics

Background:

• The Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test (CKCUEST) is a validated measure for return-to-sport assessments.
• Established CKCUEST reference values exist for various sports, but specific data for NCAA American football players is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish normative CKCUEST reference values for NCAA American football players.
• To investigate the influence of player position, upper extremity injury history, academic year, and collegiate division on CKCUEST performance.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 80 NCAA football players from three universities.
• Data collected included player demographics, injury history, and CKCUEST performance (mean touches over three trials).
• Statistical analyses included ANOVA, post hoc Bonferroni tests, t-tests, and Pearson correlation coefficients.

Main Results:

• The average CKCUEST performance for NCAA football players was 27.3 touches.
• No significant differences in performance were found based on NCAA division, injury history, or academic year.
• Linemen (offensive and defensive) demonstrated significantly fewer touches (25.7) compared to non-linemen (28.1), with linebackers outperforming offensive linemen.

Conclusions:

• A reference value of 27 touches is proposed for the CKCUEST in NCAA football players.
• A minimal detectable change of two touches suggests a meaningful performance alteration.
• Positional differences, particularly lower performance in linemen, should be considered during return-to-sport evaluations.