ArticlePloS one2024
Intra- and inter-limb strength imbalance and asymmetry in soccer: A comparison of elite senior and junior players.
Article in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Unilateral plyometric training effectively reduces lower limb asymmetry in athletes: a meta-analysis.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of Eight Weeks of Unilateral Complex Training on Musculoskeletal Function, Inter-Limb Strength Asymmetry, and Athletic Performance in Competitive Basketball Players.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Relationship between knee isokinetic muscle strength and countermovement jump performance in elite male football players.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Sport Expertise and Twitch-Derived Agonist-Antagonist Contractile Ratio in Karate Athletes.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2026Article
- Development and validation of a machine learning model for non-contact injury prediction based on lower limb strength asymmetry in professional football.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Acute Effects of a Mini-Trampoline Training Session for Improving Normalized Symmetry Index in Participants with Higher Baseline Inter-Limb Asymmetry.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Neuromuscular responses and inter-limb asymmetry in relation to external load across two sequential pre-season training camp contexts in soccer players.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Comparison of the methods for detecting lower limb asymmetries: isokinetic dynamometry vs. tensiomyography derived indices.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Limb strength asymmetries in elite academy volleyball players: impacts on performance outcomes and insights derived from principal component analysis.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2025Article
- Comparative Analysis of Mechanical Variables in Different Exercises Performed with a Rotational Inertial Device in Professional Soccer Players: A Pilot Study.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2025Article
- The effects of two preseason periodizations on peak torque of knee extensors and flexors of a Polish first league soccer team.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Mapping the Knowledge of Research Trends in Sports Performance Asymmetries from 2015 to 2024: A Bibliometric Study and Analysis of the Most-Cited Papers.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Knee Mechanics, Strength and Flexibility: Assessing Injury Risk in Female Adolescent Soccer Players.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2025Article
- Regulation of Joint Tissues and Joint Function: Is There Potential for Lessons to Be Learned Regarding Regulatory Control from Joint Hypermobility Syndromes?International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Reliability and reproducibility of the Kinvent K-push dynamometer for assessing quadriceps strength and force development in athletes and untrained individuals.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Evaluation of muscle strength imbalance can be an important element in optimizing the training process of soccer players. The purpose of the study was to examine isokinetic peak torque (PT) and total work (TW) exerted by both knee extensors (quadriceps or Q) and flexors (hamstrings or H), intra-limb imbalance and the magnitude and direction of inter-limb asymmetry in top elite senior (n = 109) and junior (n = 74) soccer players. An isokinetic dynamometry was used to measure maximum peak torque of quadriceps (PT-Q) and hamstrings (PT-H) at an angular velocity of 60° ·s-1, as well as the total work for extensors (TW-Q) and flexors (TW-H) at an angular velocity of 240° ·s-1 in the dominant (DL) and non-dominant leg (NDL) during concentric muscle contraction. Intra-limb imbalance and inter-limb asymmetries were calculated using a standard equation. Statistical analysis using t-test and Mann-Whitney U-test revealed: (a) no differences (p > 0.05) between groups for PT-Q and PT-H, (b) greater strength levels (p < 0.05) for TW-Q and TW-H of senior players than juniors, and (c) no differences (p > 0.05) between groups for intra-limb imbalance and inter-limb asymmetry. Additionally, Pearson's chi-kwadrat (χ2) analysis showed no differences (p > 0.05) between groups for intra-limb imbalance and inter-limb asymmetry in relation to the 'normative' values accepted in the literature that indicate an increase in the risk of knee injury. This study shows that isokinetic assessment can be an important tool to identify imbalances/asymmetries and to develop strategies to reduce the risk of muscle injury.
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