Agonist and antagonist strength of ankle musculature in basketball players aged 12 to 17 years

Abstract

Muscle strength and balance around the lower limb joints may play an important role for performance and injury prevention in basketball. The purpose of this study was to examine isokinetic "functional" and "conventional" torque ratios around the ankle joint in young basketball players. One hundred and eighty males from 12 to 17 years old (30 persons per age group) performed maximum concentric and eccentric efforts of the plantar and dorsiflexors at 30 degrees center dot s(-1) and 90 degrees center dot s(-1). Three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) designs indicated that the absolute isokinetic plantar and dorsiflexion strength increased (P < 0.05) from 12 to 15 years and then demonstrated a plateau until 17 years old. When the isokinetic strength was normalized relative to body mass the only difference was found between the 16-17 and 12-13 year-olds. Two-way ANOVAs indicated non-significant effects of chronological age on all reciprocal muscle group ratios suggesting uniformity in the development of peak isokinetic torque of plantar and dorsiflexors throughout the developmental ages. Coaches and physical therapists may use this information when evaluating and planning exercise programs of ankle musculature during training and rehabilitation.