Pre-Season ACL Risk Classification of Professional and Semi-Professional Football Players, via a Proof-of-Concept Test Battery

This study aimed to identify football players at high risk (HR) for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury via a four-test battery and assess possible factors affecting classification. Ninety-one professional semi-professional male athletes participated in field-based pre-season screening. The cut-off points of the test were 10% acknowledged inter-limb asymmetry limit quadriceps hamstring isometric strength single-leg triple hop distance, addition upper 6 errors landing error scoring system (LESS). Additional assessment hip adductors core stability completed global functional profile players. Sixty-one identified as HR thirty low-risk (LR) ACL injury. Discriminant analysis showed that proposed classified accurately 78.0% them, with 91.8 sensitivity 61.9% specificity. Only four misclassified LR group inadequate treatment. All participants considered healthy, history previously rehabilitated did not interfere results. LESS seems be best predictor injury-risk grouping. Prone bridge time was also whole-body variable discriminating between groups. provides promising option needs studied prospectively.