Can a Standardized Visual Assessment of Squatting Technique and Core Stability Predict Injury?

ABSTRACTO’Connor, S, McCaffrey, N, Whyte, EF, and Moran, KA. Can a standardized visual assessment of squatting technique and core stability predict injury? J Strength Cond Res 34(1)26–36, 2020—This study examined whether a standardized visual assessment of squatting technique and core stability can predict injury. Male adolescent and collegiate Gaelic players (n = 627) were assessed using the alternative core/trunk stability push-up test and a developed scoring system for the overhead squat and single-leg squat (SLS) that examined both overall impression and segmental criteria. A single summative score from the overall impression scores of all 3 tests was calculated. Sustained injuries were examined over a season. Results indicated that the single summative score did not predict those that sustained a lower-extremity injury, trunk injury, or whole-body injury, and receiver operating characteristic curves were also unable to generate an optimal cutoff point for prediction. When segmental criteria were included in multivariate analyses, the tests were able to predict whole-body injury (p < 0.0001) and lower-extremity injury (p < 0.0001). However, although specificity was high (80.6%, 76.5%), sensitivity of the models was low (40.2%, 44.2%). The most common score was “good” for the overhead squat (46.4%) and SLS (47.6%), and “good” and “excellent” for the alternative core stability push-up test (33.5%, 49.1%), with “poor” core stability increasing the odds of sustaining a lower-extremity injury (odds ratio = 1.52 [0.92–2.51]). The findings suggest that although segmental scoring could be incorporated by strength and conditioning coaches and clinicians, they should be used predominantly as a preliminary screening tool to highlight players requiring a more thorough assessment.