Triple hop test distance, but not asymmetry, is associated with ankle sprains in elite adolescent volleyball players.

Background: We aimed to identify whether triple hop distance (THD) and asymmetry is associated with ankle injury in elite youth volleyballers.

Method: A convenience sample of 100 elite youth male volleyball players (age 15.06 ± 0.87 years, height 178.74 ± 5.71 cm, and weight 68.38 ± 6.37 kg) were followed up in this prospective cohort study. Pre-season triple hop measures were obtained in 100 elite youth male volleyball players, and ankle injuries were tracked across the 6-month season. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between triple hop distance and asymmetry and injury.

Results: Eighteen ankle injuries occurred during season. Greater hop distances on the dominant (odds ratio [OR] = 0.28, 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 0.13 to 0.61, p = 0.001; moderate effect) and non-dominant (OR = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.12 to 0.56, p = 0.001; moderate effect) limbs were associated with a lower incidence of injury, as was greater height-normalized distances on the dominant (OR = 0.10, 95% CI = 0.02 to 0.40, p = 0.001; large effect) and non-dominant (OR = 0.08, 95% CI = 0.02 to 0.33, p = < 0.001; large effect) limbs. However, there was no significant association with triple hop test absolute or normalized asymmetry (OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 0.06 to 24.90, p = 0.915; trivial effect) or limb symmetry index (OR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.87 to 1.01, p = 0.088; trivial effect) and injury risk.

Conclusion: Lower THD are associated with future ankle injuries in elite volleyballers. The THD potentially offers a simple, reliable, and effective screening tool that can be used in volleyball to identify players at a greater risk of injury before the season commences.