Considerations For Selecting Field-Based Strength And Power Fitness Tests To Measure Asymmetries.

The prevalence of lower limb asymmetries has been reported in numerous studies; however, methodological differences exist in the way they can be detected. Strength and jumping-based tasks have been most commonly used to examine these differences across both athlete and non-athlete populations. The aim of this review was to critically analyze the utility of strength and jumping tests that are frequently used to measure asymmetry. Reliability, validity, and considerations for assessment are examined to enhance test accuracy and effectiveness in the quantification of asymmetries during strength and jumping-based tasks. Medline and SPORT Discus databases were used with specific search terms to identify relevant articles in both athlete and non-athlete populations. The findings of the current review indicate that assessing inter-limb differences during strength and jumping-based tasks may result in different levels of asymmetry; thus, inter-limb differences appear to be task-dependent. Consequently, quantification during both types of assessment is warranted and a selection of tests has been suggested to measure asymmetries in both strength and jumping-based tasks.