Performance in the Deep Squat Test and musculoskeletal injuries: a systematic review

Abstract Introduction: The Deep Squat Test has been applied in pre-season evaluations of sports teams and in military courses to predict the risk of musculoskeletal injuries. Objective: To evaluate the association of DS performance and the risk of musculoskeletal injuries. Methods: In this systematic review, a search without language or time filters was carried out in MEDLINE, SciELO, SCOPUS, SPORTDiscuss, CINAHL and BVS databases with the following title words: injury prediction, injury risk and deep squat in December 2016. Participants' profile, sample size, classification of musculoskeletal injuries, follow-up time, study design and results were extracted from the studies. Bias risk analysis was performed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Results: Five studies were included, using different analyzes, whose results varied. Odds ratio ranged from 1.21 to 2.59 (95% CI = 1.01 - 3.28); relative risk was 1.68 (95% CI = 1.50 - 1.87), sensitivity from 3 to 24%, specificity from 90 to 99%, PPV from 42 to 63%, NPV from 72 to 75% and AUC from 51 to 58%. Conclusion: The DS can be a test whose presence of movement dysfunctions is a predictor of the risk of musculoskeletal injuries in individuals who practice physical exercises. However, due to the methodological limitations presented, caution is suggested when interpreting such results. PROSPERO registration: CRD4201706922.