1 Before you use it
What it is
Stand on one leg and reach as far as possible with the other foot in three directions — anterior, posteromedial, posterolateral — without weight-bearing on it.
This is the green substitute for the Y-Balance Test, which is a trademarked commercial kit. Tape on the floor does the same job.
When to reach for it
Chronic ankle instability, after lateral ankle sprain, sinus tarsi syndrome and patellar instability — as the progression beyond single-leg stance and before reactive tasks.
It sits at the right point in the ladder: static balance → dynamic reach → planned agility → reactive.
2 Giving it
Scoring
Measure reach distance in each direction, normalise to limb length (ASIS to medial malleolus), report as a percentage, and compute a composite. Three practice trials per direction — there is a real learning effect.
Report side-to-side asymmetry, which is usually the finding that matters.
What it doesn’t measure
Reactive or unplanned control, which is where ankles and patellae actually fail. SEBT is planned and self-paced.
Repeat it
3 Reading the score
Interpreting it
The anterior reach asymmetry is the one most often discussed in the ankle literature, and it is what an ankle with limited dorsiflexion produces.
Is the change real?
On placement
Chronic ankle instability, 8 weeks of training. SEBT posteromedial reach 78% of limb length at intake on the unstable side, 88% today; the other side 92% both times. Three practice trials per direction.
Read it as 10 percentage points, over the 8.15%-of-limb-length MDC for posteromedial reach (measured in chronic ankle instability). Real. The asymmetry has closed from 14 to 4 points, and asymmetry is the finding that matters.
Do keep the anterior reach on the record too — it is the direction limited dorsiflexion shows in. Re-test at 12 weeks, same practice trials.
Student trap. Not normalising to limb length. Raw centimetres can't be compared between people, and half the point is the comparison.
Official source: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. We don't host the form.
This is a learning tool. It does not diagnose patients and does not replace your clinical educator.
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CliniStudy is in beta. One tap is enough — it decides what gets fixed first.