Hop Test

Original Editor - Yvonne Yap Top Contributors - Yvonne Yap, Nupur Smit Shah, Wanda van Niekerk, Fasuba Ayobami, Kim Jackson, Lucinda hampton and Kirenga Bamurange Liliane

Objective

A series of hop tests are routinely used in the assessment for return to sports post-injury, be it an ankle sprain or anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. They are both functional and quantitative, allowing a measurement of power and strength of the affected to unaffected leg.

1. Single hop test
2. Triple hop test
3. Crossover hop test
4. 6 meter timed hop test

Insert picture of tests

Carrying out the hop tests

Single hop test

In this test, the aim is to jump as far as possible on a single leg, without losing balance and landing firmly. The goal is to have a less than 10% difference in hop distance between the injured limb and uninjured limb.

Triple hop test

In the triple hop test, the aim is to jump as far as possible on a single leg three consecutive times, without losing balance and landing firmly. The goal is to have a less than 10% difference in hop distance between the injured limb and uninjured limb.

Crossover hop test

In the crossover hop test, the aim is to jump as far as possible on a single leg three consecutive times, without losing balance and landing firmly. Between each hop, the athlete has to jump across a midline, hence including side-to-side movement in this test. The goal is to have a less than 10% difference in hop distance between the injured limb and uninjured limb.

6 meter timed hop test

In the 6 meter timed hop test, the aim is to jump as fast as possible on a single leg over a distance of 6 meters, without losing balance and landing firmly. The goal is to have a less than 10% time difference in hop distance between the injured limb and uninjured limb.

Evidence

It is recommended that an athlete has to score >90% on the tests to have a reduced risk of reinjury or injury. Quality of take-off and landing mechanics should also be assessed, on top of quantitive scores.

The hop tests are also not used as standalone in return to sports, Recent research has shown that RTS should be based on meeting key performance criteria, rather than just timeline after an injury.

Other functional tests commonly included in return to sports include the T-test for agility, shuttle runs, beep tests as well as static tests of range of motion of affected joint, strength and power.

Validity

Even with meeting the criteria for the hop tests, there is still a chance of an injury again. However, the risk of reinjury is much lower should these criteria be met.

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