AUTHOR=Bastiere Julie , Lussiana Thibault , Young Damien , Gindre Cyrille , Mourot Laurent 

TITLE=Persistence and activity levels of primitive reflexes in young high-level football players

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sports and Active Living

VOLUME=Volume 6 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2024.1409257

DOI=10.3389/fspor.2024.1409257

ISSN=2624-9367

ABSTRACT=Primitive reflexes (PR) induce involuntary automatic movements in response to specific stimuli. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of active PR in young high-level football players. Sixty-nine National level football players from a French academy have been tested (17.0 ± 1.4 years; 69.6 ± 8.0 kg; 178.9 ± 6.9 cm) to evaluate the persistence of PR, following the methodology of the Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology (INPP) and the classification by a global score (GS). Based on the sum of 7 tests, each were rated between 0=null and 4=max. The GS is classified into 5 categories from no activity to maximal (0 -1 = no activity, 2 -7 = low, 8 -13 = medium, 14 -21 = high, and 22 -28 = maximal). Around two-thirds (68.1%) of players presented active PR at different activity levels. Amongst them, a low proportion (7.2%) had medium GS, while 60.9% had a low GS. The GS was not dependent on field position or the age of the players (p>0.05). However, playing football in an age category higher than their own was associated with significantly more active primitive reflexes (PR) compared to being in their age category (p<0.01). The results showed that 72.7% of "upgraded" football players had low GS, and 18.2% had medium GS, compared to 55.3% and 2.1% in the non-upgraded group. The findings of the current study demonstrate that in a healthy population of high-level football players, PR could still be active. Practicing a single sport for years and upgrading players could create a negative environment that can ultimately lead to the activation of otherwise integrated PR.