A Narrative Review of Limb Dominance: Task Specificity and the Importance of Fitness Testing

Abstract

Virgile, A and Bishop, C. A narrative review of limb dominance: Task specificity and the importance of fitness testing. J Strength Cond Res 35(3): 846-858, 2021-Preferential limb function must be sustained through repetitious asymmetrical activities for continuous athletic development and, ultimately, optimal athletic performance. As such, the prevalence of limb dominance and between-limb differences is common in athletes. Severe between-limb differences have been associated with reductions in athletic performance and increased injury risk in athletes. However, in the current literature, the terms limb preference and limb dominance have been used interchangeably. Together, these terms include a limb that is subjectively preferred and one that is objectively dominant in 1 or more performance measures from a variety of athletic tasks. In this review, we (a) discuss reported correspondence between task-specific limb preference and limb dominance outcomes in athletes, (b) provide greater context and distinction between the terms limb preference and limb dominance, and (c) offer pragmatic strategies for practitioners to assess context-specific limb dominance. A limb that is subjectively preferred is not necessarily objectively dominant in 1 or more athletic qualities or sport-specific tasks. Further to this, a limb that is objectively superior in 1 task may not exhibit such superiority in a separate task. Thus, limb preference and limb dominance are both task-specific. As such, we propose that practitioners intentionally select tasks for limb dominance assessment which resemble the most relevant demands of sport. Because limb dominance profiles are inconsistent, we suggest that practitioners increase assessment frequency by integrating limb dominance testing into standard training activities. This will allow practitioners to better understand when changes reflect sport-specific adaptation vs. potential performance or injury ramifications.