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

Introduction: 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. Methodology: Sixty-nine national-level football players from a French academy were 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 seven tests, each was rated between 0 = null and 4 = max. The GS is classified into five categories from no activity to maximal (0-1 = no activity, 2-7 = low, 8-13 = medium, 14-21 = high, and 22-28 = maximal). Result: Around two-thirds (68.1%) of players presented active PR at different activity levels. Among them, a small 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. Discussion: The findings of the current study demonstrate that PR could still be active in a healthy population of high-level football players. 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.