Asymmetry of Muscle Mass Distribution and Grip Strength in Professional Handball Players.

Marcin Lijewski,Jadwiga Pietraszewska,Anna Burdukiewicz,Aleksandra Stachoń,Justyna Andrzejewska

doi:10.3390/ijerph18041913

Abstract

Handball is among the disciplines that impose a significant degree of asymmetry on the body movement. The aim of the study is to assess the influence of physical effort on the occurrence of asymmetry in body musculature and in isometric strength of handball players. The study examined 36 professional handball players. Players’ height and body mass were measured as to calculate their body mass indexes (BMIs). Segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis (SBIA) was used to assess: the percentage of fat mass, total muscle mass (MM), musculature of the right and left side of the body, and body segments (trunk, upper and lower limbs). Moreover, grip strength was also measured. The assessment confirmed the existence of discrepancies in the right and left sides of players’ bodies for the majority of the parameters. Cross-asymmetry and significant bilateral discrepancies in trunk musculature were also observed. Morphological asymmetry may impact performance in sports since it can cause unfavorable functional changes, which in turn increase the risk of injury and conditions caused by overexertion. Therefore, we believe it is important to emphasize the importance of individualized symmetrization during sports practice and consistent monitoring of the asymmetries occurring in different body parts; this should both improve one’s sports results and minimize the risk of injury.

Highlights

Humans are characterized by bilateral symmetry which is set off by the plane that runs alongside the longitudinal axis of the body and divides the body into the left and the right part
DA score is the quantitative measure of directional asymmetry in the muscle mass of particular body segments and grip strengths
Fat mass percentage amounted to 17.7% and is higher than that obtained by other research [34,35], which is the result of different measurement methods; our research uses Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), whereas the other researchers used anthropometric measurements and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)

Summary

Introduction

Humans are characterized by bilateral symmetry which is set off by the plane that runs alongside the longitudinal axis of the body and divides the body into the left and the right part. The research has shown that left-handed sportsmen tend to be overrepresented on the professional level in the contact sports, whereas no such dependence has been found in the non-contact sports [4]. This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that the functional preference for the left upper limb provides an advantage in one-on-one combat, as it leads to behaviors that are difficult to anticipate and can directly improve one’s results

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