Muscle Coactivation Index Improvement in Junior Handball Players by Using Propioceptive Exercises

Bogdan Antohe,Marinela Raţă ,Gloria Rață

doi:10.18662/brain/11.4sup1/152

Abstract

Ankle sprain is the most common injury in performance sports. Two of the most common residual symptoms of an ankle sprain are: the occurrence of chronic joint instability and agonist-antagonist muscle imbalances, expressed numerically by the values of the muscle coactivation index. The purpose of the research was to demonstrate that the use of proprioceptive exercises leads to the improvement of the degree of chronic joint instability and of the values of the muscle coactivation index. The research had a number of 22 subjects, handball players, whose age was between 15 and 16 years. The degree of joint instability was established by using the “Foot and Ankle Disability Index” Questionnaire, while the values of the muscle coactivation index were calculated following the electromyographic measurements. The obtained results highlight the efficiency of the proposed proprioceptive exercise programme, the statistical significance of the obtained results (by improving the initial and final values), as well as the existence of correlations between all evaluated parameters (muscle coactivation index, number of ankle sprains and degree of joint instability). The conclusions of the research underline the efficiency of proprioceptive exercises in diminishing the degree of chronic joint instability and in improving the values of the muscle coactivation index. Based on the results obtained, the research acquires an important practical value, because the proposed intervention programme has applicability in all sports sectors.

Highlights

Ankle sprain is a traumatic condition of the talocrural joint, caused by a movement that exceeds the physiological limits of joint amplitude and which results in a stretching or rupture of the ligaments (Fong et al, 2007).Both nationally and internationally, in handball, the ankle sprain occupies a secondary place in the top of injuries, the main joint prone to injuries being the knee (Curitianu & Balint, 2015; Mircioaga, 2010).Muscle coactivation is the phenomenon by which the contraction of the agonist muscle is accompanied by the contraction of the antagonist muscle, but at a lower intensity
The objectives of the research were the following: carrying out an objective evaluation, by which we highlight the changes in the values of the muscle coactivation index, of the joint stability and of the number of ankle sprains; elaboration and implementation of a programme of proprioceptive exercises, through which we can obtain the improvement of the values of the muscle coactivation index, of the joint instability and of the number of ankle sprains, in the handball athletes
Legend: S = subject, H = height, W = weight, BMI = body mass index, POF = position occupied in the field (LW = left winger, RW = right winger, G = goalkeeper, PI = pivot, RI = right inter, LI = left inter, C = centre), NS = number of ankle sprains, DI = degree of instability of the ankle joint, CI = muscle coactivation index, I = initial, F = final

Summary

Introduction

Ankle sprain is a traumatic condition of the talocrural joint, caused by a movement that exceeds the physiological limits of joint amplitude and which results in a stretching or rupture of the ligaments (Fong et al, 2007).Both nationally and internationally, in handball, the ankle sprain occupies a secondary place in the top of injuries (the chances of injury are 67.8%, over a period of two years), the main joint prone to injuries being the knee (Curitianu & Balint, 2015; Mircioaga, 2010).Muscle coactivation is the phenomenon by which the contraction of the agonist muscle is accompanied by the contraction of the antagonist muscle, but at a lower intensity. Ankle sprain is a traumatic condition of the talocrural joint, caused by a movement that exceeds the physiological limits of joint amplitude and which results in a stretching or rupture of the ligaments (Fong et al, 2007). The first research on muscle coactivation was done in the 19th century by Sherrington (1897), who proposed the theory of mutual inhibition This theory supports the idea according to which “a contraction of the agonist muscle leads to the reflex inhibition of the antagonist muscle.”. The degree of muscle coactivation is one of the most used parameters for qualitative evaluation of the neuromuscular function. It can be correlated with the sports performance, with the risk of accidents or with the evolution in the recovery process of injured athletes

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Conclusion