Osteopathic status of children doing karate

Abstract

Introduction. Regular exercise requires the child′s body to function optimally and be resistant to constant high loads. The state of health of karateka athletes is monitored by sports medicine doctors with the establishment of a diagnosis according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which, as a rule, indicates already existing organic changes. Intense physical activity in childhood against the background of the child′s continued growth can lead to the development of preclinical (prepathological) conditions that are not reflected in the ICD. Understanding the specifics of functional changes occurring in the body of a child professionally engaged in karate will serve as the basis for the competent construction of the training process in order to prevent the depletion of the adaptive reserve of the child′s body.The aim of the study was to assess the osteopathic status of child athletes engaged in traditional karate, depending on the level of training of the athletes.Materials and methods. The cross-sectional cohort study, conducted in the period from November 2021 to March 2023 on the basis of the Karatenomichi Sports Club «Team Ryauzov» (Severodvinsk), included 92 children born in 2010–2012 engaged in traditional karate, of various levels of training. All athletes underwent a unified osteopathic examination with the formation of an osteopathic conclusion.Results. Somatic dysfunctions of the pelvic region were identified as dominant in children who had been engaged in karate for a long time, which, in all likelihood, was associated with regular stereotyped sports load (specifics of kicking and methods of movement), in contrast to children who were at the initial stage of karate training, for whom dominant somatic dysfunctions of the thoracic region were significantly more characteristic (p=0,03).Conclusion. Functional changes that occur in the body of a child professionally engaged in karate have specifics associated with the duration of the training process.