Abstract
This study aimed to determine if there is a difference in postural stability in highly trained adolescents and young adult athletes regarding sex and sport. The participants were young athletes (n = 464) from seven different sports. We considered the center of pressure (CoP) velocity (total, anterior–posterior (AP) and medial–lateral (ML)), CoP amplitude (AP and ML), and CoP frequency (AP and ML), as assessed by single-leg quiet stance test. Significant interactions were found between sex and sport for all CoP variables (p < 0.02). Additionally, a significant main effect of sport was also found in all CoP variables (p = 0.01). Regarding sex, significant effects were found for all CoP amplitude variables (p = 0.01), as well as for CoP velocity variables, except for CoP ML (p = 0.06). Moreover, there was no sex effect for CoP frequency AP (p = 0.18). The results of the current study confirm the claim that the criteria for optimal postural strategies for elite athletes likely depend on a given sport.
Highlights
Postural stability is considered a very important factor for athletes in different sports [1].Due to its potential role in mitigating risk for injuries, postural stability has been the subject of interest of researchers
Postural stability evaluated through assessment of body sway enables quantifying the function of maintaining equilibrium during periods of standing still, locomotion, and any activities requiring a high degree of balance performance [2]
Female athletes in the current study showed better postural stability, compared with males with the difference being most pronounced for center of pressure (CoP) velocity and amplitude, while the difference in CoP frequency was noted in the medial–lateral direction only (p < 0.05)
Summary
Postural stability is considered a very important factor for athletes in different sports [1]. Due to its potential role in mitigating risk for injuries, postural stability has been the subject of interest of researchers. Postural stability evaluated through assessment of body sway enables quantifying the function of maintaining equilibrium during periods of standing still, locomotion, and any activities requiring a high degree of balance performance [2]. Evidence from a systematic review [3] suggests that athletes sway less than nonathletes and that highly trained elite athletes sway less than low-level athletes. The importance of good stability in some sports, (i.e., ballet, dance, gymnastics) is obvious. Previous comparisons of body sway among athletes from different sports have shown that gymnasts have better postural stability than football players, swimmers, and basketball players [4,5].
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