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Kinematic analysis of postural control in gymnasts vs. athletes practicing different sports

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to examine the postural control difference between gymnasts and other athletes practicing different sports.

Methods

Twenty-eight elite-level male athletes (7 gymnasts, 7 volleyball players, 7 windsurfers, and 7 monofin swimmers) participated in this study. Two-dimensional kinematic analysis of mediolateral and anteroposterior sway velocity of the center of mass (COM) on single plane balance board in bipedal and unipedal conditions, and on hard and foam surfaces was performed using two cameras (Sony, DCR-PC108E, 50 Hz). Data were digitized using the video-based data analysis system SkillSpector.

Results

Findings showed significant between groups differences regardless of the postural stance i.e., unipedal or bipedal (d = 1.76–6.82, p < 0.01). In this regards, windsurfers presented the best postural performance in terms of sway velocity of the COM followed by gymnasts, volleyball players, and monofin swimmers. Furthermore, regardless of the postural stance, significant differences between surfaces (d = 0.61–1.03, p < 0.05) were established. In this context, COM’s sway velocity was higher for hard compared with foam surfaces for all disciplines (d = 0.75–0.66, p < 0.05) except monofin swimmers who presented higher COM’s sway velocity in foam compared to hard surfaces. Further, in the anteroposterior stance, windsurfers and gymnasts showed significantly lower floor contacts number compared with the other groups (d = 1.76–2.39, p < 0.01). However, volleyball players and monofin swimmers showed comparable postural performance in the mediolateral plane.

Conclusions

The windsurfers presented the best postural control followed by gymnasts, volleyball players, and monofin swimmers irrespective of the surface’s nature (i.e., hard or foam) and postural stance (i.e., bipedal or unipedal). Therefore, it is recommended to incorporate windsurfing practice to promote postural control of gymnastic athletes.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all gymnasts, windsurfers, volleyball players and monofin swimmers who volunteered in this study, and Mrs. Sabra Hammoudi Riahi for their help in the experimentation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar Said, Manouba University, Manouba, Tunisia

    Bessem Mkaouer, Sarra Hammoudi-Nassib & Samiha Amara

  2. College of Arts and Science, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar

    Monèm Jemni

  3. Tunisian Research Laboratory ‘‘Sports Performance Optimization’’, National Center of Medicine and Science in Sports (CNMSS), Tunis, Tunisia

    Helmi Chaabene

  4. High Institute of Sports and Physical Education, Kef, University of Jendouba, Jendouba, Tunisia

    Helmi Chaabene

Authors
  1. Bessem Mkaouer
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  2. Monèm Jemni
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  4. Samiha Amara
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  5. Helmi Chaabene
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Correspondence to Bessem Mkaouer.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures were approved by the University Research Ethics Committee and were carried out in line with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Mkaouer, B., Jemni, M., Hammoudi-Nassib, S. et al. Kinematic analysis of postural control in gymnasts vs. athletes practicing different sports. Sport Sci Health 13, 573–581 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-017-0383-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-017-0383-4

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