Static Balance in Female Artistic Gymnasts and Non-Training Girls

• Published in: Applied sciences 2022-12, Vol.12 (23), p.12454
• Main Authors: Omorczyk, Jaroslaw, Staszkiewicz, Robert, Wrzesniewski, Krzysztof, Puszczalowska-Lizis, Ewa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: artistic gymnastics; Athletes; balance; Body height; Body mass; Coaches & managers; Displacement; Exercise; Eye; girls; Guardians; Gymnastics; Musculoskeletal system; Sports injuries; tandem stance; Visual control
• ISSN: 2076-3417; 2076-3417
• DOI: 10.3390/app122312454

Sports activities can constitute a factor in improving postural control. The aim of this study is to compare static balance in the tandem stance between female artistic gymnasts and non-training girls. This was performed with and without visual control, as well as in a position with open eyes, on a 1.25 m high platform. Two groups of thirty girls participated in the study. The first group consisted of gymnasts (mean age 9.50 ± 1.20 years, body height 133.50 ± 11.40 cm, and body mass 28.90 ± 6.90 kg), while the second group comprised non-training girls (mean age 9.80 ± 1.20 years, body height 142.60 ± 10.90 cm, and body mass 37.40 ± 9.70 kg). Balance measurements were taken using the CQ Stab 2P two-plate stability platform. In the measurements conducted with the subjects’ eyes closed, the gymnasts obtained a lower value for displacement regarding the maximal centre of pressure (COP) in the anterior–posterior direction and a higher frequency of COP displacement (p < 0.05). In the trial performed on a platform, a greater COP displacement frequency was found among the non-training girls (p < 0.001). Differences in the values of the variables characterising the static balance of gymnasts and non-training girls were revealed only in conditions of increasing difficulty concerning the motor task (increasing the height of the position and/or without eye control).