2017, Volume 9, Issue 3
Posture of adolescent male handball players compared to non-athletes
Małgorzata Grabara1
1Faculty of Physical Education, Department of Tourism and Health-Related Physical Activity, the Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice
Author for correspondence: Małgorzata Grabara; Faculty of Physical Education, Department of Tourism and Health-Related Physical Activity, the Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice; email: m.grabara[at]awf.katowice.pl
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Abstract
Background: The aim of the present study was to assess the posture and somatic parameters in adolescent male handball players compared to non-athletes and determine whether a relationship exists between the posture and the volume of training and/or its frequency.
Material/Methods: Sixty-eight adolescent male handball players and sixty-nine non-athletes aged 15–18 were examined. The posture was evaluated by the moiré method.
Results: Handball players exhibited smaller and less frequent asymmetries compared to the nonathletes. Statistically significant differences were found in the position of shoulder blades (p < 0.05) and pelvic alignment in the frontal (p < 0.001) and transverse (p < 0.05) planes. The spinal shape in the sagittal plane did not differentiate the training subjects from nonathletes. The study also revealed weak correlations between the training period and a deviation of the spinous processes (r = 0.25), a symmetry of the shoulder blades (r = 0.25), and an inclination angle of the thoracolumbar segment (r = -0.26). No correlations were observed between the training frequency and posture parameters.
Conclusions: It can be concluded that despite the predominance of asymmetric elements, handball training does not negatively affect the posture in the frontal and transverse planes.
Key words: postural defects , asymmetries, moiré technique, athletes, handball training