Postural Stability in Athletes: The Role of Age, Sex, Performance Level, and Athlete Shoe Features
Albina Andreeva,
Andrey Melnikov,
Dmitry Skvortsov,
Kadriya Akhmerova,
Alexander Vavaev,
Andrey Golov,
Viktorya Draugelite,
Roman Nikolaev,
Serafima Chechelnickaia,
Daria Zhuk,
Alexandra Bayerbakh,
Vladislav Nikulin,
Erika Zemková
Affiliations
Albina Andreeva
Department of Sports Biomechanics, Moscow Center of Advanced Sport Technologies, 129272 Moscow, Russia
Andrey Melnikov
Department of Physiology, Institute of Tourism, Recreation, Rehabilitation and Fitness, Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth and Tourism, 105122 Moscow, Russia
Dmitry Skvortsov
Department of Sports Biomechanics, Moscow Center of Advanced Sport Technologies, 129272 Moscow, Russia
Kadriya Akhmerova
Department of Sports Biomechanics, Moscow Center of Advanced Sport Technologies, 129272 Moscow, Russia
Alexander Vavaev
Department of Sports Biomechanics, Moscow Center of Advanced Sport Technologies, 129272 Moscow, Russia
Andrey Golov
Department of Sports Biomechanics, Moscow Center of Advanced Sport Technologies, 129272 Moscow, Russia
Viktorya Draugelite
Department of Sports Biomechanics, Moscow Center of Advanced Sport Technologies, 129272 Moscow, Russia
Roman Nikolaev
Physical Culture Department, P.A. Solovyov Rybinsk State Aviation Technical University, 152934 Rybinsk, Russia
Serafima Chechelnickaia
Clinical Rehabilitation Research Center for Patients in Remission “Russkoye Pole” under Dmitry Rogachev National Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, 117198 Moscow, Russia
Daria Zhuk
Clinical Rehabilitation Research Center for Patients in Remission “Russkoye Pole” under Dmitry Rogachev National Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, 117198 Moscow, Russia
Alexandra Bayerbakh
Clinical Rehabilitation Research Center for Patients in Remission “Russkoye Pole” under Dmitry Rogachev National Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, 117198 Moscow, Russia
Vladislav Nikulin
Clinical Rehabilitation Research Center for Patients in Remission “Russkoye Pole” under Dmitry Rogachev National Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, 117198 Moscow, Russia
Erika Zemková
Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, Comenius University in Bratislava, 814 69 Bratislava, Slovakia
The effects of different factors—such as age, sex, performance level, and athletic shoe features—on postural balance in athletes remain unclear. The main objective of our study is to identify the features of postural stability in athletes of different age, sex, performance level, and using different types of athletic shoes. This study assessed postural stability in athletes (n = 936, 6–47 years) in a normal bipedal stance with eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC). Postural stability was evaluated based on the center of pressure (COP), sway area (AS), and velocity (VCP) while standing on a stabiloplatform. Children (6–12 years) and teen athletes (13–17 years) showed reduced AS-EO (p p n = 225, 7–30 years). In male and female athletes aged 18+, only VCP-EC was lower versus control. In females (13–17 and 18+), VCP-EO and EC were lower than in males (p p = 0.020). Long use of rigid athletic shoes with stiff ankle support was associated with reduced posture stability. Postural stability in athletes was mostly influenced by the athlete‘s age, and, to a lesser extent, by their sex, performance level, and athlete shoe features.
