Comparison of Postural Stability and Regulation among Male Athletes from Different Sports

Featured Application In professional sports, the degree of postural control depends on the sport's specific demands necessary to be successful. The present study compared different male sports athletes (ice hockey, soccer, diving) using posturography under four conditions. Significant differences were observed between soccer players and divers regarding postural stability and medio-lateral weight distribution, especially under reduced somatosensory conditions. These findings provide coaches and athletes with more evidence to identify deficits in posture stability and regulation as a potential risk of injury and decreased performance. The purpose of this study was to assess the postural control of 50 male athletes (age: 24.9 +/- 4.55 years) who participate in different elite-level competitive sports. Athletes from two team sports from the third German league (ice hockey: n = 16; soccer: n = 23), and one individual sports (diving: n = 11) were included. These athletes were investigated using posturography under different conditions (e.g., stable surface, unstable surface; eyes open, eyes closed) to determine postural stability and regulation. Most of the performance maxima were found among the divers (6), followed by ice hockey (5) and soccer (4). The biggest effect of sport was found in the stability indicator, where the subject was standing on a stable surface and their eyes were closed (NC; p = 0.001, eta(2)(p) = 0.273). This significance was observed between the soccer (17.3 +/- 5.66) and diving (24.9 +/- 6.98) subjects. The stability indicator had the largest significant effect (50%, 2/4). These results provide coaches and athletes insight into the postural stability and regulation of male athletes in sports with different demands on postural control. Especially for soccer players, it may be beneficial to address muscular imbalances to reduce the risk of lower extremity injuries.