EFFECT OF PROPRIOCEPTIVE TRAINING ON BALANCE OF RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS ATHLETES

Introduction: Rhythmic gymnastics (RG) is a sport that combines art with biomechanical gestures of high complexity, which requires a high level of development of physical qualities such as agility, flexibility, strength, impulsion and dexterity. In this modality, studies show that the most frequent injuries occur in the knee and ankle joints, and in some cases in the ends of the wrist, being the sprains the most frequently recorded in competition level athletes. Therefore, proprioception and muscle control play a fundamental role in dynamic joint stability, since after some orthopedic injuries the sensorimotor characteristics are altered and should be the focus of rehabilitation programs in order to obtain the better return, as before the injury. Objective: Evaluate the effect of proprioceptive training on postural balance of rhythmic gymnastics athletes through the use of a force platform. Methods: Proprioceptive training was conducted during 2 months, in three stages, with progression of the complexity of the exercises in each training phase. Results: We observed that there was a significant improvement in the results over the last phase of training when exercises of greater complexity and agility were used, according to the protocol. Conclusion: Because these athletes practice rhythmic gymnastics of high performance and predominance of activities on one-foot stance, the protocols should be more intense, generating a higher level of disturbance and postural imbalances.