Postural disorders in basketball players: relationship between lower limbs morphology and postural control

Purpose: The postural "disorder" translates, first of all, into a condition of general and local stress and fatigue and, secondly, into wear and degenerative phenomena destined to configure pathological situations, especially in sport. The study focused on basketball, a sport with alternating aerobic-anaerobic commitment, that requires good coordination and flexibility skills. This study aimed to verify possible axial alterations in relation to height and weight and standing oscillations in basketball players (experimental group) compared to sedentary people (control group). Methods: The present observational study was designed to perform a postural assessment on male athletes divided into two groups. The experimental group (EG - n: 40, age 18-25) who play basketball at least three times a week plus match, with a medium - high intensity training, compared to a control group (CG - N: 40, age 18-25) of young sedentary people. Postural analysis was conducted using two tools: Knee Rotation Measurer (KRM - Postural Service, Milano) and Podata stabilometric platform (Chinesport, Udine). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS.18. Results: Preliminary results obtained from the bipodal stabilometric platform showed that regarding the weight (mean total weight EG= 82.70 ± 12.24 kg vs CG = 69.61 ± 10 kg) and the distribution of the loads on the right and on the left, no differences emerged between the two groups (p>0.05). Concerning KRM evaluation, statistically significant differences emerge between the two groups in knee flexum on the left (Δ 8.4 mm, p value<0.033) and right (Δ 7.6 mm, p value <0.036) in favour of the EG, as well as regarding knee varus (EG= 109.1 ± 11.34 mm on the right; 106.88 ± 13.86 mm on the left; CG= 99.93 ± 16.74 mm on the right; 98.33 ± 16.74 mm on the left, p<0.05) Conclusion: Preliminary findings confirm that posture is a multidisciplinary subject of growing interest. Although without statistical significant differences performing Pearson's correlation, results show a linearity between the anteriorized center of gravity and the knee flexum concerning sagittal plane as well as between the load on the fifth metatarsal and the knee varus as regard the frontal plane, in the EG compared to the CG. Postural assessment can be the starting point from which, to obtain precise observations, technology is useful and sometimes necessary.