Direction-Specific Signatures of Sport Participation in Center of Pressure Profiles of Division I Athletes.
Stephen M Glass, Scott E Ross
PMID 34631246WHAT IT FOUND
Quiet standing balance profiles differed by sport, but not in the way predicted.
Soccer players showed less sway than cross country and basketball athletes. The hypothesis that basketball and tennis players would have better medial-lateral control was not supported.
Key findings
01The hypothesis that basketball and tennis players would show greater control in medial and lateral headings compared to soccer and cross country was not supported.
02In double-leg stance, cross country athletes had greater center of pressure displacement in specific directions compared to soccer athletes.
03In double-leg stance, both basketball and cross country athletes had greater average center of pressure displacement than soccer athletes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study used only one 10-second trial per condition, which may not fully capture an individual's typical balance behavior. Participants were not allowed to practice the task before testing, and data were averaged across multiple years for some athletes. The study did not control for training cycles or proximity to competition season. Only 167 participants were included, and the analysis excluded athletes with a history of lower extremity surgery or fracture, limiting generalizability to injured populations. The findings describe group differences in healthy athletes and do not establish a causal link between sport training and specific balance deficits.
Declared interests
The authors have nothing to disclose.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as evidence that balance training can be tailored to specific sports to improve performance or reduce injury. The study only describes group differences in healthy athletes and does not test any intervention or predict clinical outcomes.