Assessment of body plantar pressure in elite athletes: An observational study

An intense program of physical activity, typical of elite athletes, results in a series of modifications of the posture that in a short period of time can have a negative impact on both their health and performance. These negative effects can be prevented and corrected by an integrated approach that...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gobbi, G., Galli, D., Carubbi, C., Pelosi, A., Lillia, M., Gatti, R., Queirolo, V., Costantino, C., Vitale, M., Saccavini, M., Vaccarezza, Mauro, Mirandola, P.
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2013
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/18924
_version_ 1848749886596448256
author Gobbi, G.
Galli, D.
Carubbi, C.
Pelosi, A.
Lillia, M.
Gatti, R.
Queirolo, V.
Costantino, C.
Vitale, M.
Saccavini, M.
Vaccarezza, Mauro
Mirandola, P.
author_facet Gobbi, G.
Galli, D.
Carubbi, C.
Pelosi, A.
Lillia, M.
Gatti, R.
Queirolo, V.
Costantino, C.
Vitale, M.
Saccavini, M.
Vaccarezza, Mauro
Mirandola, P.
author_sort Gobbi, G.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description An intense program of physical activity, typical of elite athletes, results in a series of modifications of the posture that in a short period of time can have a negative impact on both their health and performance. These negative effects can be prevented and corrected by an integrated approach that encompasses anthropometry and posture evaluation. The aim of this study is the assessment of the anthropometric and postural parameters of elite athletes of different sports specialities to identify discipline(s) potentially associated with unbalanced postural attitudes. Height, weight, body mass index, stabilometric analysis, foot load, and center of pressure distribution were evaluated to identify which parameters are mainly correlated with postural aspects in professional athletes compared to amateur, age-matched subjects. We found a permanently unbalanced postural attitude in rugby players, skiers, and judokas, which are not, by definition, asymmetric sport disciplines. On the contrary, motorcyclists showed an overall balanced load distribution, probably due to the absence of any special performance required from lower limbs, potentially forcing a specific postural shape. This data is the basis to identify anthropometric and postural parameters mostly modified in different sport disciplines, which need to be always monitored to counteract the establishment of sport-specific imbalances.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T07:28:04Z
format Journal Article
id curtin-20.500.11937-18924
institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T07:28:04Z
publishDate 2013
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling curtin-20.500.11937-189242017-09-13T13:44:33Z Assessment of body plantar pressure in elite athletes: An observational study Gobbi, G. Galli, D. Carubbi, C. Pelosi, A. Lillia, M. Gatti, R. Queirolo, V. Costantino, C. Vitale, M. Saccavini, M. Vaccarezza, Mauro Mirandola, P. An intense program of physical activity, typical of elite athletes, results in a series of modifications of the posture that in a short period of time can have a negative impact on both their health and performance. These negative effects can be prevented and corrected by an integrated approach that encompasses anthropometry and posture evaluation. The aim of this study is the assessment of the anthropometric and postural parameters of elite athletes of different sports specialities to identify discipline(s) potentially associated with unbalanced postural attitudes. Height, weight, body mass index, stabilometric analysis, foot load, and center of pressure distribution were evaluated to identify which parameters are mainly correlated with postural aspects in professional athletes compared to amateur, age-matched subjects. We found a permanently unbalanced postural attitude in rugby players, skiers, and judokas, which are not, by definition, asymmetric sport disciplines. On the contrary, motorcyclists showed an overall balanced load distribution, probably due to the absence of any special performance required from lower limbs, potentially forcing a specific postural shape. This data is the basis to identify anthropometric and postural parameters mostly modified in different sport disciplines, which need to be always monitored to counteract the establishment of sport-specific imbalances. 2013 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/18924 10.1007/s11332-013-0139-8 restricted
spellingShingle Gobbi, G.
Galli, D.
Carubbi, C.
Pelosi, A.
Lillia, M.
Gatti, R.
Queirolo, V.
Costantino, C.
Vitale, M.
Saccavini, M.
Vaccarezza, Mauro
Mirandola, P.
Assessment of body plantar pressure in elite athletes: An observational study
title Assessment of body plantar pressure in elite athletes: An observational study
title_full Assessment of body plantar pressure in elite athletes: An observational study
title_fullStr Assessment of body plantar pressure in elite athletes: An observational study
title_full_unstemmed Assessment of body plantar pressure in elite athletes: An observational study
title_short Assessment of body plantar pressure in elite athletes: An observational study
title_sort assessment of body plantar pressure in elite athletes: an observational study
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/18924