EFFECTS OF A SPECIFIC TRAINING PROTOCOL ON POSTUROGRAPHIC PARAMETERS OF A TAEKWONDO ELITE ATHLETE AND IMPLICATIONS ON INJURY PREVENTION: A CASE STUDY

Introduction: Taekwondo elite athletes should have excellent qualities in several aspects of fitness, as well as peculiar postural characteristics in terms of balance and postural control, to achieve the best possible results during competitions. Moreover, it is known that taekwondo shows high risk of injury. The aim of this case study is to evaluate the effects of a specific training protocol on posturographic parameters of a taekwondo elite athlete in order to prevent the risk of injury. Materials and methods: The specific training protocol provided 2 months of general strength conditioning, which included pre-conditioning in the first 2 weeks, physical training to improve explosive strength, balance and postural control and athletic training to improve the combat technique. The experimental design included three assessment times: the pre-test (T-0), the intermediate-test (T-1) and the post-test (T-2). Each test provided the same evaluations: anthropometric measurements, cervical ROM assessment and posturographic evaluation. Results: Stabilometric parameters showed a good balance and postural control both in T-0 and T-2. Baropodometric parameters showed a physiological load pressure distribution between the left and the right foot in T-0 (left foot 54% - right foot 46%) as well as in T-2 (left foot 45% - right foot 55%). The left forefoot-rearfoot ratio pressure showed no differences between T-0 and T-2 (p>0.05); we found an improvement on the right forefoot-rearfoot ratio (p<0.05). Cervical range of motion evaluation showed no significant variations from T-0 to T-2 (p>0.05) on rotation and lateral bending movements; we found an improvement on the extension movement from T-0 to T-2 (p<0.05), while the flexion movement decreased (p>0.05). Conclusion: The presented case study showed that the experimental protocol improved the postural parameters of this taekwondo elite athlete. We believe that other athletes may adopt this protocol in order to improve own sports performance and to prevent injuries.