| Identification of Postural Control Strategies (Ankle vs. Hip) in Male and Female Iranian Premier League Handball Players During Static Stance Using COP Parameters |
| Paper ID : 1438-SPORTCONGRESS |
| Authors |
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Erfan Shakiba *, Faezeh Masoumi, Hooman Minoonejad, Seyed Hamed Mousavi Department of Sports Injuries and Biomechanics, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran |
| Abstract |
| Background: Postural control is a dynamic process integrating sensory inputs to maintain stability. Balance is mainly managed by the ankle strategy for small oscillations and the hip strategy for larger perturbations (1). A shift from ankle to hip control may indicate underlying ankle weakness or instability. In high-demand sports like handball, identifying these patterns is crucial for injury prevention. This study aimed to determine the predominant postural control strategy in elite Iranian handball players. Methods: This descriptive-comparative study involved 152 elite Iranian handball players (68 males, 84 females). Participants performed a 60-second bipedal stance on a PT-SCAN force plate (PayaTech Co., Iran) to record Center of Pressure (COP) data. The main variables were Sway Path length (SP) and Sway Ellipse area (SE), with Medio-Lateral (SDX) and Anterior-Posterior (SDY) fluctuations as supporting measures. Normal reference ranges for SE, SP, SDX, and SDY (1000–4500, 300–1200, 2–7, and 1–5, respectively) were used to classify ankle versus hip strategies. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square (χ²) tests in SPSS (v.25) at a significance level of P<0.05. Results: Descriptive findings revealed that 19.1% (SE), 32.2% (SP), 11.8% (SDX), and 6.6% (SDY) of players primarily used the ankle strategy, while 80.9%, 67.8%, 88.2%, and 93.4% relied on the hip strategy, respectively. No significant gender differences were observed for SE (P=0.41), SP (P=0.97), SDX (P=0.63), or SDY (P=0.72). Discussion: The results reveal a predominant use of the hip strategy among elite handball players, suggesting ankle weakness or instability. While athletes may appear stable through a strong hip compensation, this pattern can mask distal deficits, increase kinetic chain stress, and elevate the risk of knee or hip injuries such as ACL tears (2). |
| Keywords |
| Postural Control Strategies, Balance, Center of Pressure, Handball |
| Status: Abstract Accepted (Oral Presentation) |
