Postural control in football players with vision impairment: Effect of sports adaptation or visual input restriction?

Abstract

To assess the postural control performance of football 5-a-side (FFS) players, comparing them with sighted players. Methods: Eight FFS players and 7 sighted futsal players were included. Postural control tests included feet together stance (FTS) and single-leg stance (SLS) tasks, performed on rigid and foam surfaces. Sighted players performed the tests with open (EO) and closed (EC) eyes. Area of displacement (Area) and average velocity (Vavg) were calculated from the center of pressure time-series coordinates. Results: On both surfaces conditions, a significant difference between visually impaired football 5-a-side players and sighted EO players was observed during FTS (higher Vavg for visually impaired football 5-a-side players; p < 0.04) and SLS (higher Area and Vavg for visually impaired football 5-a-side players; p < 0.01). No differences between visually impaired football 5-a-side players and sighted EC players were found. Differences between sighted EO vs. sighted EC were observed during FTS on the foam surface, and in SLS on both surface conditions (p < 0.03). Conclusion: FFS players' postural control performance is similar to sighted players with EC but worse than sighted players with EO, suggesting their postural control performance can be simply explained in terms of visual restriction.

Effect of Vision and Surface Slope on Postural Sway in Healthy Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study

“…Similar findings were found among young football players; significant increases in conventional COP parameters were observed only when standing on a foam pad in a one-leg stance with EC [54]. These results might indicate that young and healthy adults can compensate for a disturbed/loss of vision when somatosensory and vestibular input remain unaltered by adapting and reweighting the sensory input processing [54,57]. Indeed, it has been shown that the process of reweighting visual and somatosensory inputs reaches optimal performance in adulthood [62].…”

“…Even when analyzing RI under distorted visual input when wearing stroboscopic glasses, young adults were able to maintain their balance; however, when an additional sensory input was challenged by standing on a foam pad (somatosensory input), RI indices in all evaluated COP parameters increased [57]. Similar findings were found among young football players; significant increases in conventional COP parameters were observed only when standing on a foam pad in a one-leg stance with EC [54]. These results might indicate that young and healthy adults can compensate for a disturbed/loss of vision when somatosensory and vestibular input remain unaltered by adapting and reweighting the sensory input processing [54,57].…”

“…However, contradicting results were reported among young athletes; the degree of visual impairment was not related to postural stability [39], and conventional COP parameters demonstrated a similar amount of balance control [53]. In addition, the EC condition did not affect young football players' balance when standing on different surfaces (solid vs. foam), while the more demanding single-leg stance condition did [54].…”

“…Optimizing balance skills is an important aspect for many athletes, not only to improve their professional skills but also to prevent injuries. Indeed, it is already known that certain sporting activities influence the mechanisms of balance control to varying degrees [16,54]. Increasing knowledge of sensory control and multisensory reweighting strategies is important to increase our knowledge also in rehabilitation processes and ideally to create (sensory) needs-orientated treatment plans.…”