Habitual and ready positions in female table tennis players and their relation to the prevalence of back pain

Abstract

Background The current body of knowledge shows that there is very little research into the occurrence and scale of asymmetry or postural defects in table tennis. It is interesting which regions of the spine are exposed to the greatest changes in the shape of its curvatures and whether the asymmetrical position of the shoulder and pelvic girdles in table tennis players changes when adopting the ready position. Consequently, can overload occur in certain parts of the spine and can the asymmetry deepen as a response of adopting this position? The reply to these questions may be an indication of the need for appropriate compensatory or corrective measures. Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of body position during play on the change in the shape of anterior–posterior spinal curvatures and trunk asymmetry in table tennis players. Methods To evaluate body posture the photogrammetric method based on the Moiré phenomenon with equipment by CQ electronic was applied. The study involved 22 female players practicing competitive table tennis (the age of 17 ± 4.5, with the average training experience of 7 ± 4.3 years, body mass of 47.8 ± 15.8, and body height of 161.2 ± 10.4). Each participant completed an author’s own questionnaire on spinal pain. The shape of curvatures in the sagittal and frontal plane was evaluated in the participant in the habitual standing position and in the table tennis ready position. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed and the significance of differences was tested using the Mann–Whitney U test. Results and Conclusions This study demonstrated the dominance of kyphotic body posture in table tennis players, which can be caused by many hours of using the ready position during playing. After adopting this position, there are significant differences in the angles of anterior and posterior spinal curvatures compared to the habitual posture. This may be the cause of overloads and pain complaints reported by the study participants. Adopting the ready position is also associated with an increase in asymmetry in the position (rotation) of the pelvis and spinous processes (frontal plane). Therefore, training programs should be extended with exercises that relieve the spine in the vertical line and exercises that improve symmetry of the work of the upper limbs, body trunk muscles and the pelvis.

The importance of extrinsic and intrinsic compensatory mechanisms to body posture of competitive athletes a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The currently available scientific literature indicates that specialized athletic training contributes to inducing adaptations in physique and posture among athletes 5 . As a result of high training loads and a focus on repetition of specific movements, there is a tendency for muscular dystonia and spinal curvature disturbances 11 , which can cause musculoskeletal pain, increase the risk of injuries and traumas, decrease athletic performance, and affect the quality of life both during the competitive period and after the end of the athletic career 12 , 13 .…”

“…The analysis of the available scientific literature indicates a significant trend of postural disturbances in athletes 5 – 8 , 10 – 12 , 15 , 16 . Thus, there have been several theories and hypotheses concerning the factors that might cause disturbances in spinal curvatures, however, this problem remains unsolved.…”

“…Thus, there have been several theories and hypotheses concerning the factors that might cause disturbances in spinal curvatures, however, this problem remains unsolved. Some authors suggest that sport-specific training is the main factor that induces spinal disturbances in the athlete’s body 10 – 12 , 15 – 18 , whereas other scientists observed no relationship between those components 9 , 10 , 19 , 20 . At the same time, studies have identified different factors that might affect the athlete’s posture and indicated the need for deeper analyses.…”

3D Quantitative Evaluation of Posture and Spine Proprioceptive Perception Through Instinctive Self-Correction Maneuver in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

“…The aim is to reduce spine deformities, limitation of the functional spinal units, and prevent inappropriate posture, improving the stability of the spine through voluntary intervention ( Monticone et al, 2014 , 2016 ; Berdishevsky et al, 2016 ; Kuru et al, 2016 ; Negrini et al, 2018 , 2019 ; Schreiber et al, 2019 ). The literature reports that relaxed postures, which are typically adopted, frequently exacerbate low back pain or deformities ( O’Sullivan, 2000 ; O’Sullivan et al, 2002 , 2006 ; Waongenngarm et al, 2015 ; Bańkosz and Barczyk-Pawelec, 2020 ; Jung et al, 2020 ). Usually, young people may be referred to rehabilitation services to enhance body posture consistency and raise awareness about proper posture value ( Monticone et al, 2014 ; Negrini et al, 2018 ).…”

TennBasTech: A Scientific Approach to Teach Tennis

“…( 4) the parts that grip the racket's grip are the fingers of the middle, ring, and little hands. The index finger and thumb only support the racket and maintain the racket position's stability [34].…”