Repeatability of force production as a measure of kinaesthetic sense in seagoing sailors and recreational sailors

Abstract

Purpose. the unstable environment and the swaying, rolling, and pitching motions experienced when offshore sailing may disturb motor function and negatively affect personal safety. the aim of the study was to investigate changes in lower limb kinaesthetic sense in sailors after spending time onboard a seagoing vessel. Methods. the study involved 39 subjects, of which 13 were professional sailors (PS) (age = 22.56 ± 0.83 years), 13 were recreational sailors (rS) (age = 31.50 ± 7.35 years), and 13 served as a non-sailor group (NS) (age = 21.02 ± 0.82 years) with no sailing experience. PS attended a 1-month on-sea training course, rS attended a 1-month seagoing cruise, and NS did not sail or participate in any congruent activity during the study duration. Kinaesthetic sense was quantified before and after the interventions by a force-matching task in which the force production accuracy (FPA) was measured on a customdesigned kinesthesiometer. the participants performed 5 right and left single-leg extensions at a force perceived to be equal to 10 kg (98 N). Results. right and left limb FPA increased in PS by 0.70% and 79.12% and in rS by 18.97% and 20.26%, respectively. In NS, right and left FPA decreased by 6.97% and 1.42%, respectively. Only the difference for left limb FPA in the PS group achieved statistical significance (p = 0.0006). Conclusions. A 1-month sailing intervention reduced lower limb kinaesthesia as measured by the accuracy of reproducing a pre-specified force magnitude.

Physical fitness characteristics and performance in single-handed dinghy and 470 classes sailors

“…Experienced sailors, who can change the course quickly and modify the speed and direction of the vessel through the tacking and gybing, delay the onset of fatigue and have better control the amplitude of the body movements compared to inexperienced sailors. 31 , 32 From the perceptual area, sailing requires a high level of visual stimulus perception, more experienced sailors have a better ability to perceive external stimuli and extract relevant information from the environment and make decisions to facilitate the continuous adaptation to environmental conditions, generating visual and motor behavior adaptive pattern, 33 , 34 quick decision making with appropriate and continual control inputs stimuli effectively determine sailing performance. 35 …”

Effects of an Offshore Sailing Competition on Anthropometry, Muscular Performance, Subjective Wellness, and Salivary Cortisol in Professional Sailors

“…Similar responses during competition have been observed across various "long distance sports" 23 . A decrease in lower body strength and power abilities immediately after sailing is common in professional sailors 24 . However, this study provides new insights that, to the author's knowledge, have never been investigated in Human Kinetics, 1607 N Market St, Champaign, IL 61825 professional crews.…”

Seasonal changes in force production accuracy as a measure of kinesthesia in motorcyclists

“…For the purposes of the study, a custom-designed kinaesthesiometer (Polish patent #PL213505b1) was selected as the device can measure the force applied by the upper and lower extremities in a variety of movements [24]. the device had previously been tested and verified as a valid diagnostic tool in sense of force assessments [14,24,25]. it uses an adjustable exercise chair modified to include 2 pedals and 2 hand levers connected to straingauge force sensors (Figure 1).…”