Effect of Coronavirus 19 on Maintaining Balance in Skilled Athletes

Jarosław Jaszczur-Nowicki, Tomasz Niźnikowski (), Hubert Makaruk, Andrzej Mastalerz, Jared Porter, Michał Biegajło, Ewelina Niźnikowska, Logan Markwell, Marta Nogal, Weronika Łuba-Arnista, Paweł Arnista and Oscar Romero-Ramos
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Jarosław Jaszczur-Nowicki: Department of Tourism, Recreation and Ecology, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
Tomasz Niźnikowski: Department of Gymnastics, Faculty of Physical Education and Health, Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education, 21-500 Biala Podlaska, Poland
Hubert Makaruk: Department of Gymnastics, Faculty of Physical Education and Health, Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education, 21-500 Biala Podlaska, Poland
Andrzej Mastalerz: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Physical Education, Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education, 00-968 Warsaw, Poland
Jared Porter: Department of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport Studies, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-2700, USA
Michał Biegajło: Department of Gymnastics, Faculty of Physical Education and Health, Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education, 21-500 Biala Podlaska, Poland
Ewelina Niźnikowska: Department of Tourism and Recreation, Faculty of Health Sciences, John Paul II University of Applied Sciences in Biala Podlaska, 21-500 Biala Podlaska, Poland
Logan Markwell: Department of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport Studies, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-2700, USA
Marta Nogal: Department of Gymnastics, Faculty of Physical Education and Health, Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education, 21-500 Biala Podlaska, Poland
Weronika Łuba-Arnista: Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Health Sciences, Lomza State University of Applied Sciences, 18-400 Łomża, Poland
Paweł Arnista: Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Health Sciences, Lomza State University of Applied Sciences, 18-400 Łomża, Poland
Oscar Romero-Ramos: Department of Didactics of Languages, Arts and Sports, Institute of Sports, University of Malaga, 4, 29017 Málaga, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 17, 1-8

Abstract: Preliminary studies have reported that motor control is negatively impacted following an infection of COVID-19. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 on maintaining balance in highly skilled athletes. As part of a larger investigation that was initiated in 2019, twelve professional handball players were recruited to participate in a study that was designed to measure static balance performance. Following the initial pre-test, six participants (body height 184.8 ± 4.7 cm; body weight 85.5 ± 3.3 kg; age 21.3 ± 1.2 years) were infected with COVID-19. The remaining six participants (body height 188.7 ± 2.6 cm; body weight 92.3 ± 3.7 kg; age 26.3 ± 3.3 years) never tested positive for COVID-19 and were presumably not infected with the virus. The experimental design required all the participants to complete an initial balance assessment (pre-test) and a later balance assessment (post-test). To fully analyze our data, we conducted a 2 (condition: COVID, no-COVID) X 2 (test: pre-test, post-test) ANOVA with repeated measures on the second factor. Our analysis revealed that the skilled athletes who contracted COVID-19 had a significant decrease in balance performance from the pre-test that occurred prior to being infected with COVID-19 relative to the post-test that occurred following the COVID-19 infection. Additionally, the skilled athletes who were not infected with COVID-19 did not demonstrate the same deterioration in balance performance in the same period. This study highlights the impact COVID-19 has on static balance performance in a group of highly skilled handball players. Longitudinal studies are needed to fully understand the lasting impacts COVID-19 has on motor behavior.

Keywords: sports; COVID-19; pandemic; athlete; handball players; the Romberg test (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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