Effects of a Postural Exercise Program on Vertical Jump Height in Young Female Volleyball Players with Knee Valgus

Valerio Giustino, Giuseppe Messina, Antonino Patti, Elvira Padua, Daniele Zangla, Patrik Drid, Giuseppe Battaglia, Antonio Palma and Antonino Bianco
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Valerio Giustino: Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90144 Palermo, Italy
Giuseppe Messina: Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90144 Palermo, Italy
Antonino Patti: Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90144 Palermo, Italy
Elvira Padua: Department of Human Sciences and Promotion of Quality of Life, San Raffaele Roma Open University, 00166 Rome, Italy
Daniele Zangla: Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90144 Palermo, Italy
Patrik Drid: Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Giuseppe Battaglia: Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90144 Palermo, Italy
Antonio Palma: Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90144 Palermo, Italy
Antonino Bianco: Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90144 Palermo, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 7, 1-9

Abstract: Background: Although a knee valgus position is related to the increase in injury risk in volleyball players, there is a lack of studies on the relationship between knee valgus and vertical jump (VJ) performance. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a postural exercise program on VJ height in young female volleyball players with knee valgus. Methods: This pilot study included 19 young female volleyball players divided into the following groups: the Valgus Experimental Group (VEG); the Valgus Control Group (VCG); and the Neutral Control Group (NCG). All three groups carried out the same volleyball training program. In addition, only the VEG underwent a 3-month postural exercise program of 30–45 min/session, twice/week. VJ performance was measured through the Sargent test before (T0), at 6 weeks (T1), and at 12 weeks (T2). Results: A significant effect from T0 to T1 ( p = 0.0017) and from T0 to T2 ( p = 0.0001) was found in the VEG. No significant differences were found over time in the VCG and in the NCG. Conclusion: An integrated postural exercise program might lead to a more balanced muscle efficiency inducing athletes to obtain a higher VJ performance.

Keywords: vertical jump height; vertical jump performance; biomechanics; sport performance; postural exercises; volleyball; body posture; knee valgus (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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