Evaluation of the morphology and physiology of Judokas upper body intended to prevent injuries

Transcript

1 MEDit J MUSC SURV 2010;18:63-67 Original article Evaluation of the morphology and physiology of Judokas upper body intended to prevent injuries Valutazione delle caratteristiche morfologiche e funzionali dell Upper Body del judoka tesa alla prevenzione degli infortuni E. Pierantozzi, R. Muroni *, A. Lubisco ** University of Bologna, School of Exercise and Sport Sciences; * University of Genoa, School of Exercise and Sport Sciences; ** University of Bologna, Department of Statistical Sciences, Italy Key words Tests Competitive level Gender Comparison Summary Judo is a combat sport where the athletes need high levels of strength and flexibility, especially in the muscle districts of upper body, in order to throw the opponent to the ground, despite his/her defensive resistance. Because of this peculiarity, the anatomical region that suffers the most accidents in the judo is the upper limb (fingers and shoulder). The purpose of this research was to 1) select upper body field tests in order to evaluate our judo athletes and compare them with the data of the existing literature on elite judokas, in view of a future prevention of judoka s injuries; 2) analyse the morphological and functional characteristics of the upper body and study the differences between male and female judokas. 24 athletes (12 males and 12 females), regional and national level agonists, age 21 years (ds 6,1), height cm (ds 9,8), body weight 69,1 kg (ds 9,7), were selected for this study. In order to evaluate the athletes characteristics, we measured and compared the body fat (7 skinfold measurements), the BMI, four upper limb circumferences, the dynamic force (rowing, bench press and pull up with judogi), isometric force (hand grip and performing on the high bar with judogi), and the shoulder joint mobility. Significant differences between our group and the elite judokas were found in all strength values. Differences were also found in all variables when comparing males with females. In agreement with these results, the conclusions are the following: 1) because of the deficits highlighted above, the sample measured in this study showed a greater predisposition to accidents that may occur in judo; 2) male judokas of our group were found to be stronger than the female judokas in all the tests of dynamic and absolute isometric strength; 3) if we consider the values of relative strength, these differences persist except that in the hand grip; 4) the females have a smaller wrist circumference, compared to the males; 5) the female athletes are more flexible at the level of the shoulder joint, compared to the male. In general, all our athletes need to increase the strength levels to prevent injuries. In particular the female judokas need to train more on the upper body strengthening, while the male judokas need to improve the flexibility of the shoulder. Parole chiave Test Livello agonistico Differenze di genere Confronto Riassunto Judo è uno sport di combattimento dove gli atleti hanno bisogno di alti livelli di forza e flessibilità, soprattutto nei distretti muscolari della parte superiore del corpo, per proiettare l avversario a terra, nonostante la sua resistenza. A causa di questa peculiarità la regione anatomica che maggiormente subisce incidenti è l arto superiore (dita e spalla). Lo scopo di questa ricerca è stato: 1) selezionare test di campo per la parte superiore del corpo, per valutare i nostri atleti di judo e confrontarli con i dati della letteratura esistente sui judoka di elite, in previsione di una futura prevenzione degli infortuni; 2) analizzare le caratteristiche morfologiche e funzionali della parte superiore del corpo e studiare le differenze tra judoka femmine e judoka maschi. Per questo studio sono stati selezionati 24 atleti (12 maschi, 12 femmine), judoka di livello agonistico regionale e nazionale, 21 anni d età (sd 6,1), altezza 172,5 (sd 9,8) cm, peso 69,1 (sd 9,7) kg. Per valutare le caratteristiche degli atleti è stato misurato e confrontato il grasso corporeo (7 pliche corporee), il BMI, quattro circonferenze dell arto superiore, la forza dinamica (rematore, panca piana e trazioni alla sbarra con judogi), la forza isometrica (hand grip e sospensione alla sbarra con judogi) e la mobilità articolare della spalla. Sono state trovate differenze significative tra il nostro gruppo e gli atleti di elite in tutti i valori di forza. Differenze sono state trovate in tutte le variabili anche nel confronto tra i maschi con le femmine. In accordo con questi risultati le conclusioni sono: 1) il campione misurato in questo studio ha rilevato, a causa dei deficit sopra evidenziati, una maggiore predisposizione agli infortuni che possono verificarsi durante la pratica del judo; 2) i judoka maschi del nostro gruppo sono risultati più forti delle judoka femmine in tutti i test di forza dinamica ed isometrica assoluta; 3) se noi consideriamo i valori di forza relativa tali differenze persistono tranne che nel hand grip; 4) le atlete presentano circonferenze del polso inferiori a quelle dei judoka maschi 5) a livello dell articolazione della spalla, le atlete risultano più flessibili dei maschi. In generale si è constatato che tutti gli atleti analizzati dovrebbero, per prevenire gli infortuni, aumentare i livelli di forza. In particolare le judoka di sesso femminile devono allenarsi maggiormente sul potenziamento della parte superiore del corpo, mentre i judoka di sesso maschile devono migliorare la flessibilità delle spalle. 63

2 E. Pierantozzi et al. Introduction Many experts underline the importance of the athlete s strength and flexibility ability to prevent the sport injuries 1 2, in particular in combat sports 3 4. Judo is a handto-hand fight sport where the athletes, after struggling to grab the judogi, try to throw the opponent to the ground, overcoming his/her resistance. For this reason the judokas need, therefore, high strength and flexibility values. The upper body is the most involved area in standing fight actions 5. Because of this peculiarity, the upper limb (fingers and shoulder) is the anatomical region that suffers the most accidents in the judo. Moreover, it was verified that the most frequent accident situation takes place during the standing fight 6-8. Other studies 9 showed that, in young judokas, girls suffer more injuries than the boys. A valid and specific training plan is needed to prevent injuries in order to strengthen the athlete s muscle-joint-skeletal structure. From this point of view the training will be appropriate only if included in a multiyear, planned work plan, periodically checked by a proper evaluation of the athlete s characteristics. It must be pointed out that often judo coaches, also of middle and senior teams (national and international), have to work with limited human, economic and time resources. Sometimes this situation does not allow the use of sophisticated means and methods for the functional evaluation of the athlete. Therefore the measurement presented in this study are easy to understand and implement, in order to allow their use by trainers in gyms. The goals of this study were: 1) selecting a battery of specific tests in order to assess the morphological, strength, and flexibility characteristics of the upper body, to be compared with the data existing in the literature, related to high level athletes, in view of a future accident prevention of the judoka; 2) analyzing the morphological and functional characteristics of the judo athletes upper body, studying, moreover, the differences between males and females belonging to two homogeneous groups. Tab. I. Subjects. Male Female Total Average SD Numbers Age (years) Judo practice (years) Weight (kg) Heigh (cm) BMI Tab. II. Evaluation tests. N Test Measured characteristics Equipements 1 Date of birth Age (years) Questionnaire 2 Curriculum judo Years of judo practices, judo belt, competition level Questionnaire 3 Weight Body mass (kg) Weight balance 4 Height Height vertex-planta (cm) Altimeter 5 Body Fat Seven skinfold measurements: triceps, pectoral, sub scapular, Calipers medium axillar, iliac crest, abdominal, front tight (mm) 6 Upper limb circumferences Four circumferences right side: relaxed arm, flexed arm forearm and wrist (cm) Metric cord 7 Hand grip Hand grip static strength for both hands (kg) Jamar dynamometer 8 Pull up gripping judogi Pulling up strength endurance (number of reps) Pull up station, judogi 9 Stay up gripping judogi Static strength, pulling with flexed arms less than 90 (seconds) Pull up station, judogi and stopwatch 10 1 RM row Dynamic maximal strength rowing (kg) Bench, olympic bar and plates 11 1 RM bench press Dynamic maximal strength pushing (kg) Bench, olympic bar and plates 12 Stick circonduction Shoulders joints flexibility (cm) Metric stick 64

3 Evaluation of the morphology and physiology of Judokas upper body Material and Method The tests were carried out on 24 athletes (12 males and 12 females), regional and national level agonists, average of 21 years of age (ds 6.1), average height cm (ds 9.8), average body weight of 69.1 kg (ds 9.7) (Tab. I). The group of the male athletes and the group of the female athletes have similar average age, competitive level, and years of practice (sig. > 0.05). The athletes morphological and functional characteristics were detected with the tests showed in Table II, taken from the reference literature All the measurement were made during a single session, observing the usual training time. The tests were based on strength and mobility exercises, normally used for physical training. Between a strength test and another, 15 minutes of recovery, during which the anthropometric measurements and the joint mobility were detected, were made to spend. The average time of data acquisition for each athlete was 90 minutes. All the subjects were informed about the research project and signed the privacy document. The analysis of variance was used for the statistical analysis. Results The comparison of the data of our male athletes with the data of high level athletes (Tab. III) highlights a high deficit of the former in all the strength tests, as well as significant differences in all the four circumferences of the upper limbs. The hand grip was the only test with similar values, both in terms of absolute and relative strength. Even the scapular humeral mobility detects a moderate deficit compared to the data found in literature 13. Unfortunately the data on the female judokas are rather scarce in literature 14 15, therefore the comparisons were reduced to fewer features, compared to the male group (Tab. IV). By analyzing the differences, also in this comparison our female athletes show lower strength levels, statistically significant in all the tests (p = 0.000). In the comparison between males and females belonging to our Tab. III. Male: comparison with high level male Judoka s data. Pierantozzi 2010 Comparison Group Sig. References Weight (kg) Franchini 2007 Fat mass % Franchini 2007 Circumference relaxed arm (cm) Franchini 2007 Circumferences flexed arm (cm) Franchini 2007 Circumferences forearm (cm) Franchini 2007 Circumferences wrist (cm) Franchini 2007 Hand grip right (kg) Franchini 2005 Hand grip left (kg) Franchini RM row (kg) Franchini RM bench press (kg) Franchini 2007 Stick circonduction (cm) Sertic 2009 Relative row (kg/kg weight) Franchini 2007 Relative bench press (kg/kg weight) Franchini 2007 Tab. IV. Female: comparison with high level female Judoka s data. Pierantozzi 2010 Comparison Group Sig. References Weight (kg) Sbriccoli 2007 BMI Sbriccoli 2007 Hand grip right (kg) Harrison RM row (kg) Sbriccoli RM bench press (kg) Sbriccoli RM bench press (kg) Harrison 2003 Relative row (kg/kg weight) Sbriccoli 2007 Relative bench press (kg/kg weight) Sbriccoli

4 E. Pierantozzi et al. Tab. V. Comparison male vs female. Male Female Sig Fat mass % Circumference relaxed arm (cm) Circumferences flexed arm (cm) Circumferences forearm (cm) Circumferences wrist (cm) Hand grip right (kg) Hand grip left (kg) Pull up gripping judogi Stay up gripping judogi RM row (kg) RM bench press (kg) Stick circonduction (cm) Relative hand grip right (kg/kg weight) Relative hand grip left (kg/kg weight) Relative row (kg/kg weight) Relative bench press (kg/kg weight) sample, significant differences were detected in most of the variables (Tab. V). Discussion All the results of the tests of our (male and female) athletes, compared with the data of high level athletes, highlight highly significant differences in the strength values. In fact the males of our group have an evident lower tropism of the upper limb. On the other hand, comparing our group with the athletes measured by Franchini in 2004, these differences disappear, except for the values of the circumference of the forearm (Ita 2010 cm 26.3 ± 2 vs Bra 2004 cm 28.6 ± 1.9; p = 0.002) and the maximum strength value in the right hand grip (Ita 2010 kg 48.1 ± 9 vs Bra 2004 kg 57.8 ± 8,8; p = 0.017). A possible explanation is that Franchini s athletes of 2004 were not athletes of the national team, but of a Brazilian judo club. This leads us to suppose that, in Brazil as in Italy, judokas trained in normal clubs have similar values, far from those of the athletes of excellence, trained in the national teams. A more thorough investigation on the training methods used by the athletes for the strength training would perhaps highlight one of the deducible causes of this gap, that is the inadequate strength training in athletes of the mid-level clubs, in quantitative and qualitative terms. For the comparison of the values related to the mobility of our sample with the data in the literature, the analysis was possible only for male athletes, because of missing data on female athletes. In the comparison our athletes appear to be less mobile than the athletes measured by Sertic in 2009 (p = 0.016). Focusing on the data concerning the strength difference of our athletes compared to the elite, it is possible to calculate the deficit on tests of rowing and bench press, both for males and females. In fact, for the latter, despite not having complete relative strength data, the comparison can also be carried out only for the absolute strength, since both groups have similar body weight (p = 1.000). For our male athletes, on the contrary, the comparison with the elite is necessary also with the relative strength data, since the average body weight of the two groups were found to be different (p = 0.023). The female athletes showed a deficit of 42.3% at the rowing and of 38% at the bench press. The males, on the other hand, were found to be less strong at the rowing of 26.3% in absolute strength and 25.1% in relative strength. The comparison between the males and females of our group shows the typical gender differences, found in the average population. An exception in our results is represented by the circumferences of the muscle bellies of the upper limbs (relaxed arm p = 0.148, flexed arm p = and forearm p = 0.063), by the isometric test at the bar with judogi (p = 0.231), and by the isometric strength related to the right and left hand grip (p = e p = 0.068), in which significant differences in the two groups are not found. These small differences between males and females are perhaps due to the small sample 66

5 Evaluation of the morphology and physiology of Judokas upper body size and to the not high competitive level. Since the surveyed group of athletes trains on average three to five times a week, it is likely that the given training stimulus is not decisive on the measured physical characteristics. Conclusions According to these results: 1) because of the deficits highlighted above, the sample measured in this study noted a greater predisposition to accidents that may occur in judo when the bone-muscle joint structure is not adequate to the intensity of the performance required by the sport itself; 2) male judokas of our group were found to be stronger than the female judokas in all the tests of dynamic and absolute isometric strength; 3) if we consider the values of relative strength, these differences persist except that in the hand grip; 4) of the four measured circumferences, the female athletes have only a smaller wrist circumference compared to the males ; 5) the female athletes are more flexible at the level of the shoulder joint compared to the male. Since judo is a contact sport and its performance needs high strength and flexibility values, therefore it is concluded that all of our athletes need to improve the strength and flexibility values in order to predict and prevent accidents. In particular the female judokas need to train more on the upper body strengthening, while the male judokas need to improve the flexibility of the shoulder. References 1 Bompa T. Periodizzazione dell allenamento sportivo, programmi per lo sviluppo della forza massima per 35 sports. Perugia: Calzetti-Mariucci Zatsiorsky VM, Kraemer W. Scienza e pratica dell allenamento della forza. Perugia: Calzetti e Mariucci Manno R. La forza. Torino: UTET Franchini E, Boscolo Del Vecchio F. Preparacao fisica para atletas de Judo. San Paolo (Brasile): Phorte Franchini E, De Souza CE, Urasaki R, et al. Teste de Resistência de forza isometrica e Dinâmica na barra com o judogi. III Congreso de la Asociación Española de Ciencias del Deporte, Valencia, Pieter W. Martial arts injuries. Med Sport Sci 2005;48: Green CM, Petrou MJ, Fogarty-Hover ML, et al. Injuries among judokas during competition. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2007;17: Pierantozzi E, Muroni RM. Judo high level competitions injuries. Medit J Musc Surv 2009;17: James G, Pieter W. Competition injuries in young judo athletes. The First International Judo Federation Judo Conference, Birmingham, UK, October 4-5, Eurofit. Eurofit Tests of Physical Fitness. 2 nd Edition. Strasbourg, Franchini E, Nunes AV, Morares JM, et al. Physical fitness and anthropometrical profile of the Brazilian male judo team. J Physiol Anthropol 2007;26: Robertson P. The design of a judo- specifc strength an conditioning program. JST 2009;3: Sertic H, Sterkowicz S, Vuleta D. Influence of latent motor abilities on performance in judo. Kinesiology 2009;6: Sbriccoli P, Bazzucchi I, Di Mario A, et al. Assessment of maximal cardiorespiratory performance and muscle power in the Italian Olympic judoka. J Strength Cond Res 2007;21: Winter EM, Jones AM, Davison R, et al. Test per lo sport e l attività fisica. Linee guida per test fisiologico-sportivi e clinico-fisiologici. Perugia: Calzetti e Mariucci Address for correspondence: Emanuela Pierantozzi, Faculty of Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of Bologna, via del Pilastro 8, Bologna, Italy - Tel emanuela.pierantozzi@unibo.it 67