Gender differences in static and dynamic postural stability of soldiers in the Army's 101st airborne division (air assault)

Timothy C. Sell, Mita T. Lovalekar, Takashi Nagai, Michael D. Wirt, John P. Abt, Scott M. Lephart

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

25 Scopus citations

Abstract

Context: Postural stability is essential for injury prevention and performance. Differences between genders may affect training focus. Objective: To examine static and dynamic postural stability in male and female soldiers. Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Setting: Biomechanics laboratory. Participants: 25 healthy female soldiers (26.4 ± 5.3 y) and 25 healthy male soldiers (26.4 ± 4.9 y) matched on physical demand rating and years of service from the Army's 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). Interventions: Each person underwent static and dynamic postural stability testing. Main Outcome Measures: Standard deviation of the ground reaction forces during static postural stability and the dynamic stability index for dynamic postural stability. Results: Female soldiers had significantly better static postural stability than males but no differences were observed in dynamic postural stability. Conclusions: Postural stability is important for injury prevention, performance optimization, and tactical training. The differences observed in the current study may indicate the need for gender-specific training emphasis on postural stability.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)126-131
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Sport Rehabilitation
Volume27
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2018

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Human Kinetics, Inc.

Keywords

  • Balance
  • Injury prevention
  • Military

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biophysics
  • Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
  • Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation
  • Rehabilitation

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Gender differences in static and dynamic postural stability of soldiers in the Army's 101st airborne division (air assault)'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this