Effects of Proprioceptive Training on Head and Neck Kinematic Parameters against External Perturbations in Professional Male Karate Athletes

Introduction: Repeating or high-intensity external perturbation is the major mechanism of head and neck injuries in contact sports such as karate. Central nervous system employs postural adjustments strategies against perturbations. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of proprioceptive training on head and neck strategies against external perturbations to reduce sway in these regions in karate athletes. Materials and Methods: Twenty five professional male karate athletes voluntarily participated in this study. They were randomly divided into control (n = 12) and experimental (n = 13) groups. Kinematic parameters of head and neck against external perturbations were measured using motion analysis system. CORTEX, MATLAB and SPSS software were used to analyze the data. Paired t and analysis of covariance tests were used to compare mean differences within the group and between the groups at significant level of less than 0.05. Results: There were significant differences in angular displacement (P = 0.009) and acceleration (P < 0.001) against second type of external perturbation between control and experimental groups after the intervention. Conclusion: The outcomes of this study show that proprioception training can improve compensatory postural adjustments strategy and increase head and neck postural stability against external perturbation in karate athletes