Differential postural control and sensory organization in young tennis players and taekwondo practitioners

This study compared the sensory organization and standing balance of adolescent tennis players, taekwondo (TKD) practitioners, and healthy control participants. Sixty participants including 12 tennis players, 21 TKD practitioners, and 27 healthy control participants were tested. All of the participants underwent the Sensory Organization Test (SOT) and the Unilateral Stance Test (UST) on a Smart Equitest system. Results revealed that tennis players had higher SOT visual ratios than the control participants (p = .005), and TKD practitioners swayed more slowly in the UST than the control participants (p = .039). No differences (p > .05) were found in the composite score, somatosensory ratio, or vestibular ratio between the groups. Tennis players swayed less when they relied more on visual input to maintain balance, whereas TKD practitioners were more stable when standing on one leg. Parents may consider these sports as recreational activities for their children to develop specific balance abilities. Copyright © 2014 Human Kinetics, Inc.