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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 10, No. 4

Publication Date: April 25, 2023

DOI:10.14738/assrj.104.14424.

Sioud, R., Amara, S., Gaied-Chortane, S., & Khalifa, R. (2023). Impact of the Swimming Practice on the Postural Balance among

Tunisian Athletes. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(4). 200-209.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

Impact of the Swimming Practice on the Postural Balance among

Tunisian Athletes

Sioud, Rim

Research Unit (UR17JS01)"Sport Performance, Health & Society",

Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar-saïd,

University of Manouba, TUNISIA, and Higher Institute of Sport and

Physical Education of Ksar Said, University of Manouba, Tunisia

Amara, Sofiene

Research Unit (UR17JS01)"Sport Performance, Health & Society",

Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar-saïd,

University of Manouba, TUNISIA, and Higher Institute of Sport and

Physical Education of Ksar Said, University of Manouba, Tunisia

Gaied-Chortane, Sabri

Research Unit (UR17JS01)"Sport Performance, Health & Society",

Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar-saïd,

University of Manouba, TUNISIA, and Higher Institute of Sport and

Physical Education of Ksar Said, University of Manouba, Tunisia

Khalifa, Riadh

Research Unit (UR17JS01)"Sport Performance, Health & Society",

Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar-saïd,

University of Manouba, TUNISIA, and Higher Institute of Sport and

Physical Education of Ksar Said, University of Manouba, Tunisia

ABSTRACT

Our Study aims were to test the impact of swimming practice on the development of

postural stability among Tunisian Athletes. The analyses deal with the impact of the

practice of swimming on the postural balance. They clarify the various constraints

that influence the control mechanisms involved in maintaining the balance in the

resort standing. Our study addresses 20 same age category male subjects (senior)

returned in: an experimental group (10 swimmers, belonging to the Tunisian

national team) and a control (no sports group 10). For this study we used the

Neurocom version 8.0.2 system: scale Master® consisting of a flat form of force

connected to a string of data to measure the speed of oscillation of the center of

pressure in strong support bipedal, eyes open on ground. The results obtained

showed no direct effect of the swimming practice on postural stability of Tunisian

athletes. In fact, swimming poses the need to evolve in an environment different

from that in which any subject has built his balance, his motor skills of every day,

the latter two are insured through the muscles; so, balance follows the permanent

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Sioud, R., Amara, S., Gaied-Chortane, S., & Khalifa, R. (2023). Impact of the Swimming Practice on the Postural Balance among Tunisian Athletes.

Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(4). 200-209.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.104.14424

integration of information transmitted by three receiving systems: Visual,

proprioceptive and vestibular.

Keywords: Kinetic Balance, Postural Stability, Swimming, Athletes

INTRODUCTION

What is typically meant by postural control consists of two functions: a function anti-gravity, to

resist gravity and maintain the balance of the body, in the mechanical sense, and a function of

interaction with the environment to adjust the position and orientation of the body based on

the constraints it imposes [1].

It is by the movement that man builds, organizes consistently compared to the surrounding

world. We relate with the space according to two separate systems, one which concerns the

space of the body and one that concerns the body extra space.

Thus, the peculiarities of the aquatic environment change in sources of information specific to

the driving organization of the field challenging these usual benchmarks.

The balance of a subject is indeed defined by the maintenance of the center of pressure (CP)

inside his base of support. Under dynamic conditions, the position of the center of pressure

depends on both the position and the acceleration of the center of mass [2].

Inadequate postural control can have a significant impact on the integrity of the passive

structures: cartilaginous joint, muscular and tedious [3].

In fact, to achieve and maintain high level performance in sports, tolerance to the mechanical

stress of its structures, turns out crucial and decisive and it differs in front of each external load

which also depends on the genetic factors (quality of the fabrics) and functional stability

interested joint and postural strategies that the athlete uses to manage its support.

So is the practice of swimming one of the extrinsic factors affecting postural balance?

The posture of an individual is the arrangement of the different body segments each other at

some point [4]. It is a particular attitude of the body which is the result of an ongoing muscle

activity. So, sport improves postural balance, which improvement has a close relationship with

the type of activity such as swimming, which presents a working alternative and simultaneous

member causing synchronization between the action of muscles agonists and antagonists

providing a better balance. The purpose of our study is to determine the impact of study of the

practice of swimming on the postural balance.

MATERIALS AND METHOD

The analysis tool is version 8.0.2 Neurocom system: scale Master®.

This device Neurocom® type scale Master® consists of a platform of power related to a

microcomputer with sensors

Rectangular in shape (45 cm / 150 cm), it is used to detect and measure the reaction forces on

the ground vertically perform the subject's feet in the three axes. Thanks to software in direct

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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 10, Issue 4, April-2023

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

connection with the flat form of force; the data obtained are expressed in terms of speed of the

oscillation of the center of pressure (VO): more this speed is low, more the subject is stable.The

results are expressed in degrees per second (deg/sec)

Micro-Ordinateur

It collects and analyzes information with pre installed by the company Neurocom® software

and allows you to store them on an electronic medium (CD, floppy, USB key) (figure 1).

Fig.1. Data acquisition

This study examines 20 subjects all male and same age (seniors) category:

• 10 no sports, students belonging to senior classes "Abitur" school JHA of the governorate

of Tunis who play the sports that during two hours per week and who have no other

sports activities.

• 10 swimmers, belonging to the Tunisian national team, who train regularly at the

average of 18 hours per week (nine sessions of two hours).

The assessment is conducted on a device Neurocom® type scale Master® consisting of a flat

form of force attached to a computer.

Main Morphological Characteristics:

The anthropometric characteristic’s were assessed in accordance with the recomendation of

the standardized procedures of the International Society for the Advancement of

Kinanthropometry (Table 1) [5]. The body mass was assessed to the nearest 0.1kg using a high

precision scale while the height was assessed using a using a Seca stadiometer (Seca

Instruments Ltd, Hamburg, Germany) to the nearest 0.1cm. The foot length was assessed by a

non flexible measuring tape to the nearest 0.1cm.

Experimental Protocol:

CTSIB modified (the Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction we Balance) [6].

The Clinical Test of the sensory Interaction on scale evaluates bipodal balance by measuring

the speed of the oscillation of the center of pressure (CP) eyes open closed ground (Figure 1).

The duration of the test is 10 "with 3 attempts for each, after all test the subject takes a pose of

about 10".