Influence of osteopathic correction on the functional state of the athletes′ organism during the training process of martial arts practicing (Kendo)

Introduction. One of the widespread and massively practiced martial arts is a Kendo — a system of fencing with a Japanese sword. Herewith the training process imposes very high requirements on athletes practicing martial arts. Large physical and psychological loads often lead to overstrain of various organism systems. This worsens the functional state of the organism and causes various injuries. But very often athletes in this situation continue training and take part in competitions. As a result a further deterioration of the condition and delayed recovery of the functional state of the organism takes place, and it negatively affects sports results. In Russia, this type of martial arts is massively engaged in the first generation of athletes, so today there are no methods of treatment, recovery and medical support specially developed for this sport. Osteopathy can be a promising method of drug-free recovery and maintenance that does not require the use of complex equipment, and this method has already proved itself well in some other sports.

The goal of research — to identify the somatic dysfunctions that are typical for kendoists and can affect their sports results, and to study the impact of osteopathic correction on the osteopathic status and the kendoists organism′ functional state, which determine the athletes performance.

Materials and methods. 30 athletes practicing Kendo were selected to participate in the study. A simple randomization method was used to form an experimental group (15 people) who had osteopathic correction of somatic dysfunction (SD), and a control group (15 people) in which there were no any manipulations. At the beginning of the study both groups underwent osteopathic examination and assessment of the organism functional state by the Harvard step test and a breath-holding test (Genchi test). Osteopathic correction of SD in the experimental group was performed once a month for 9 months. Then the osteopathic examination and functional assessment were repeated in both groups. The obtained results were compared both within the respective groups (using the Wilcoxon test) and between groups (using the Mann–Whitney test).

Results. The following regional biomechanical disorders were detected as typical for the selected Kendo athletes at the study beginning: lower extremities (structural component), thoracic region (structural and visceral component), and lumbar region (structural and visceral component). Such characteristic local somatic dysfunctions as dysfunctions of the ankle and subtalar joints were also identified. The use of SD osteopathic correction in athletes of the experimental group led to a statistically significant decrease in the SD total number (p≤0,05) compared with the control group in which osteopathic correction was not performed. The experimental group athletes had a significant decrease of the SD total number (p≤0,01) and the local somatic dysfunctions average number (p≤0,01). Functional test scores improved in both groups at the end of the study. However the functional tests indicators of the experimental group, in comparison with the control group, statistically significantly (p≤0,05) improved to a greater extent.

Conclusion. The obtained data demonstrate the osteopathic correction positive effect on the practicing kendo athletes′ organism in the form of the somatic dysfunctions′ number decrease and the functional state improvement. 

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