Changes in postural control between 13- and 19-year-old soccer players: is there a need for a specific therapy?

[Purpose] To investigate how increased training participation time and intensity affect postural control in young soccer players. [Subjects and Methods] Variability and mean velocity of sway were compared in U14 and U20 players during two-legged and one-legged quiet stances on a force plate with the player’s eyes open or closed. [Results] U20 players performed much better with vision, and eyes closure considerably deteriorated their performance. The increased reliance on vision in the older group most likely resulted from the longer exposure of the U20 players to strenuous exercise, overload, and cumulative residual effects of earlier contusions. [Conclusion] These specific postural deficits in apparently healthy soccer players were found only because of objective and sensitive posturographic tests. The results of this study suggest that such tests should be regularly performed to increase the efficiency and precision of motor control evaluation in athletes. The corresponding results may help therapists mitigate the indiscernible yet detrimental changes in postural control that predispose soccer players to injury and negatively affect their performance.