Analysis of body posture between young football players and their untrained peers

Purpose The aim of this study was to analyze the body posture of young football players and their untrained peers. Methods A group of 73 football players and 78 untrained boys, all aged between 11 and 14 years, were studied by measuring body posture indices with computer posturography (the MORIE technique). Spinal angles and curvatures in the sagittal plane and body posture asymmetry in the frontal and transversal plane were measured. Body height and mass and BMI were also determined. Results Compared to the untrained boys, the group of football players had lower BMI. The position of pelvis in the frontal plane was more symmetrical (<i>p</i> < 0.001) in football players, but the alignment of the remaining measured parameters was similar between the two groups except for the horizontal symmetry of the waist triangles (a higher incidence of symmetry in some ages groups of football players) and the horizontal symmetry of the shoulder blades (a higher incidence of asymmetry in some ages groups of football players). A postural symmetry index that was created for this study did not find any differentiation among the studied groups. The spinal alignment of the football players featured a more flattened lumbar lordosis. Conclusions Previously conducted studies on the body posture of young athletes are still not ample and complete, while the results do not clearly indicate the development of posture when subjected to sports training.