E.R. Yashina
T.F. Abramova
V.I. Boytsov
N.I. Kochetkova
R.V. Malkin
T.M. Nikitina
All-Russian Research Institute of Physical Culture and Sport, Moscow

Keywords: corrective methods, musculoskeletal system (MSS), elliptical-round movement of footplate, highly-skilled athletes, competitive ballroom dances.

Background. Long-term studies of the musculoskeletal system (MSS) specifics in athletes specialized in different sport disciplines have demonstrated that sport-specific spatial orientation malfunctions and trunk disorders are caused by multisided evolution, i.e. by intensification of the evolutionary predisposed and typical functional asymmetry aggravated by high-intensity physical activity, gender dimorphism (skews of pelvis and lumbar lordosis) and the main motor stereotype formed by prolonged, focused and intense training process. Long-term athletic career is known to form specific muscular ensembles due to adaptive body changes that, when accumulated, result in stable distortions in the coupled muscles and agonist-antagonist muscles that may be aggravated by other body malfunctions with the situational functional shifts being transformed to stable disorders in the MSS segments associated with pain syndromes. This is the reason for the high priority being given to the measures intended to prevent the negative processes and optimize the functionality of the athletes’ MSS in the athletic training process.

The commonly applicable MSS functionality optimization methods are quite efficient and beneficial in solving a variety of specific and general therapeutic problems, and in addition they may be applied for preventive purposes too. There are also a few constraining requirements for these methods, including: subjective difficulties and barriers in performing the relevant practices; need for due laboratory conditions and highly-skilled service professionals; and strict compliance with every detail of the key movement patterns in case of athletic practices.

The main aspect of a corrective action to harmonize the overall neuromuscular balance of a body is based on the human body being assumed as an integrated myofascial system. Practical modern technologies geared to implement this approach were combined in a new corrective IMOOVE ELLIPS-M Training Simulator system (France-made) that is designed on a basic principle of a biomechanical movable unstable platform. The platform movements follow the pattern of an ascending conic spiral being dominated by elliptical-round triple movements to secure simultaneous interactions in every muscle group controlling movements of the relevant joints through concentric, eccentric and pliometric movements; and simulate the physiologically balanced movements of vertebrae in relation to the intervertebral disks in a series of spiral movements. The system secures dynamic postural changes being achieved through segmented practices for the key muscular groups; regulates the degree of neuromuscular stimulation and multisensory action on the proprioception using the biological feedback; and ensures due versatility of the movement patterns thereby helping recreate the strength and tone of the weakened muscles and balance the hypersthenia. The system includes a central immovable column with a fixed screen, immovable and moving handles and movable platform with foothold sensors (see Figure 1). The IMOOVE ELLIPS-M Training Simulator system is supported by the application software that offers a wide range of testing and rehabilitating programmed practices with motor-visual control and the relevant biological feedback; and with self-control of the imposed optimal stereotype of the preset movement sequence. Different conditions related to surgical removal of hernia, spondylosis, arthrosis and varicosity of lower limb veins are not among the contraindications for the practices. Main contraindications include: 3^rd degree hypertension, acute somatic diseases, acute arthrosis and humeroscapular periarthritis.

Figure 1. Kinesiotherapeutic IMOOVE ELLIPS-M Training Simulator system

Objective of the study was to test corrective efficiency of the IMOOVE ELLIPS-M Training Simulator system in athletic practices to prevent postural disorders and injuries.

Methods and structure of the study. The study was performed at Russian Research Institute of Physical Education and Sport (Moscow). Subject to the study were 18 male competitive ballroom dancers (from the competitive dancing clubs “Novy vek" ("New Age”), "Akademiya" “Academy” and "Russkiy klub" (“Russian Club”) of 16-26 years of age qualified from Class I Athletes to Masters of Sport and having formal competitive track records of 3 to 15 years. Initial and final tests were performed prior to and after the experiment under the study that included the morphological, optical-tomography and stabilometric (postural balance control) tests. Following the initial tests, the subjects were trained using the IMOOVE ELLIPS-M Training Simulator system (6 times in total, 2 times per week, 25-minutes-long training sessions) and thereafter were again tested a month later. To attain the study objectives, the following methods were applied:

– Anthropometrics to obtain data on body dimensions, limb circumferences and skinfold thickness followed by calculations of muscular and fat components using standard anthropometric methodologies.

– Optical tomography using a “Computerized optical unobtrusive tomograph to diagnose spinal deformations” (TODP), with the following data being generated: qualitative and quantitative spatial positions and forms of the key body segments (shoulders, blades, pelvis, spinal axis) in the frontal (distortions, scoliotic deviations), horizontal (rotation) and sagittal (physiological bents in the thoracic and lumbar spine sections) planes; integral expressivity of the postural disorders and body form in the sagittal, frontal and horizontal planes; overall and plane-specific deviation indices (DI); occurrence rates of the local deviations in the spatial positions of the key body segments in three planes. Rated deviation degrees for the spatial positions and forms of the key body segments versus the norm, including: subnormal that means insignificant deviations; 1^st degree meaning modest deviations; 2^nd degree meaning expressed deviations due to the MSS pathologies; and the 3^rd degree meaning significant deviations and serous MSS disorders. Accounted under the study were only the 1-3 degrees;

– Stabilometric tests were performed using the Stabilan-01 Computerized Stabiloanalyzer System with a biological feedback capacity. Standard test conditions implied the athletes standing on the platform barefooted in a “European” stand (heels tight, tips apart at 30°) as a standard stand subject to the relevant duly developed and approved regulatory stabilometric indices. The subject’s upright postural control ability was tested using the Romberg test with the postural control profile being recorded in two modes: eyes-open (with a visual stimulation by intermittent coloured rounds) and eyes-closed (with audio stimulation by tones). The tests generated a set of statokynetic stability rates (speed and square of the Aggregate Pressure Centre (APC); shift and dispersion of the oscillations by the coordinate axes; average direction of the oscillations; and the postural control function quality (PCFC); plus the contributions of the proprioceptive (eyes-closed) and visual (eyes-open) components to the postural control (with the Romberg ratio being applied as a relation of the eyes-open APC to the eyes-closed APC);

– Practices using the biomechanical movable platform of the IMOOVE ELLIPS-M Training Simulator system (see Figure 1). The athletes performed a set of 5 main exercises (see Figure 2). The first exercise is designed to stretch the back muscles: oblique and dentate muscles, broadest muscle of back, intercostal muscle, musculus iliopsoas and rectus muscle of stomach; the exercise takes 2 minutes in total, 1 minute in the left stand and 1 minute in the right stand, with the platform rotation being changed every 30 seconds (see Figure 2, upper left picture). The second exercise is designed to practice balance on the rotating platform for 5 minutes with the moving handles being actively pulled; initial stand: right foot in front, left behind, right hand pulls the moving handle in front of the body at an angle of around 30 degrees to the left, and the left hand pulls moving handle behind the body at an angle of around 30 degrees, with the hands being changed every 5 seconds; in 150 seconds, the stand is changed to the left foot in front, right foot behind (see Figure 2, upper right picture); the exercise is designed to activate musculus pectoralis major, broadest muscle of the back, musculus trapezius, musculus rhomboidalis, deep layers of the back extensor muscles, musculus iliopsoas, broad femoral fascia, musculus gluteus and musculus piriformis. The third exercise: initial stand: feet are shoulders-wide, right hand pulls the moving handle along the back, and relaxed left hand is kept aside; body position is changed every 5 seconds; the platform rotation is changed every 30 seconds; the exercise lasts for 5 minutes in total, and it is designed to train the ligaments and tendons with a special emphasis on the upper limbs, broadest muscle, musculus rhomboidalis, musculus supraspinatus and musculus infraspinatus with the lower limb muscles being activated at moments (see Figure 2, middle left picture). The fourth exercise: initial stand: right foot in front, left behind, the both hands actively pull up the moving handles for 5 seconds; the exercise takes 6 minutes in total, with the platform rotation being changed every 30 seconds and the feet positions changed every minute; the exercise is designed to train musculus deltoideus, musculus trapezius (the upper and middle bundles), long extensor muscles of trunk and the lower limb muscles (see Figure 2, the middle right picture). The fifth exercise: initial stand: feet are shoulders-wide, arms are stretched up, right side is pulled up for 10 seconds, then the left side is pulled up for 10 seconds; the exercise takes 1 minute in total and is designed to stretch muscles of back (see Figure 2, the lower picture);

– Mathematical descriptive statistics methods [3].

Figure 2. Exercises using the IMOOVE ELLIPS-M Training Simulator system

Study results and discussion. Comparative analysis of the initial test data versus final test data of the male competitive ballroom dancers (Standard and Latin) made it possible to rate the efficiency of the above practices on the IMOOVE ELLIPS-M Training Simulator system (see Tables 1-5).

Upon completion of the practical course, the final tests showed a significant increase of the muscular mass and decrease of the fat mass, with mostly notable significant growth of the muscular mass in the forearm and thigh; and the skinfold thicknesses on the triceps, forearm, stomach and thigh were found to reduce with no changes in the body mass (Table 1).

Table 1. Morphological data variations in the male competitive ballroom dancers trained using the IMOOVE ELLIPS-M Training Simulator system

Upon completion of every practical course, the study data showed significant positive changes in the pelvis positioning and integrated deviation index (showing deviations from the physiological norms) with notable positive trends in lumbar lordosis; frontal position of pelvis; left-side deviation of the spinous process line being reduced; vertex of the thoracic kyphosis and other specific indices of disorders being optimized. The positive postural changes were verified by the positive variations in the occurrence rates of the trunk and pelvis positional deviations (see Tables 3 and 4).

Table 2. Variations in the trunk/ pelvis spatial positioning rates in the male competitive ballroom dancers trained using the IMOOVE ELLIPS-M Training Simulator system: data prior to and after the corrective practices, %