Static postural balance between male athletes with intellectual disabilities and their sedentary peers: A comparative study

Background: Previous reports showed that athletes without disabilities have better postural skills than their sedentary peers. This finding has not been elucidated in athletes with intellectual disabilities despite their decreased postural balance. This study aims to investigate static postural balance in track and field athletes with intellectual disabilities compared to their sedentary peers.

Methods: Eighteen track and field athletes with intellectual disabilities (23.5 ± 4.52 years) and 18 sedentary peers (20.3 ± 3.4 years) participated in this study. A stabilometric platform was used to assess static postural balance in bipedal and unipedal stances with open (OE) and closed (CE) eyes.

Results: In OE, the result showed significantly better static postural balance (CoP_Vm : p < .001; CoP_area : p < .001) in athletes compared to the sedentary ones in both stances. In CE, this difference was not observed in the unipedal stance.

Conclusion: Track and field experience may improve static postural balance in athletes with intellectual disabilities, mainly when visual input is available.