Angle of Kyphosis Curve, Forward Head and Motion Rang of Shoulder Joint in Elite Handball Players

When athletes enter professional activities, they may face abnormalities which are variable depending on the type of sport activities. Forward head, shoulder mal-alignments and spinal column are the main postural deviations in athletes with overhead activity. These abnormalities make athletes prone to injury. This research was conducted with 68 athletes from MES KERMAN, STAR FOROUGH KERMAN and SAMENOL HOJAJ MASHAD teams who were selected by accessible method. The subjects were divided into two groups: injured (N=40, age=24.27±4.43 yr, height= 186.55±7.24 cm, weight=85.17±10.06 kg) and healthy (N=28, age=23.85±3.82 yr, height=183.67±8.36 cm, weight=82.32±9.27 kg) using exclusion criteria. To assess forward head, a goniometer was used; to assess kyphosis, a flexicurve and to assessment ROM, Leighton flexometer were used. To study subject's injuries, self-report injury form was used. Data were analyzed with SPSS20, independent t test and Pearson correlation coefficient (P􀂔0.05).The results showed a significant difference in angle of kyphosis curve (P􀂔0.013) and forward head (P􀂔0.001) between healthy and injured handball players. Also, there was a significant difference between the angle of kyphosis curve and ROM of internal rotation of dominant hand (r=0.72, P􀂔0.001), external rotation of dominant hand (r= -0.48, P􀂔0.002), internal rotation of non-dominant hand (r=0.79, P􀂔0.001), external rotation of non-dominant hand (r= -0.42, P􀂔0.038) and shoulder joint of injured handball players. It can be concluded that if athlete enter professional sports and repeatedly train the specific skills, it may cause postural abnormalities and injury. These abnormalities cause kinematic changes in joints.