Neuromuscular and postural control in visually and nonvisually impaired judo athletes: Case study

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze neuromuscular and postural control in visu-ally and nonvisually impaired judo athletes. Two judo athletes, one visu-ally impaired and the other nonvisually impaired, participated in the study. The athletes presented similar demographic, anthropometric, and judo-technical characteristics. They performed maximal isometric handgrip strength (dominant and nondominant hand), vertical jumps (countermovement jump [CMJ] and squat jump [SJ]), and center of pressure assessment in three positions: neutral, anteroposterior, and judo combat base (Migi-shizentai). The main findings showed that the visually impaired athlete presented higher standing balance in the neu-tral and anteroposterior positions than non-visually impaired athlete (effect size [ES] > 2.0). In the Migi-shizentai position, the disparity be-tween both athletes was reduced, particularly in the displacement area (ES=0.52). The visually impaired athlete showed higher performance in the SJ but lesser performance in CMJ and handgrip strength tests than nonimpaired athlete (ES > 2.0). We concluded that the postural stability was higher in the visually impaired athlete in the neutral and anteropos-terior position, but similar to the nonvisually impaired athlete in Migi-shi-zentai position, possible due to the influence of judo practice. Moreover, the visually impaired athlete showed higher performance in the SJ than nonvisually impaired.