Features of active and passive joints mobility of skiers and skaters athletes

Introduction. In the vast majority of sports, joint mobility is a necessary basis for effective technical self-improvement. Insufficient mobility of joints sharply complicates and slows down the process of motor skills mastering, and some of it (mainly the key components of an effective technique for performing competitive exercises) cannot be mastered.Aim of the study is to reveal the features of the active and passive mobility of extremities joints in skiers and skaters athletes.Materials and methods. The study involved 46 athletes, including 27 skiers and 19 skaters. The inclusion criteria for the study were: age 18–24 years; lack of complaints from the musculoskeletal system; experience of constant sports activities for at least 2 years; absence of competitive practice during the research period. The protocol for the study of the joint mobility included 5 types of active and passive movements, the values of which were expressed in angular degrees: flexion and extension in the wrist joint, flexion in the knee joint, plantar flexion and dorsal extension in the ankle joint. The range of motion (both active and passive) in the joints was measured in both limbs using a goniometer.Results. In all the examined joints of all studied subjects, the volume of passive movements statistically significantly exceeded the volume of active ones (p<0,05). Among athletes-skiers, the greatest differences were observed in the ankle joint during dorsal extension (29,4 %), and the smallest — in the knee joint (14,1 %). In the group of skaters, the smallest difference between passive and active mobility was recorded in the ankle joints — with plantar flexion (8,1 %). The maximum differences in passive and active performance of movements were found in the wrist joint — in flexion (29,4 %). Correlation analysis according to Spearman showed strong and moderate negative associations between active mobility and differences in active and passive movements. Conclusion. The amount of passive mobility in the joints always exceeds the amplitude of active movements. This creates the prerequisites for the development of active mobility at the expense of the reserve. This reserve in each joint has its own value and decreases with increased load on the joint, therefore, for different sports, the indicators of the reserve of mobility in the same joints differ due to the movements stereotyped for each sport. The maximum difference in active and passive movements is in the joints with the least load in the training process of athletes of a certain specialization. A decrease in the reserve of mobility increases the risk of injury and disrupts the athlete′s work capacity. Accordingly, the knee joints are the most vulnerable in skiers, and the ankle joints in skaters.