Analysis of the postural balance and knee isokinetic muscle strength of female futsal players

ABSTRACT Indoor football (futsal) is the sport with the largest number of practitioners nowadays, which implies a greater appearance of lesions. Thus, it is important to identify variables that may predispose the athlete to develop injuries, such as balance and muscle strength. This study aimed to assess the postural balance and knee isokinetic muscle strength in amateur female futsal players - 12 athletes were evaluated (22.07±3.61 years) - and to investigate the association between these variables. The knee muscle strength was evaluated using an isokinetic dynamometer and balance with computerized dynamic posturography, through sensory organization test (SOT), motor control, and unilateral test. The athletes showed greater visual dependency to maintain balance, which was perceived in the conditions of the unilateral test with visual restriction. Possibly, this situation indicates that the somatosensory and/or vestibular system of the athletes was affected by factors associated with the physical training and participation in competitions. Concerning the isokinetic muscle strength variables, there was no indication of muscle imbalance, through agonist-antagonist ratio, in the dominant lower limb (53.8±8.4%), nor in the non-dominant lower limb (55.1±10.9%). There was association between balance and variables of isokinetic strength, indicating that the greater the muscle power, the better the proprioceptive level (SOT 4 condition), and the higher the total work, the better the state of the proprioceptive and vestibular systems (SOT 5 condition).