The Effect of Practicing Selected Sports on the Value of the Center of Pressure (COP): A Pilot Study

The purpose of this study was to determine whether training for a marathon and powerlifting could affect the value of the center of pressure (COP) in static and dynamic testing assessed with the Free Med ground reaction force platform. A baropodometric mat was used to evaluate COP values, using Free Step computer software. The study was performed in three groups: marathon runners (M, n = 31), powerlifters (PL, n = 24), and a control group (C, n = 30). Basic descriptive statistics (mean ± standard deviation) were calculated for the COP in the static, anteroposterior (AP), and mediolateral (ML) directions, followed by dynamic test variables for the dominant (D) and non-dominant (ND) lower limbs. In each of the three study groups, one-factor ANOVA, two-factor MANOVA, and r-Pearson correlation coefficients between COP and D lower limb, as well as between COP and ND lower limb, were calculated. No statistically significant differences were observed between the means of the COP in the groups studied in the static test. A statistically significant difference between the COP of the D and ND lower limbs (p < 0.001) was observed in the dynamic test only in the M group. In both the C and PL groups, a significant relationship was observed between the two variables for the parameter of sway distance between the lower limbs (r = 0.75; p < 0.001 and r = 0.73; p < 0.001). Only in the M group were statistically significant differences found between the D and ND lower limbs in the dynamic study (p < 0.001). These athletes developed specific postural strategies characterized by the difference between the length of the sway path between the D and ND lower limbs. Further research is needed in these athlete groups to determine whether practicing these sports can affect the distribution of foot pressure on the ground.