Impact of Corrective Exercises on Postural Stability in 16-Year-Old Female Basketball Players in Albania

Spinal abnormalities are seen even in team sports. The purpose of this study was to assess how a 14-week cor- rective exercise program affected the improvement of postural stability in 16-year-old female basketball players. In total, 50 female basketball players from 4 different Sports Associations in Tirana, Albania, aged 16 years, were chosen at random and split into two groups: the Experimental Group (n=25; EXG) and the Control Group (n=25; COG). Anthropometric measures were taken of the two study groups in Body Height (cm; EXG: 165.12±4.73, COG: 169.26±2.89), Body Weight (kg; EXG: 64.84±9.72, COG: 62.27±6.24), and BMI (kg2; EXG: 21.73±3.34, COG: 22.27±1.42). Zebris system software, Win Spine 2.3, was used to examine body posture in parameters: Kyphosis/°, Lordosis/°, Left Scoliosis/°, Right Scoliosis/° before and after training for 14 weeks. Group differences measured in a 95% confidence interval were applied to variables. At p<0.05, statistical significance was recognized. Corrective exercises produced a significant change (p=0.014), with possible normalization of the lordotic curve. The results of this study showed improvements in postural stability in kyphosis-lordosis by practicing corrective exercises for 14 weeks in U-16 female basketball players. The overall sagittal shape of the spine may change under the influence of corrective exercises in this age group. These findings highlight the importance of practicing some corrective exercises to maintain correct body posture and contribute to the physical health of adolescents.