Analysis of basic motor and functional movement abilities to identify injury factors in elementary school baseball players

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K20000
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 59020:Sports sciences-related
• Research Institution: Fukushima Medical University (2022-2023); Sendai Seiyo Gakuin College (2019-2021)
• Principal Investigator: Endo Yasuhiro 福島県立医科大学, 保健科学部, 講師 (50805306)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 投球障害 / 成長期 / 小児 / 障害予防 / 基本的運動能力 / 投球動作 / 跳動作 / バランス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

A total of 110 elementary school baseball players were included in the study. Twelve percent had experienced pain in the upper limb on the throwing side. As a characteristic of movement, players with a pattern of "forward swing of the upper limb but insufficient extension of the elbow" during the jumping motion were more likely to have "suppressed early rotation" during the pitching motion. Significantly more players in the pattern of "pulling back the upper limb on the glove side but insufficiently" in the throwing motion had "full extension of the lower limb and trunk at stepping off" in the jumping motion. In addition, significantly more of the players who were unable to hold the non-throwing side lower limb one-leg stance correctly had an open trunk during the foot plant in the throwing motion.

Free Research Field

理学療法、スポーツ科学、リハビリテーション

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

小学生野球選手の跳動作、投動作、下肢リーチ動作、しゃがみ込み動作の特徴を明らかにした。関節運動や筋力との関連、投球動作とそれ以外の動作の関連性から、障害予防のためのトレーニングを立案できる可能性がある。投球障害と基本的運動能力の関連性は明らかでなく、今後の研究課題である。