Effect of a sports mouthguard on the functional range of motion of the spine and the upper body posture in taekwondo

Background: The aim is to investigate to what extent the different oral protections compared to the habitual occlusion affect the upper body posture in statics and during taekwondo-specific movement. Methods: 12 Taekwondoka (5 f/7 m) of German national team were measured by using a 3d back scanner and an ultrasonic distance measuring (upright stand, taekwondo attack and defense movement, two taekwondo specific combinations) in habitual occlusion, with a custom-made and ready-made mouth protection Results: There are no significant changes in the upper body posture (p = 0.05). Depending on the dynamic measurements, different significant reactions of the spinal position were found while wearing the custom made mouthguard or the ready-made mouthguard according to the conducted movement. Conclusion: The measured changes in dynamic movements are not clinical relevant. Based on the positive responses from the participants, the custom-made mouth protection can be recommended combined with an individual analysis.
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Bibliographic Details
Subjects:
Notations:biological and medical sciences combat sports
Tagging:Mundschutz Range of Motion
Published in:BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation
Language:English
Published: 2021
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-021-00232-0
Volume:13
Issue:5
Pages:1-13
Document types:article
Level:advanced