Analysis of the dynamics of vestibular stability in athletes: Experimental and control groups

Abstract

Performances of professional athletes reflect not only individual achievement, but also carry socio-political significance for the success of the state, sports clubs and commercial organizations sponsoring them. Ukraine's representation on the international stage requires enhancing the training of young divers, particularly by improving talent identification in the early stages and aligning agе specific development with the cultivation of their abilities and skill. Purpose: mathematically substantiate the criteria for the selection of children in children's and youth sports schools and to form the criteria for the selection of jumps into water at the stage of initial training. Material and Methods: Subjects: Determination of the functional state of the vestibular analyzer was carried out using a passive rotating test. 55 respondents (10.98±0.1 years; range: 9-13 years) took part in the study (KGman=19; EGman=17; KGgirls=10; EGgirls=8). The testing was conducted between 2022 and 2025. We studied the dynamics of nystagmus frequency during and after rotation of the left and right sides, as well as the amplitude of nystagmus during and after rotation. Research was conducted and performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki. Results: Comparative analysis of nystagmus frequency after rotations to the right of athletes EGman та KGman found a significant difference at the end of the experiment. Frequency of nystagmus in boys EGman 3.6 fluctuations higher than in boys KGman (t=2.308; р0.05). A study of the amplitude of nystagmus during rotation to the right found that in KGman a significant difference in results is observed at 12 years of age (t=2.498; р0.05), а в EGman - at the age of 11 (t=2.856; р0.01). At the end of the experiment in athletes KGman the difference relative to the original data is 2 mm (t=2.877; р0.01), and in EGman – 3.7 mm (t=4.532; р0.001). There is also a significant difference between the indicators EGman та KGman at the age of 13 (t=2.072; р0.05). The results of the girls EGgirls, as in the previous version, have a significant difference relative to the original data after the second stage of selection (t=2.005; р0.05). In the future, the difference increases and is: in the third selection - 6.4 fluctuations (t=4.007; р0.001), in the fourth selection at the end of the experiment - 7.9 fluctuations (t=5.721; р0.001). Conclusion. The introduction of the author's criteria for the selection of athletes-divers in the water stimulates them to improve vestibular stability for further training in the sections of diving. The criteria do not have a direct impact on improving the vestibular stability of athletes that we studied, but the knowledge that these indicators affect the overall assessment of athletic fitness motivates young jumpers to actively improve.