title: Postural characterization of adolescent federation basketball players.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The adolescent players federated to basketball have a high-level of endurance demand, often overloading the biological tissues and causing biomechanical compensations. Due to the immaturity of their musculoskeletal structures those consequences may influence the growing process and lead to the development of various postural patterns. We aimed to evaluate the postural alignment of the trunk in players.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants, 74 healthy adolescents: 36 basketball players (BG) and 38 adolescents in control group (CG). First, adolescents were marked with spheres over specific anatomical landmarks. Postural photographs were taken in the sagittal and frontal planes, and analyzed using the free internet Postural Analysis Software to obtain quantitative measures of the head, shoulders, and trunk.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ANCOVA has revealed significant group effects: players demonstrated greater lateral spinal inclination (P < .008). In the right sagittal plane, the BG had lower angular values of forward head position (P < .02), pelvic ante version (P < .02), vertical alignment of the trunk (P < .02), and thoracic kyphosis (P < .005). The covariate analysis has indicated that age influences the alignments of both the shoulders and the left scapula; and height influences the scapular alignment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study has demonstrated that basketball training within federations influences the musculoskeletal system of adolescents and reflects a process of postural adaptations.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Physical Therapy, Speech, and Occupational Therapy, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Patrícia Ferreira
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Guedes
authors.forename: Silvia Maria
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: João
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001490:Basketball / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007738:Kyphosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D013131:Spine / Q000502:physiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires