BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF SPINE MOVEMENTS IN HIKING ON SAILING: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

This study aimed to evaluate sailors ’ vertebral spine movements and positioning during hiking position. One Laser Class sailor composed the sample. Four 60Hz Peak Motus System ® cameras were used. To evaluate some spine angles the following points were chosen: in saggital plane- the neck flexion angle, thoracic kiphosis angle and lumbar lordosis angle; in frontal plane – the lateral inclination angle; in transversal plane – the trunk rotation. Data were analysed through descriptive statistics. The analysis shows great angle variations performed in a 10s hiking execution. It can be observed that the sailor’s trunk performs, in the three axes, a sum of movements during the technical gesture. It was demonstrated that hiking is not a static posture and to study this position researchers should not consider trunk as a fixed segment. KEY WORDS: sailing, hiking, spine. Sailing is a very competitive sport and requires high levels of training. The sailor controls the intrinsic regulations of the boat and still works with factors like speed and constant variation of wind direction, rapids, and different competition courses (Shephard, 1997). To deal wit