Determination of the effects of playing soccer on physical fitness in individuals with transtibial amputation

BACKGROUND: The aim of this paper is to determine the effects of playing soccer on various components of physical performance such as body composition, muscular endurance, anaerobic power, flexibility, balance, and speed of individuals with transtibial amputation. METHODS: Twelve amputee football players aged 26.67 +/- 7.76 years and twelve sedentary individuals aged 33 +/- 6.7 years were involved in this study. Body composition, and isotonic and isometric endurance of trunk muscles were assessed. Vertical jump test, sit-and-reach test, modified Thomas test, Berg Balance Scale, L test, and figure-of-eight walk (F8W) test were used to assess other physical fitness parameters. RESULTS: The Body Mass Index, waist circumference and body fat percentages of the amputee soccer players were significantly lower than the sedentary amputees (P0.05). Balance was higher in the soccer group (P=0.023). The completion period of the F8W test was significantly lower in the soccer group (4.54 +/- 0.9 s) than in the control group (7.71 +/- 2.25 s) (P