A comparison of postural abnormalities in athlete and non-athlete elementary students

The purpose of the present research was to compare postural abnormalities in athlete and non-athlete elementary students of Naqadeh County. The research was descriptive carried out as an applied study. The population consisted of all the elementary students of Naqadeh County (N=10114) of which 1042 were selected as sample. Cluster sampling was used for selecting the schools and random sampling was applied for selecting the students. Mann-Whitney U test was applied to test the research hypotheses. The statistical operations were done in SPSS at the 5% significance level. The results showed that there is a significant difference between athlete and non-athlete students in such postural abnormalities as uneven shoulders, scoliosis, kyphosis, and hallux valgus. However, no significant difference was observed between these groups in forward head, flat back, lordosis, genu varum, and genu valgum. According to the results of the research, scientific physical exercises can reduce postural abnormalities, while exercises in unsuitable environments aggravate these deformities.