Investigation Of The Acute Effects Of Selected Treatments On Reaction Time And Hand Grip Strength In Kickboxers Aged 13-15 Years

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare the acute effects of some neurodynamic interventions (caffeine gum, Russian current (EMS), and nerve mobilization) on visual, auditory, mixed reaction times, and hand grip strength in 13-15 year old adolescent kickboxing athletes.

Method: The study was designed using a repeated measures-focused design. The sample consisted of 28 licensed kickboxing athletes (16 men, 12 women; age: 14.10 ± 0.83 years). Participants underwent the following treatments without knowing which method would be applied until the time of application: (1) control conditions (5-minute warm-up), (2) 10 minutes of caffeine gum after a 5-minute warm-up, (3) 10 minutes of Russian current application to the wrist flexors after a 5-minute warm-up, (4) 10 minutes of nerve mobilization exercises for the median and ulnar nerves after a 5-minute warm-up. After each session, reaction time was measured using a Lafayette hand reaction timer and personal strength was measured using a Takei hand dynamometer. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc test (p<0.05).

Results: All intervention groups showed statistically significant improvement in all reaction time parameters and grip strength compared to the control group (p<0.001). Nerve mobilization was found to be significantly superior to the other two methods, demonstrating the highest performance in auditory and mixed reaction times (240.14 ± 21.01 ms and 244.17 ± 22.03 ms, respectively) and grip strength (26.16 ± 7.63 kg) (p<0.05). While there was no significant difference in nerve mobilization in visual reaction between Russian current (265.64 ± 25.55 ms) and visual response, both were more effective than caffeine gum (274.14 ± 32.13 ms).

Conclusion:  In adolescent kickboxers, neural mobilization stands out as the most effective method for achieving acute performance enhancement, particularly in response speed to complex stimuli and hand strength. The Russian stream offers viable alternatives for visual reaction, while caffeine gum provides modest but significant improvements across all parameters. Integrating neural mobilization techniques into warm-up protocols may be beneficial for optimizing neuromuscular preparation in this age group.

Keywords

• Caffeine
• Russian Current
• Nerve Mobilization
• Reaction Time
• Cognitive Strength.

13-15 Yaş Arası Kick Boksçularda Seçili Uygulamaların Reaksiyon Zamanı Ve El Kavrama Kuvveti Üzerine Akut Etkisinin İncelenmesi

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, bazı nörodinamik uygulamaların (kafein sakızı, Rus akımı(EMS) ve sinir mobilizasyonu), 13-15 yaş adölesan kick boks sporcularında görsel, işitsel, karma reaksiyon zamanları ve kavrama kuvveti üzerindeki akut etkilerini karşılaştırmaktır.

Yöntem: Çalışma, tekrarlanan ölçümler odaklı tasarım tasarlandı. Örneklem, 28 lisanslı kickboks sporcusundan (16 erkek, 12 kadın; yaş: 14,10 ± 0,83 yıl) oluşmuştur. Katılımcıların, uygulama zamanına kadar hangi yöntemin uygulanacağını bilmeden, sırasıyla şu uygulamalar yapıldı: (1) kontrol koşulları (5 dakikalık ısınma), (2)5 dakikalık ısınma sonrası 10 dakika kafein sakızı, (3) 5 dakikalık ısınma sonrası el bileği fleksörlerine 10 dakika boyunca Rus akımı uygulaması, (4) 5 dakikalık ısınma sonrası median ve ulnar sinirler için 10 dakika boyunca sinir mobilizasyon egzersizleri. Her seansın ardından, reaksiyon süresi Lafayette el reaksiyon cihazı kullanılarak ve kişisel gücü Takei el dinamometresi kullanılarak ölçüldü. Veriler, tekrarlanan ölçümler ANOVA ve Bonferroni post-hoc testi (p<0,05) kullanılarak analiz edildi.

Bulgular: Tüm müdahale grupları, kontrol grubuna kıyasla tüm reaksiyon zamanı parametrelerinde ve kavrama kuvvetinde istatistiksel olarak anlamlı iyileşme sağlamıştır (p<0,001). Sinir mobilizasyonu, işitsel ve karma reaksiyon sürelerinde (sırasıyla 240,14 ± 21,01 ms ve 244,17 ± 22,03 ms) ve kavrama kuvvetinde (26,16 ± 7,63 kg) en yüksek performansı göstererek, diğer iki yönteme göre anlamlı derecede üstün bulunmuştur (p<0,05). Görsel reaksiyonda sinir mobilizasyonu (256,60 ± 23,02 ms) ile Rus akımı (265,64 ± 25,55 ms) arasında anlamlı fark yokken, her ikisi de kafein sakızından (274,14 ± 32,13 ms) daha etkili olmuştur.

Sonuç: Adölesan kick boksçularda akut performans artışı sağlamada, özellikle karmaşık uyaranlara tepki hızı ve el kuvveti üzerinde sinir mobilizasyonu en etkili yöntem olarak öne çıkmaktadır. Rus akımı görsel reaksiyonda, kafein sakızı ise tüm parametrelerde mütevazı ancak anlamlı iyileşme sağlayarak geçerli alternatifler sunmaktadır. Isınma protokollerine sinir mobilizasyonu tekniklerinin entegrasyonu, bu yaş grubunda nöromüsküler hazırlığı optimize etmek için faydalı olabilir.

Keywords

• Kafein
• Rus Akımı
• Sinir Mobilizasyonu
• Reaksiyon Zamanı
• Kavrama Kuvveti

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