Takahiro Takenaka and Yuji Nakazumi
Introduction: The purpose of this study was to explore an effective imaging training method capable of improving the excitability of spinal nerve function in athletes.
Methods: We included healthy men with no history of orthopaedic or neurological injury/disease, including 14 active baseball players and 22 individuals inexperienced in baseball. For an active baseball pitcher and a person who has no baseball experience, we used two imaging methods: just an image of holding the ball and an image of the surface material texture of the ball while holding the ball. The changes in spinal nerve function excitability at this time were compared using these two imaging methods.
Excitability of spinal nerve function was calculated by F/M amplitude ratio using electromyogram.
Results: The analysis allowed us to confirm that the excitability of the spinal cord anterior horn cells was higher following imaging than at rest. It was additionally observed that the excitability of the spinal cord anterior horn cells in the pitcher group was further elevated by the imaging method that included feeling of the ball material texture. In the group without baseball experience, on the other hand, the excitability of the spinal cord anterior horn cells did not differ between the imaging method of simply holding the ball and the imaging method that included feeling the ball material texture.
Conclusions: The results of the present study suggest that it is important to individualize the imaging task based on the type and characteristics of the sport played. Therefore, when image training is applied to athletes, its efficacy may be improved by instructing the athletes to touch their specific sport-related tools and to feel the material texture of said tools during image training.
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