Effect of open and closed kinematic chain exercises on elbow joint proprioception of teen-female volleyball players

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the immediate effect of open and closed kinematic chain exercises on the elbow joint proprioception in healthy teen-female volleyball players. Materials and Methods: Forty-five teen-female volleyball players participated in this study. They were randomly divided into three groups: open-kinematic chain (OKC), closed kinematic chain (CKC), and untrained (control) groups. The elbow joint position sense (JPS) was assessed at 30º of elbow flexion using a system comprise of skin markers and digital photography. The absolute angular error was calculated employing AutoCAD software before and after training programs. Results: The mean absolute error was not significantly different between three groups (P=0.412) before trainings. However, there was a significant difference in absolute error between the groups after trainings (P=0.042), and the higher absolute error difference in controls compared to the open kinematic chain group was found (P=0.012). Conclusion: Although, both OKC and CKC were effective on elbow joint proprioception, it seems that OKC exercises would be more influence on improvement of the elbow joint proprioception accuracy and probably the better way for prevention of upper extremity sport injuries in volleyball players