CONTEXT: Postural stability is essential for injury prevention and performance. Differences between genders may affect training focus.
OBJECTIVE: To examine static and dynamic postural stability (PS) in male and female Soldiers Design: Descriptive Laboratory Study. SETTING: Biomechanics laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-five healthy female Soldiers (26.4 ± 5.3 years) and twenty-five healthy male Soldiers (26.4 ± 4.9) years matched on physical demand rating, and years of service from the Army's 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). INTERVENTIONS: Each person underwent static and dynamic postural stability testing. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Standard deviation of the ground reaction forces during static postural stability and the dynamic stability index for dynamic postural stability.
RESULTS: Female Soldiers had significantly better static PS than males but no differences were observed in dynamic PS.
CONCLUSIONS: Postural stability is important for injury prevention, performance optimization, and tactical training. The differences observed in the current study may indicate the need for gender specific training emphasis on postural stability.