bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A PREVENTION PROGRAM FOR LOW BACK PAIN IN JAPANESE ELITE SWIMMERS
Authors: Hangai M , Koizumi K , Noriyuki T , Okuwaki T , Kaneoka K
Published: March 2014

Background

It is known that lumbar disc degeneration (DD) might be associated with low back pain (LBP). Moreover, the DD rate is higher in swimmers than in other sports athletes.We have experienced several Japanese Olympic swimmers who could not show their best performance due to LBP.

Objective

To investigate if the intervention by a LBP prevention program is effective for Japanese elite swimmer's performance.

Design

Prospective longitudinal study.

Setting

Japanese swimmers for the Beijing and London Olympics and elite national swimmers from 2009 to 2011.

Participants

57 swimmers (29 males and 28 females).

Risk factor assessment

T2-weighted sagittal MR images of lumber spine were taken once a year. The degree of DD was categorized into 5 grades using the Pfirrmann's classification. Change in the grade by MR images was evaluated. The prevention program consists of 2 components. One is control of axial load training for the lumbar spine depending on their grade. The other is the implement of stability training for the lumbar spine by physical trainers to all swimmers at competitions and training camps.

Main outcome measurements

Severe LBP affected the swimmer's performance in the competition during follow-up periods.

Results

The DD rate of the all swimmers was 54.4%. The DD rates of Beijing and London Olympians were 51.6% and 59.3%, respectively. Severe LBP was found in 3 of 5 swimmers with aggravation of the DD grades. However, there was no swimmer who did not withdraw from the London Olympics due to LBP after the implementation of 4 years prevention program.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that the swimmer's aggravation of DD grade was associated with LBP. However, although the DD rate of London Olympians was higher than that of Beijing Olympians, there was no London Olympian who could not perform due to LBP. Our study shows that the LBP prevention program may be effective in elite swimmers in terms of performance.
LOW BACK PAIN IN CYCLING: DOES IT MATTER HOW YOU SIT?
Authors: van Hoof W , Volkaerts K , O'Sullivan K , Malfait B , Verschueren S , Dankaerts W
Published: March 2014

Background

Low Back Pain (LBP) is a common problem among cyclists, although studies investigating LBP during cycling are scarce. Most studies have focused on LBP and geometric bike-related variables. Until now no cycling field studies have investigated the relationship between maladaptive lumbar kinematics and LBP during cycling.

Objective

To examine lower lumbar kinematics in cyclists with and without non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP).

Design

Cross-sectional cycling field study.

Setting

Recreational and competitive cyclists.

Patients

8 cyclists with NSCLBP classified as having a ‘Flexion Pattern’ (FP) disorder and nine asymptomatic age-and gender-matched cyclists were tested. Subjects performed a two hour outdoor cycling task on their personal race bike.

Main outcome measurements

Lower lumbar kinematics were measured with a wireless monitoring system (BodyGuardTM). Pain intensity during and after cycling was measured using a numerical pain rating scale.

Results

The NSCLBP (FP) subjects were significantly more flexed (P=.018) at the lower lumbar spine during cycling compared to healthy controls and reported a significant increase in pain (P<.001) over the two hours of cycling. One-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant main effect for group (P=.035) which remained significant when adding saddle angle as a covariate (P=.05). The difference in posture between groups did not change over time.

Conclusions

The findings of this first field study suggest that a well selected subgroup of cyclists with NSCLBP (FP) adopted and sustained increased lower lumbar flexion during cycling. This appears to reflect an inherent maladaptive motor control pattern at the lower lumbar spine during cycling. This posture is maintained and associated with a significant increase of LBP. These findings suggest that in this subgroup LBP during cycling is related to maladaptive lower lumbar kinematics. Investigating rehabilitation/prevention strategies that address the control over the lower lumbar region during cycling seems the logic next step.
PSYCHOSOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS RELATED TO DELAYED RECOVERY FROM CONCUSSION IN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
Authors: Hutchinson M , Comper P , Csenge B , Richards D
Published: March 2014

Background

Most of what we know about concussions has been generated from research findings with adult subjects (i.e., athletes with uncomplicated, first concussions achieve full recovery within 7 to 14 days). Emerging research suggests that younger athletes may take longer to recover from concussion than their older counterparts. However, there is little evidence that quantifies the recovery-from-concussion process in younger athletes.

Objective

To describe recovery time and the contribution of pre-existing psychosocial and learning disabilities in concussion recovery in a population of high school students.

Design

Retrospective chart review (January 2012-June 2013) of concussions where there was a documented medical clearance date to return to sport or physical activity.

Setting

Sport medicine clinic. All concussions included occurred in subjects attending an all-boys' high school.

Participants

106 sport-related concussions were identified by chart review. 84 of the charts reviewed had definitive medical clearance dates. Of these, 33 (39%) of the students were identified with at least one of the following pre-existing conditions (PEC): Anxiety, Depression, ADHD, or Learning Disability.

Main outcome measurements

Days to medical clearance.

Results

Students were medically cleared to return to play on average 38 days following concussion (range 4–243 days). Signiﬁcant differences were identified between the group of students with PEC and the group without PEC. Specifically, Wilcoxon Rank-Sum tests (due to non-normal distributions) identified that the PEC group had significantly longer recovery times compared to those students with PEC (P=.03).

Conclusions

High school students with concussions returned to full activity well beyond the currently accepted “normal recovery” period of 7–14 days in adults. In addition, pre-existing psychosocial and/or learning disabilities resulted in significantly longer recovery times. This information is clinically useful in post-concussive recovery assessment and education of patients and the team supporting their recovery.
LUMBO-PELVIC ANGULAR KINEMATICS IN YOUTH BASEBALL PITCHERS AFTER A SIMULATED GAME
Authors: Johnson R
Published: March 2014

Background

A growing body of evidence may indicate that the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex (LPHC) has an influence on the function of the scapular and shoulder in overhand throwing athletes. Dysfunction of the LPHC may be related to shoulder injuries.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of a simulated game on angular velocity and acceleration of the LPHC in youth baseball pitchers.

Design

Repeated measures within-subjects design (MANOVA).

Setting

Controlled laboratory setting. Youth sports.

Participants

13 male baseball pitchers (11.2±1.0 years; 44.9±7.3 kg; 151.5±6.7 cm) volunteered for this study.

Interventions

The effects of a simulated baseball game without exceeding the participants' age-restricted pitch limit (35 to 65 pitches) under laboratory conditions formed the independent variable.

Main outcome measurements

The peak positive and negative velocities and accelerations of flexion/extension and axial rotation of the LPHC during the action (ACT) and follow through (FT) phase before and after the simulated game were the dependent measures.

Results

The main effect of the simulated game was not significant. Univariate measures indicated axial rotation velocity during the action phase increased, Pre (M=540.2°/s,SD=97.8) Post (M=626.7°/s,SD=101.0),F(1, 24)=4.34, P>.049 game. All other LPHC axial rotation measures increased but were not significant at the P=.05 level. No significant change in the angular velocities or accelerations of LPHC flexion.

Conclusions

Increases in positive angular velocity and acceleration in axial rotation in both ACT and FT were accompanied by increased variation. This may indicate less LPHC control during pitches at the end of the simulated game. Further research on LPHC kinematics needs to be done to understand the role of the pelvis as it relates to the shoulder and kinetic chain.
INJURIES IN WOMEN'S BEGINNER FUTSAL LEAGUE
Authors: Kamiya T , Nakano K , Yamashita T
Published: March 2014

Background

The number of women who begin to play soccer and futsal is increasing rapidly in Japan. In particularly, futsal is more popular for beginners because few players are able to enjoy themselves indoors observing such a simple rule. However, injuries concerning with women's beginner futsal have not been reported previously.

Objective

The aim of this study is to clear the characteristics of the injury in women's beginner futsal league.

Design

This study was investigated prospectively.

Setting

The subjects were players participated in the women's beginner futsal league.

Participants

A total of 465 players (38 teams) registered to women's beginner futsal league in Hokkaido (a northern region of Japan) for 2009–2010 seasons were investigated in this study. Inclusion criteria of the beginner were defined that the experience period for soccer or futsal was less than four years.

Interventions

This study was supported by the Hokkaido Football Association. Every team had an obligation to send the questionnaire concerning injuries after each game. This questionnaire was consisted of the injury characteristic, the part of the injury, the degree of the injury, and the how to treatment.

Main outcome measurements

Injury rate was analyzed by the injury number/1000 player-hours.

Results

The injury rate was 144.3/1000 player-hours. The most occurring injury was the ankle sprain that the injury rate was 52.6/1,000 player-hours. The incidence of the anterior cruciate ligament injury of the knee was 2.6/1000 player-hours.

Conclusions

The injury rate in women's futsal league was quite high compared with men and women professional soccer league. Interventions to reduce the injury should be suggested to the women who begin to play futsal.
ASSESSING REMEDIES FOR MISSING WEEKLY INDIVIDUAL EXPOSURE IN SPORT INJURY STUDIES
Authors: Kang J , Yuan Y , Emery C
Published: March 2014

Background

In sport injury epidemiology research, the injury incidence rate (IR) is defined as the number of injuries over a given length of participation time (exposure, e.g. game hours). However, it is common that individual weekly exposure is missing due to requirements of personnel at every game to record exposure information. Ignoring this issue will lead to an inflated injury rate because the total exposure serves as the denominator of IR, where the number of injury cases were captured accurately.

Objective

To compare 6 methods to handle missing weekly exposure of individual players.

Design

Data collected from a large community cohort study in youth ice hockey.

Setting

Youth ice hockey.

Participants

Pee Wee (age 11–12) ice hockey players.

Interventions

The 6 methods to handle missing weekly exposures include available case analysis, last-observation-carried-forward, mean imputation, multiple imputation, bootstrapping, and best/worst case analysis.

Main outcome measures

Injury rate ratios (IRR) between Alberta and Quebec, as in the original study, three statistical models were applied to the imputed datasets: Poisson, zero-inflated Poisson, and negative binomial regression models.

Results

The final sample for imputation included 2098 players for whom 12.5% of weekly game hours were missing. Estimated IRs and IRRs with confidence intervals from different imputation methods were similar when the proportion of missing was small. Simulations showed that mean and multiple imputations provide the least biased estimates of IRR when the proportion of missing was large.

Conclusion

Complicated methods like multiple imputation or bootstrap are not superior over the mean imputation, a much simpler method, in handling missing weekly exposure of injury data where weekly exposures were missing at random.
THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF INJURIES IN CONTACT FLAG FOOTBALL
Authors: Kaplan Y , Witvrouw E , Myklebust G , Nyska M , Palmanovich E , Victor J
Published: March 2014

Background

American Flag football (AFF) is a version of American Football that has become very popular worldwide, but lacks high quality research into the epidemiology of injuries.

Objective

To characterize the epidemiology of injuries in post–high school male and female athletes in the rapidly growing international sport of contact flag football.

Design

Prospective injury-observational study.

Setting

Kraft Stadium, Jerusalem, Israel.

Participants

1 492 players,consisting of men (n=1 252, mean age, 20.49±5.11) and women (n=240, mean age, 21.32±8.95 years), participated in 1028 games over a 2-season period (2007–2009).

Main outcome measures

All time-loss injuries sustained in game sessions were recorded by the off-the-field medical personnel and followed up by a more detailed phone injury surveillance questionnaire.

Results

One hundred sixty-three injuries were reported, comprising 1 533 776 athletic exposures (AEs). The incidence rate was 0.11 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.09–0.12] per 1000 AEs, and incidence proportion was 10.66% (95% CI, 9.10–12.22). Seventy-six percent of the injuries were extrinsic in nature. Thirty percent of the injuries were to the fingers, thumb, and wrist, 17% to the knee, 17% to the head/face, 13% to the ankle, and 11% to the shoulder.

Conclusions

Contact flag football results in a significant amount of moderate to severe injuries. These data may be used in the development of a formal American flag football injury database and in the development and implementation of a high-quality, randomized, prospective injury prevention study. This study should include the enforcement of the no-pocket rule, appropriate headgear, self-fitting mouth guards, the use of ankle braces, and changing the blocking rules of the game.
RISK FACTORS FOR RUNNING RELATED INJURIES IN NOVICE RUNNERS PARTICIPATING IN A 6-WEEK RUNNING PROGRAM
Authors: Kluitenberg B , van der Worp H
Published: March 2014

Background

Running is a sport practiced by many individuals. The positive health effects as a result of running are well known. On the other side, between 17 and 79% of the runners sustain an injury each year. Several studies examined potential risk factors for injuries, however, due to the often underpowered studies it is not possible to reveal the complex mechanism leading to a running related injury yet.

Objective

To examine the incidence of running related injuries and its determinants in novice runners.

Design

Prospective cohort study.

Participants

Novice runners participating in a “Start to Run” course were eligible for inclusion. 1075 novice runners were included in the study and were followed during the six week running program.

Risk factor assessment

Before the start of the running course, all runners completed a baseline questionnaire concerning personal characteristics and sports and injury history. During the running program training information was monitored with a digital weekly running log. This running log was used to obtain running exposure and register running related injuries.

Main outcome measures

A running related injury.

Results

During the running course 181 running related injuries were registered in 120 participants, which represents an incidence of 11.2%. The data on predisposing variables on injury development was not analyzed yet, but will be available at the conference April 2014.

Conclusion

During a six-week running course for novice runners, 11.2% of the participants will sustain at least one running related injury.
THE NORDIC FOOTBALL INJURY AUDIT: HIGHER INJURY RATES FOR PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL CLUBS WITH THIRD-GENERATION ARTIFICIAL TURF AT THEIR HOME VENUE
Authors: Kristenson K , Bjørneboe J , Waldén M , Andersen TE , Ekstrand J , Hägglund M
Published: March 2014

Background

Studies generally report similar acute injury rates when playing football on artificial turf (AT) compared with natural grass (NG), but the association between playing surface and overuse injury rates is rarely reported.

Objective

To compare (i) acute injury rates in professional football played on AT and NG at the individual player level, and (ii) acute and overuse injury rates at the club level between clubs having AT at their home venue and clubs with NG.

Design

Prospective cohort study.

Setting

Male professional football.

Participants

All clubs in the Swedish and Norwegian first leagues in seasons 2010 and 2011 were invited to participate. 32/37 clubs participated (AT clubs, n=11; NG clubs, n=21), including 1044 players.

Risk factor assessment

Football exposure and injuries on AT vs. NG. Clubs were further defined as AT club or NG club according to the surface installed at their home venue.

Main outcome measurements

Injury rate expressed as the number of time loss injuries/1000 hours and reported as a rate ratio (RR) with 99% confidence interval.

Results

No differences were found in acute injury rates on AT and NG during match play (RR 0.98, 0.79–1.22) or training (RR 1.14, 0.86–1.50) at individual player level. At club level AT clubs had higher acute training injury rate (RR 1.31, 1.04–1.63), and overuse injury rate (RR 1.38, 1.14–1.65) compared with NG clubs.

Conclusions

Consistent with previous research, no differences were seen in acute injury rates when playing on AT compared with NG. However, clubs with AT at their home venue had higher rates of acute training injury and overuse injury compared with clubs that play home matches on NG.
SWAY AS PREDICTOR OF INJURIES IN CHILDREN
Authors: Runge Larsen L , Lund Kristensen P , Junge T , Juul-Kristensen B , Wedderkopp N
Published: March 2014

Introduction

Poor postural control measured as sway performance is an intrinsic risk of injury and re-injury among adults. This has not been investigated in children.

Objective

To investigate the associations between balance, measured as sway performance, and the risk of both acute and overuse injuries in a population of children. Hypothesis: Excessive sway increases the risk of injury.

Design

The current study is part of The Childhood Health, Activity and Motor Performance School Study-Denmark (CHAMPS Study-DK II), a natural experiment with a prospective, quasi-experimental study design. The follow-up period between baseline measures of sway and registration of injuries was 1 year and 3 months.

Setting

10 public schools participated in the study, in the municipality of Svendborg.

Participants

1096 participants, 48.7% male, aged 8–14, mean age 11.2.

Risk factor assessment

The independent variable in the current study is balance measured as sway. Sway was measured on a force platform as centre of pressure path length excursion during four tests: Eyes open: Bilateral stance (test 1), unilateral stance on dominant (test 2) and non-dominant leg (test 3). Eyes closed: Bilateral stance (test 4).

Main outcome measurements

Primary outcome was overuse and traumatic injuries, with special emphasis on ankle and knee sprains. Complaints were registered by SMS-track on a weekly basis, and after a telephone interview, clinicians examined and diagnosed the children with complaints. Injuries were diagnosed using ICD-10.

Results

Injuries: 2276, traumatic injuries: 714, ankle sprains: 164, knee sprains: 42. Preliminary multivariate analysis taking into account competing risk showed significant odds ratios (OR) at test 1; A) 1.003 per cm increase of sway; B) overall traumatic injury OR=3.0, ankle sprain OR=5.5 for sway longer than 400 cm/minute.

Conclusion

Children with an excessive sway has an increased risk of traumatic injuries, this warrants further research into treating reduced balance in children.
CARDIAC TROPONINS AND NATRIURETIC PEPTIDES IN RUNNERS: USEFUL FOR CARDIAC RISK SCREENING?
Authors: Le Goff C , Kaux JF , Fillet M , Mélon P , Cavalier E
Published: March 2014

Background

Cardiac troponins (cTn) are considered as the best biomarkers for detection of myocardial cell injury and NT-proBNP as the best for the cardiac insufficiency.

Objective

Our aim was to compare cTnT and NT-proBNP levels before and after the stress tests, in sportive subjects.

Design

Prospective, cohort study.

Setting

Amateur marathon runners and ultrarunners.

Patients

28 subjects (26 men, 42.5±11 yrs) were enrolled.

Interventions

Subjects ran the Maasmarathon (42.195 kilometers) and 33 subjects (33 men, 45.7±9.3 yrs) ran the Ultratour of Liège (Belgium; 67 km). All subjects gave their informed consent. We took blood sample before (T0), just after (T1) and 3 hours after the race (T3).

Main outcome measurements

cTnT concentrations were measured by high sensitive methods (hsTnT, Roche Diagnostics) on heparin plasma. The NT-proBNP was also determined with the kit Roche on heparin plasma. All statistical analyses were performed using Medcalc version 8.1 for Windows. P-value <.01 was regarded as statistically significant.

Results

A significant difference between hsTnT concentrations at T0 and T1 (P<.001), and between T0 and T3 (P<.001) for NT-proBNP have been observed, but not between T1 and T3. This observation appeared only after a strenuous exercise. However, up to now this type of exercise is not reproducible easily in a laboratory. Moreover, nobody knows if these observations would have cardiac consequences at long terms.

Conclusion

Measurement of cardiac troponins by high sensitive methods allows detecting significant release of biomarkers from the heart during exercise. The value of NT-proBNP are also significant but less than TnThs. We think that the TnThs could be an interesting tool in the future to help sport medicine to detect risk of developing a cardiac problem in the future or a sudden death.
INJURY AND ILLNESS PATTERNS IN COMPETITIVE SAILORS OF THE 43RD ISAF YOUTH SAILING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – A 12-MONTH RETROSPECTIVE STUDY
Authors: Leong D , Vaz Pardal C , Tan B , Lin C
Published: March 2014

Background

The competitive youth sailor appears to be at risk for injuries, but there are few reports on their injury patterns.

Objective

To describe the incidence, pattern, and severity of sailing-related injuries and illnesses among competitive youth sailors.

Design

Retrospective descriptive study.

Setting

Prior to and during the 43rdISAF Youth Sailing World Championship, sailors were invited to answer an interviewer-administered 12-month recall questionnaire.

Participants

Participating sailors of the ISAF World Youth Sailing Championship, 13–20 July 2013, Limassol, Cyprus.

Risk factor assessment

The following risk factors were studied: training load; participation in other sport; use of sunscreen/lifejacket; alcohol and drug consumption.

Main outcome measurements

The occurrence or non-occurrence of sailing-related injuries and illnesses; the number of injuries; the site, type, cause/mechanism of injury; and contributing factors to injury.

Results

287 (82%) out of 351 sailors completed the questionnaire. 50 sailors reported a total of 60 injuries. The rate of injury was 0.42 injuries per 1000 hours of sailing. The 3 most injured sites were the lower back (24%), knee (18%) and ankle (9%). The top 3 injury types were sprain (21%), muscle strain/tear (16%), and muscle cramp/spasm (16%). No associations were found between injury occurrence and age, gender, class, helm/crew position, participation in other sport, years competing, and training load. Medical care was sought for 17% of injuries, and 12% were considered severe. Of the nine illnesses, sunburn was the most common symptom (29%) and the dermatological system was most commonly affected (44%).

Conclusions

Competitive youth sailors report mainly lower back and knee injuries, similar to studies of elite adult sailors. Half of the injuries were attributed to overuse, while a significant proportion (31%) were acute. Compared to adult sailors, a higher proportion of youth sailors required rest from sailing, although they had less injury per 1000 sailing hours. This study informs future efforts in injury prevention and recovery in youth sailors.
INTERVENTIONS TO PREVENT SPORTS RELATED INJURIES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS
Authors: Leppänen M , Aaltonen S , Parkkari J , Heinonen A , Kujala UM
Published: March 2014

Background

The effects of methods to prevent injuries have been studied in several systematic reviews. However, no meta-analysis taking into account all randomised controlled intervention trials aiming at prevention of sports injuries has been published.

Objective

To summarise the effects of sports injury prevention interventions.

Design

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Setting

Systematic literature search was conducted in September 2013 using following data-bases: PubMed, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, PEDro, Web of Science. The reference lists of retrieved articles and reviews were hand searched.

Eligibility criteria for selecting studies

Selected articles had to examine the effects of any preventive intervention on sports injuries, be randomised/quasi-randomised, controlled trials, published in a peer-reviewed journal. The outcome of the trial had to be injury rate or the number of injured individuals.

Interventions

The effectiveness of following interventions was studied: insoles, external joint supports, training programmes, stretching, protective head equipment, modified shoes, injury prevention videos.

Main outcome measurements

The number of injuries or injured individuals.

Results

The systematic review included 68 trials and the meta-analysis 60 trials. Insoles (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.32–0.81), external joint supports (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.30–0.53), and specific training programmes (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.46–0.66) appeared to be effective in reducing the risk of sports injuries. Stretching (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.80-1.06), modified shoes (OR 1.23, 95% CI 0.81–1.87), and preventive videos (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.44–1.68) seemed not to be effective.

Conclusions

Certain sports specific interventions can reduce the risk of sports injuries. There were limitations regarding the quality of the trials, generalisability of the results, and heterogeneity of the study designs. In future, the mechanisms behind effective methods and the most beneficial elements of preventive training programmes need to be clarified.
MUSCULOSKELETAL TESTING OF ORIENTEERS DURING PRE-PARTICIPATION EVALUATION AND ASSOCIATIONS WITH LIMB DOMINANCE AND INJURY HISTORY
Authors: Linton L , Laura C , Tessa S
Published: March 2014

Background

Limb dominance has often been associated with injury, but there is very little evidence for this in the literature for elite runners.

Objective

To test for differences in strength, flexibility and function between dominant and non-dominant sides of elite orienteers, to determine a relationship with injury history, and establish a correlation between test results.

Design

A standardized PPE of 45 tests customized to the specifics of middle distance runners was used to assess all variables.

Setting

Edinburgh University, Fitness Assessment Sports Injury Clinic.

Participants All 17 National Level Orienteers participating in a High Performance program at Edinburgh University during 2011–12 were selected. All were well matched for age, training and competitive level.

Interventions

Testing took place pre-season. Subjects were assessed by their regular physiotherapist for limb dominance and injury history. The main researcher was blinded to this information and undertook the PPE testing.

Main outcome measurements

Muscle power was tested with HHD, flexibility using a goniometer, knee valgus angles using video analysis, core strength using pressure biofeedback.

Results

Non-dominant legs had significantly (P<.01) greater knee valgus angle measured during single knee bend. Subjects had significantly increased thoracic spine rotation on the side they held their map whilst running. There was no relationship between retrospective injury history and limb dominance. In both dominant and non-dominant sides there were equally strong correlations (P<.01) with functional tests, lower limb, hip, abdominal, and glut strength, and quadriceps and hip flexor flexibility.

Conclusions

Few tests showed a relationship with dominant or non-dominant legs. Data collected on specific tests showed associations that were similar on both sides indicating the bilateral nature of running but also the relationship between trunk muscles and the lower limb. Future study in this area should focus on whether interventions addressing these areas show improvement in function and reduction of injuries.
THROWING SPORT IMPROVES SHOULDER PROPRIOCEPTION
Authors: Lubiatowski P , Kaczmarek P , Ogrodowicz P , Dudzinski P , Romanowski L
Published: March 2014

Background

Proprioception is a specialized variation of the sensory modality of touch that includes the sensation of joint motion and joint position. It is an essential part of shoulder stability and neuromuscular control. It is controversial whether throwing sports and sports training effects shoulder proprioception.

Objective

To analyse the shoulder proprioceptive abilities of professional handball players.

Design

Prospective study with control group and descriptive analysis.

Setting

Elite division handball players.

Participants

70 professional handball players from top national league and 25 healthy volunteers as control.

Interventions

Shoulder proprioception was evaluated by measuring error of active reproduction of joint position (EARJP). Own construction electronic goniometer (Propriometer) with accuracy of 0,1owas used for measurements. Both dominant and non-dominant shoulders were evaluated. EARJP was measured in 4 directions and 3 positions for each direction: flexion and abduction (60o, 90o, 120o), external and internal rotation (30o, 45o, 60o). Three repetitions for each position were performed to obtain an average EARJP for every subject and position.

Results

Based on statistical analysis there was significantly better proprioceptive control (lower EARJP) in throwing versus non throwing and throwing versus control group shoulder. No difference in proprioception when comparing dominant and non-dominant shoulders in control group. Higher reference angles correlated with better proprioception. Increased external rotation correlated with better shoulder control in mid range of external rotation.

Conclusions

Throwing sport affects neuromuscular shoulder control. Handball players show significantly better proprioceptive abilities when compared to control normal population. Throwing shoulder has better neuromuscular control then the opposite one.
FACTORS ASSOCIATED TO PATELLAR TENDINOSIS IN ATHLETES: PROVIDING A BASE FOR INJURY MECHANISM AND PREVENTION
Authors: Mendonça L , Fonseca S , Bittencourt N , Ocarino J , Gonçalves G , Verhagen E
Published: March 2014

Background

Patellar tendon abnormalities (PTA) are frequent in volleyball and basketball athletes. Tendon degeneration happens through chronic process, related to the amount of stress applied in musculoskeletal system. An appropriated mechanical behaviour of lower limb may be key factor to properly distribute forces in patellar tendon during landing. Identify biomechanical factors associated to patellar tendinosis process could guide preventive attitudes to athletes in risk of chronic dysfunction and/or tendon rupture.

Objective

To investigate the association of lower limb biomechanical factors to patellar tendon morphological abnormalities at ultrasound.

Design

Cross-sectional.

Setting

Institutional clinical care and sports facility.

Participants

35 basketball and volleyball athletes participating on preseason assessment with mean age of 24.0±5.7 years, body mass of 88.9±13.3 kg and height of 1.9±0.1 m.

Risk factor assessment

Ankle dorsiflexion range (ADR), shank-forefoot alignment (SFA), iliotibial band flexibility (IBF), hip lateral rotators and abductors isometric strength, hip passive medial rotation range, patellar rotation and knee alignment in the frontal plane were measured during preseason assessment. Ultrasonographic evaluation was performed in both patellar tendons in longitudinal and transverse planes.

Main outcome measurements

Patellar tendon hypoechoic areas and thickness at ultrasound.

Results

The results showed that low ADR, high IBF and high SFA were associated to PTA. These three variables presented significant areas under ROC curve (P=.008; P=.011; P=.012, respectively). Based on ROC curve sensitivity and specificity values, cut-off points were determined. SFA presented the highest OR; 13.1 (2.1–296); with a cut-off point of 20o. ADR (cut-off point=36o) presented an OR of 4.10 (1.3–13.5) and IBF (cut-off point=-0.04o) presented an OR of 4.53 (1.2–21.6).

Conclusions

High shank-forefoot varus alignment, ankle dorsiflexion restriction and iliotibial band flexible were associated to PTA. These results show that biomechanical factors could participate on patellar tendon mechanical overload in athletes.
THE EFFECT OF A SIX WEEK ECCENTRIC HAMSTRING STRENGTHENING PROTOCOL ON ANTERIOR TIBIO-FEMORAL TRANSLATION
Authors: Mias E , Starrs P
Published: March 2014

Background

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the main source of anterior knee joint stability and excessive anterior tibio-femoral translation (ATFT) (>5mm) can be a risk factor for ACL injury (Alentorn-Geliet al, 2009). The dynamic role the hamstring muscle group plays in protecting the ACL is important in functional knee joint stability as they work eccentrically to control ATFT.

Objectives

The primary aim was to assess whether ATFT alters in male Rugby Union players following a 6 week eccentric hamstring strengthening programme.

Design

Players were randomly allocated to either the hamstring intervention or control group.

Settings

Fylde Rugby Football Club's (Rugby Union) Senior squad selected (semi-professional level).

Participants

16 players (no drop-outs).

Intervention

ATFT was measured objectively by the KT-1000 arthrometer before and after the game. Following the 6 week intervention, the ATFT was reassessed before and after the game.

Results

Decreases in ATFT values were observed between Pre and Post intervention (P<.001), however this was not statistically significant between groups (P≥.05).

Main outcome measurements

ATFT may not be a factor that can be positively influenced by an eccentric hamstring strengthening protocol. This supplies evidence that increasing hamstring tendon stiffness with the aim of preventing ACL injuries may not transfer into function which disputes findings from previous literature (Blackburn et al, 2013). Following a six week period however, ATFT statistically decreased in both groups regardless of limb dominancy or the amount of anterior tibio-femoral force applied which could suggest that it may only play a secondary role in preventing serious knee ligament injuries.

Conclusions

It might be more beneficial to work on other ACL intrinsic risk factors like neuromuscular training or biomechanical optimisation with an aim of reducing the incidence of severe knee injury in male Rugby Union.
IDENTIFICATION OF JUMPING ACTIVITY IN VOLLEYBALL BY USING ACCELEROMETER
Authors: Mok KM , Jarning JM , Hansen BH , Bahr R
Published: March 2014

Background

In volleyball, training and match exposure is a risk factor for developing patellar tendinopathy which is known as jumper's knee. The frequency of jumping is an indicator of the intensity of jumping activity in training and match. Accelerometer provides measure of time-variant vertical acceleration which can potentially be transformed to the frequency of jumping activity. However, the ability of identifying jumping activity from other volleyball specific activity is unknown.

Objective

To investigate the feasibility of using accelerometer to identify jumping activity from non-jumping activity in volleyball.

Design

A methodological study.

Setting

Subjects performed 7 different volleyball specific activities including non-jumping (side stepping, diving and sprinting) and jumping (float serving, block jumping, jump serving and spike jumping). The time-variant vertical acceleration was recorded by a hip-worn accelerometer (ActiGraph GT3X+) with 100Hz sampling rate.

Participants

Male elite volleyball players in national level (n=12).

Risk factor assessment

Not applicable.

Main outcome measurements

The peak vertical acceleration of activities was extracted from the time-variant vertical acceleration data. One way ANOVA was run to assess whether the peak vertical acceleration differentiated by activity. Post-hoc analyses were carried out using pairwise comparisons with alpha (0.05) adjusted using the Bonferroni correction.

Results

Not all the peak vertical accelerations for jumping activities were significantly different from those for non-jumping activities (table 1). Moreover, the variation of peak vertical acceleration between subjects was large.

Table 1.

Results from ANOVA with post-hoc Bonferroni on peak vertical acceleration (g).

Jumping activityFloat servingBlock jumpingJumping servingSpike jumpingNon-jumping activity Side stepingNSp<0.01p<0.01p<0.01 SprintingNSNSNSp<0.01 Divingp<0.01NSNSNS

NS: No significant difference found.

Conclusions

Based on the measure of peak vertical acceleration from accelerometer, the non-jumping and jumping activity in volleyball cannot be distinguished. An alternative approach is needed for applying accelerometers to measure the frequency of jumping in volleyball.
MORE THAN SEVENTY PERCENT OF SUMO WRESTLERS HAVE RADIOLOGICAL ABNORMALITIES IN THEIR CERVICAL SPINE
Authors: Nakagawa Y , Mukai S , Hattori Y , Nakamura T
Published: March 2014

Background

Sumo has long been a traditional sport in Japan, and recently is becoming a popular sport that is rapidly attracting enthusiasts abroad. With the aim of having the sport included in the Olympics, World Women's Sumo Championships as well as World Sumo Championship have also been held since 1999.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to examine the radiological changes in the cervical spine in freshman collegiate and high school sumo wrestlers and the relationship between the radiological changes and the cervical spine symptoms.

Design

Epidemiology.

Setting

High school league and elite division.

Participants

We examined one hundred and sixteen freshman collegiate and 41 high school sumo wrestlers who belonged to the Japanese Sumo Federation. They were high level players.

Interventions

They underwent routine radiographic examination of their cervical spine and questionnaire of their cervical symptoms as a medical check.

Results

Their mean height was 175.1 cm, weight was 113.9 kg, body mass index was 37.1 kg/m2, and sumo career was 8.5 years in college. High school sumo wrestlers were significantly smaller than collegiate ones in weight, BMI and sumo career. 14 high school wrestlers (34.1%) and 46 collegiate ones (39.7%) had some cervical symptoms. The correlation between the deformity of cervical spine and cervical syndrome was significant. Seventy-three percent showed disappearance in lordosis, 39% showed osteophyte formation (mainly C3/4), 6% showed disc space narrowing (mainly C5/6) and 54% showed narrowing in the cervical nerve root foramen (mainly C3/4).

Conclusion

Comparing with our previous study, we concluded that the disappearance in lordosis and narrowing in the cervical nerve root foramen of C3/4 was due to the axial load they incurred in training during high school, and osteophyte formation and disc space narrowing of C5/6 occurred in training during collegiate and postgraduate in sumo wrestling.
THE SPORT HABIT DURING YOUNGER AGE MAY BRING GOOD EFFECT FOR LOCOMOTORY SYSTEM AND FUNCTION. —FROM PERIODIC MEDICAL CHECKUP ON FORMER JAPANESE OLYMPIAN AT 1964—
Authors: Nakajima K , Hosikawa A , Ito S , Morioka Y , Tawara N , Nakamura K , Okuwaki T , Kawahara T
Published: March 2014

Background

In Japan, which is always the top-ranked life expectancy in the world, the healthcare issues for elderly people transitions from internal; cancer, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease to motor system and function referred as “Locomotive syndrome”. It seems few reports about effects of sport habit in younger age on the locomotors and ability of the elderly. We have carried out medical checkup for the former Japanese Olympian at 1964 every four years since 1970.

Objective

The aim of this study is clarify characteristics about current locomotive conditions and functions of former elite athletes who had undoubtedly sport habit retrospectively.

Methods

We performed medical checkup for 119 (90 male and 29 female; mean age is 72.1 years old (M:72.6, F:70.4) former elite athletes who had participated Olympic Games in 1964 (Tokyo). And analyzed current sport habit, degree of osteoarthritis on knee and lumbar spine (L5/S1) by Kellgren-Laurence classification (K-L score), with or without symptom, bone mineral density (BMD) and T-score by DEXA.

Results

Currently, in total 68.1% (M:70.0%, F:62.1%) of former elite athletes had carry on some sports activity over 1–2 times per week. The mean K-L score of lumbar spine and knee was 2.2 (M:2.1 F: 2.4), 1.6 (M:1.4, F:2.2), respectively. The rate of symptom existence about lumbar spine and knee was 31.9% (M:37.9%, F:30%), 42.9% (M:34.4%, F:69.0%), respectively. The whole body BMD and T-score was 1.18 103.6% (M:1.22 106.6%, F:1.04 94.4%).

Conclusions

Former elite athletes maintain sports activity even though over aged 70. Although they have mild degenerative changes on their locomotive organs, there are few complaints except female knee joint. In addition, they kept high BMD and T-score. The sport habit during younger age may bring good effect for elderly locomotors.
ORAL HEALTH AND IMPACT ON PERFORMANCE OF ATHLETES PARTICIPATING IN THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES
Authors: Needleman I , Ashley P , Petrie A , Fortune F , Turner W , Jones J , Niggli J , Engebretsen L , Budgett R , Donos N , Clough T , Porter S
Published: March 2014

Background

Oral health is important both for wellbeing and successful elite sporting performance. Reports from Olympic Games have found significant treatment needs; however, few studies have examined oral health directly.

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate oral health, the determinants of oral health and the effect of oral health on wellbeing, training and performance of athletes participating in the London 2012 Games.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

Dental clinic within the London 2012 Polyclinic.

Participants

Participating athletes able to understand the consent process. 302 athletes from 25 sports were recruited with data available for 278.

Interventions

Following informed consent, a standardised history, comprehensive oral health clinical examination and questionnaire were conducted.

Main outcome measures

Oral health status, determinants of oral health, impact of oral health on wellbeing, training and performance.

Results

The majority of athletes were from Africa, the Americas and Europe. Overall, the results demonstrated high levels of poor oral health including dental caries (55% of athletes), dental erosion (45% athletes) and periodontal disease (gingivitis 76% athletes, periodontitis 15% athletes). More than 40% of athletes were ‘bothered’ by their oral health with 28% reporting an impact on quality of life and 18% on training and performance. Nearly half of participants had not attended for a dental examination or hygiene care in the previous year.

Conclusions

The oral health of athletes attending the dental clinic of the London 2012 Games was poor with a resulting substantial negative impact on wellbeing, training and performance. As oral health is an important element of overall health and wellbeing, health promotion and disease prevention interventions are urgently required to optimise athletic performance.
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEAM BALL SPORT INJURY PREVENTION EXERCISE PROGRAMMES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW EMPLOYING THE RE-AIM FRAMEWORK
Authors: O'Brien J , Finch CF
Published: March 2014

Background

Recent published studies on injury prevention exercise programmes (IPEPs) in team ball sports support the protective effect of these interventions, but also highlight that achieving adequate compliance is challenging. A key process in enhancing the ultimate impact of team ball sport IPEPs is identifying the specific implementation components which influence their adoption, execution and maintenance.

Objectives

To assess the reporting of specific implementation components in team ball sport IPEP trials, against the components of the Reach Efficacy Adoption Implementation Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. To evaluate the applicability of the RE-AIM framework to reviewing published literature in this context.

Methods

6 electronic databases were systematically searched from inception to December 2012 for papers reporting team ball sport IPEP trials. All eligible papers were evaluated for the reporting of individual RE-AIM components using the RE-AIM Model Dimension Items Checklist (RE-AIM MDIC). The level of agreement and the process of reaching consensus between reviewers were recorded.

Results

A total of 60 papers, reporting 52 unique intervention trials, met eligibility criteria. On average, the individual RE-AIM items were reported in 22% of the 52 trials (range 0–100%). The RE-AIM MDIC dimension of Efficacy had the highest mean percentage (58%) level of reporting across trials. The lowest mean percentages (range 0–7%) were for the RE-AIM MDIC dimensions related to Adoption and Maintenance. The level of agreement across all trials between reviewers using the RE-AIM MDIC ranged from 81% to 91%.

Conclusion

Information on the specific implementation components of team ball sport IPEPs in published studies is scarce. In particular, major knowledge gaps exist regarding the adoption and maintenance of these programmes. The RE-AIM MDIC can be successfully applied to reviewing literature in this context.