Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness最新文献

Introduction: Cheerleading has become growingly popular in recent years due to the nature of athleticism and competitive, which can pose a great risk of injury. The current research aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of cheerleading-related musculoskeletal injuries and its risk factors in amateur or competitive cheerleaders through the presentation as a systematic review and meta-analysis methodology.

Evidence acquisition: A comprehensive search of seven credible databases (the Epistemonikos, Cochrane, Scopus, PubMed, Medline, Embase, and Web of Science) was conducted using two sets of keywords up to March 2025 in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. The quality assessment of the literature was carried out using JBI method. Random effects meta-analysis on prevalence rates was carried out using STATA software.

Evidence synthesis: Forty articles included in the study, which 175739 athletes were studied. The prevalence range of musculoskeletal injuries in cheerleaders was between 0.2 and 68.0 percent in different parts of body. Head/neck in 17 out of 40 studies (42.5%), ankle injuries in 13 out of 40 studies (32.5%), knee injuries in 12 out of 40 studies (30.0%), wrist injuries in 12 out of 40 studies (30.0%), hand injuries in 9 out of 40 studies (22.0%), and shoulder injuries in 8 out of 40 studies (20.0%), were the highest prevalence in all injuries. Sprains, contusions, strains, fractures, and concussions in various body parts were also observed. BMI, previous injury, surface firmness of participation, and carrying out stunts and/or training in the presence of a trainer with less coaching experience are major risk factors in incidence of musculoskeletal injuries in cheerleaders. The subgroup analysis showed that the polled prevalence of ankle injuries in cheerleaders with BMI 20-25 kg/m² (39.32%; 95% CI 16.23, 94.89) was higher than in cheerleaders with BMI <20 kg/m² (23.60%; 95% CI 19.43, 27.76).

Conclusions: These results signify the need for injury prevention and management schemes, particularly targeting vulnerable body parts such as head/neck and ankle in cheerleaders. Also, paying attention to risk factors, particularly hiring trainers with much coaching experience, is of utmost importance.

Background: Methamphetamine (METH) use is associated with significant cardiac damage, including the development of cardiac fibrosis. While high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has demonstrated cardio-protective effects in various cardiovascular conditions, its potential role in mitigating METH-induced cardiac fibrosis remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of HIIT on the mRNA expression of cardiac fibrosis biomarkers in METH-dependent rats.

Methods: In this experimental study, the expression of collagen 1a1 (COL1A1), collagen 3a1 (COL3A1), periostin (POSTN), and alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) genes was measured using real-time PCR across four groups: Sham, METH, METH-control (METH-CON), and METH-HIIT. Rats in the METH-HIIT group underwent an 8-week HIIT protocol during the withdrawal period following METH administration.

Results: Twenty-one days of METH administration significantly increased the mRNA expression of all measured fibrosis-related (P<0.05). However, the subsequent HIIT intervention did not significantly attenuate the elevated mRNA expression of these markers (P>0.05).

Conclusions: These findings suggest that HIIT does not reverse METH-induced upregulation of cardiac fibrosis markers. Further studies are warranted to explore alternative or complementary interventions in the context of METH-associated cardiac fibrosis.

Background: Rock climbing is associated with a high risk of musculoskeletal injuries, yet limited data exist for Slovenian sport climbers. Understanding the prevalence, types, and mechanisms of injuries is essential for developing targeted prevention strategies.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 191 Slovenian sport climbers registered with the national federation. The questionnaire assessed demographics, climbing characteristics, and injury-related variables using the UIAA injury definition. Non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, Dunn-Šidák post-hoc) and Spearman correlations examined associations between injury counts and climbing variables.

Results: Overall incidence was 5.2 injuries per 1000 climbing hours. Men sustained more injuries than women (2.8±3.1 vs. 2.0±2.6; P=0.022). The number of injuries correlated weakly with weekly climbing hours (ρ=0.20; P=0.005) and climbing difficulty (ρ=0.20; P=0.007). A strong positive correlation was found between climbing experience and climbing difficulty (ρ=0.55; P<0.001). Upper extremity injuries predominated (82%), particularly fingers (50%), shoulders (32%), and elbows (16%).

Conclusions: Slovenian climbers exhibit a high injury burden, dominated by finger and shoulder injuries. Gender differences appear behavioral, reflecting route selection rather than exposure. Preventive routines were not associated with lower injury frequency, highlighting the need for specific, climbing-oriented programs, such as a joint-by-joint training approach. Future prospective studies should incorporate objective biomechanical assessments, to refine prevention and rehabilitation strategies.

Background: Somatotype has been linked to physical performance in youth athletes, but its independent contribution to power development, particularly in relation to biological maturity, remains underexplored. This study examined whether somatotype and age independently influence neuromuscular performance in elite youth football players and whether these effects persist after normalization for body mass.

Methods: A total of 106 elite male academy players aged 15 to 18 years were classified as mesomorphic or ectomorphic using the Heath-Carter method. Performance tests included vertical jumps from a squat position and with countermovement, lower-limb peak power (estimated via a validated field equation), and an index estimating stretch-shortening cycle efficiency. Relative power (W·kg^-1) was also calculated to account for body-mass dependence. Analyses included multivariate and variance testing, to explore independent effects of somatotype and age.

Results: Mesomorphic players produced significantly higher power output than ectomorphic players; older athletes also exhibited greater power. No interaction was observed between somatotype and age group. However, when normalized to body mass, between-group differences were no longer significant, indicating that the apparent mesomorphic advantage reflected greater mass rather than superior neuromuscular efficiency. No significant somatotype effect was observed for the Elasticity Index (P=0.098). Logistic regression correctly classified 72.6% of somatotypes, but specificity for ectomorphs was very low (11.5%), indicating that power-based profiling is ineffective for identifying ectomorphic players.

Conclusions: Somatotype and age independently influence power performance in elite youth football players. Nevertheless, relative power analysis demonstrated that morphological differences primarily underlie these effects. Power metrics alone lack diagnostic validity for morphological classification and should complement, rather than replace, anthropometric assessment.

Background: Postexercise hypotension (PEH) is a well-established cardiovascular benefit of acute exercise, yet the influence of recovery posture on hemodynamic mechanisms remains understudied. This study investigated how different recovery positions affect postexercise cardiovascular responses.

Methods: Ten healthy adults (23.1±6.8 years, Body Mass Index [BMI] 24.5±3.7 kg/m²) completed a randomized crossover trial comparing four conditions: control (no exercise), and high-intensity interval exercise followed by supine, seated, or standing recovery. Cardiovascular parameters of blood pressure, heart rate, stroke volume, and systemic vascular resistance were measured continuously for 60 minutes postexercise.

Results: Standing recovery produced the greatest heart rate increase (61.5%) versus supine (18.5%, P<0.001). Stroke volume showed significant condition × pre-/postexercise interactions (F(3, 2097)=134.219, P<0.001), with standing recovery causing dramatic reductions (-69.6%) compared to supine (+0.1%) and seated (-20.3%). Cardiac output interactions were significant (F(3, 2097)=45.292, P<0.001), with standing decreasing (-21.4%) while supine increased (+19.0%). Systemic vascular resistance demonstrated significant interactions (F(3, 2097)=55.977, P<0.001), increasing markedly during standing (+31.9%) while decreasing during supine recovery (-17.7%). Diastolic blood pressure showed significant condition × pre-/postexercise interactions (F(3, 592)=4.512, P=0.004), with standing producing the highest increase (+8.9%).

Conclusions: Recovery posture significantly influences postexercise cardiovascular responses through gravitational effects on blood distribution. Standing recovery attenuates hypotensive benefits due to orthostatic stress, while supine recovery optimizes acute blood pressure reduction.

Background: Fireball Extreme Challenge^TM is a coeducational high-intensity intermittent-explosive sport that lacks normative performance data; this study aimed to create multidimensional athlete profiles and establish reference benchmarks to support talent identification and training prescription.

Methods: Twenty-one national-level athletes (13 males and 8 females; mean age 26.2±5.8 years) completed countermovement jump, one-repetition maximum strength assessment, bilateral handgrip testing, and the 30-15 intermittent fitness test under standardized indoor (21 °C, 50% relative humidity) and outdoor (37 °C, 68% relative humidity) field conditions representative of the athletes' typical training environment in coastal southern Mexico, recorded for ecological validity rather than thermal control. We calculated descriptive statistics and percentile distributions (25^th, 50^th, 75^th), performed sex-stratified analyses adjusted for age, and conducted exploratory principal component and cluster analyses to examine interdomain associations and emergent performance groupings.

Results: Across all participants, the observed performance spectrum spanned a broad range of neuromuscular and metabolic capacities, with individual variability captured through percentile reference values (25^th, 50^th, 75^th). The highest jump heights (up to 48 cm) and peak power outputs (≈2100 W) coexisted with moderate endurance and balanced heart rate responses, defining the multidimensional nature of Fireball Extreme Challenge™ performance. Sex-stratified distributions are presented descriptively but were not the primary analytical outcome. Principal component analysis identified two dominant performance domains-neuromuscular power and metabolic strain-explaining 59% of total variance. Hierarchical clustering revealed three mixed profiles that integrated both male and female athletes, illustrating overlapping phenotypes rather than categorical differences.

Conclusions: This study provides the first multidimensional performance profile of Fireball Extreme Challenge™ athletes, establishing normative reference percentiles and identifying key physical domains-neuromuscular power and metabolic capacity-that characterize success in this coeducational, high-intensity team sport. The derived phenotypic clusters highlight overlapping attributes between male and female athletes, reflecting the integrated dynamics of mixed-team performance. These findings offer a foundational framework for evidence-based training design, athlete monitoring, and future validation in larger international cohorts.

Background: Artistic gymnastics (AG) is a sport that requires high percentages of muscle strength and power for successful execution of the exercises in various apparatus. However, studies investigating their relationship with rate of force development (RFD) as well as AG performance are limited. The purpose of the present research was to investigate the relationship between muscle strength, muscle power and RFD of lower extremities in isometric and dynamic measurement condition with performance on balance beam. A partial objective was to examine the relationship of lean mass with RFD and AG performance.

Methods: Thirteen competitive level female gymnasts, with an average age of 11.6 years participated in the research and were evaluated in terms of body composition, isometric leg press strength and RFD and countermovement jump (CMJ). In addition, balance beam routines were evaluated by four international judges. Pearson's r coefficient was used to investigate the correlation of the variables under consideration.

Results: There was no statistically significant correlation between force-time characteristics during isometric and dynamic assessment with balance beam performance (P>0.05). However, a strong correlation was found between total lean body mass (TLM) and power (r=0.985), relative power (RP) (r=0.933), max strength (MS) (r=0.727), and RFD 100 ms (r=643) and RFD 150 ms (r=0.896) during the CMJ. Furthermore, there was a strong correlation of bone density (BD) with power (r=0.903), MS (r=0.74), RFD 100 ms (r=0.735) and RFD 150 ms (r=0.883) time intervals in CMJ.

Conclusions: Balance beam performance is influenced by other physical factors and technical execution of exercises rather than lower limb strength characteristics.

Background: The aim of this study was to conduct physical profiling within national talent pathway age-group and senior national male and female England basketball players.

Methods: In total 235 players (male, 124; female, 111) from squads U14, U15, U16, U18, and senior featured. The testing battery featured; anthropometrics, countermovement jump (CMJ), 10-m sprint, modified 5-0-5 change of direction test.

Results: There were no differences in CMJ (P=0.659) between female groups (29.9-33.0 cm). CMJ was significantly different across male groups (P<0.001), senior players having a greater jump height (45.3 cm) than U14, U15 and U16 (P<0.05). There were no differences in 10-m sprint time for female (1.95-2.01 s) (P=0.469) and male groups (1.74-1.83 s) (P=0.055). There were significant differences within both female and male groups for 5-0-5L and 5-0-5R (P<0.001) with U14 and U15 females being slower (+0.12 to +0.20 s) and male performance showing a linear improvement with group age, U14 being slower than all other groups (+0.07 to +0.27 s). Significant correlations existed for both sexes between CMJ and 10-m (males; -0.582, females; -0.699) and between CMJ and both 5-0-5L (males: -0.397, females: -0.375) and 5-0-5R (males: -0.454, females: -0.370) (P<0.001).

Conclusions: The study's data and findings can be used to inform practice and guide the long-term strategy regarding physical development of talented young basketball players particularly within the national talent pathway in England.