Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness最新文献

Background: Netball, with its dynamic movements, poses a high injury risk, notably to the ankles and knees. This study examined the injury knowledge and attitudes of semi-professional netball players in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Methods: In this study 117 semi-professional female netball players from eight clubs in the Western Cape district were conveniently sampled. A self-administered researcher-generated questionnaire collected data on the players' sociodemographic characteristics, as well as their knowledge and attitudes regarding netball injuries. Independent samples t-test, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and the χ² tests were employed for data analyses.

Results: Results showed that most players (62.4%) had good knowledge of injury prevention and recovery, though a minority held negative attitudes (39.0% and 29.0%, respectively). Those with over three years of experience demonstrated superior knowledge (85.7%) and more positive attitudes (61.9% and 71.4%). Conversely, a minority (37.6%) exhibited poor knowledge, while a majority (61.00%) displayed positive attitudes. Furthermore, a moderate positive correlation (r=0.552; P<0.001) was observed between overall knowledge and attitudes towards injury prevention and recovery.

Conclusions: While most semi-professional netball players possess adequate injury knowledge, those with longer experience show more positive attitudes. Establishing educational programs emphasizing injury prevention and recovery could benefit players, especially those starting later in life, promoting both knowledge and positive attitudes towards injury management.

Background: Athletic movements in American football render the shoulder vulnerable to injury. The aim of this study was to explore the epidemiology of shoulder injuries in the National Football League (NFL).

Methods: Injury data from the 2019-2022 seasons were extracted from official NFL website and secondary resources. Injury parameters included type, severity, week, position and other demographic characteristics. Injury rates were calculated per 1000 athletic exposures (AE) and statistical analyses were used to determine whether any significant differences exist in injury patterns across different positions and types.

Results: A total of 6732 injuries were reported during our study period, of which 452(6.7%) were attributed to the shoulder, leading to an injury rate of 4.5 per1000 AE. Linebackers, cornerbacks, wide receivers, and safety positions had significantly higher numbers of shoulder injuries than other defensive and offensive positions. Most injuries were mild (66%, P<0.001). Muscular (40.9%) and ligamentous (37.4%) injuries were the most common injury types. Fractures and ligamentous injuries were significantly more severe than muscular and other injuries (P<0.05). Even though week 17 had the highest mean number of shoulder injuries at 10.75/season, there was no apparent shoulder injury distribution trend across the football season.

Conclusions: Shoulder injuries are common in American football. Introducing a deidentified injury registry that provides detailed injury information in the NFL may help develop better prevention strategies and protocols.

Introduction: Basketball, as a widely popular sport, can be associated with a high risk of injury. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of basketball-related injuries in various groups through the utilization of a systematic review methodology.

Evidence acquisition: An extensive search was conducted in the four valid databases using three groups of keywords up to November 2023 based on the PRISMA guidance. Two reviewers independently performed the steps of the study, including study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment. In case of any disagreements, the opinion of a third researcher was sought to achieve agreement in each step. The agreement between the reviewers was examined by computing Cohen's kappa coefficient. The quality assessment of the articles in this study was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools.

Evidence synthesis: The prevalence range of injuries in these people was between 0.38% and 92.0%. Ankle injuries in 12 out of 28 studies (42.86%), knee injuries in 7 out of 28 studies (25.00%), head and tooth injuries in 3 out of 28 studies (10.71%), and shoulder and hand injuries in three out of 28 studies (10.71%) had the highest prevalence among various injuries. Five out of six studies (83.33%) showed a higher percentage of the injuries in males. Only a study compared the prevalence of injuries between people with various ages.

Conclusions: These findings emphasize the need for injury prevention and management strategies, particularly targeting vulnerable areas like the ankle and knee.

Background: The aim of this study was to compare a training program based on horizontally (HT) versus vertically (VT) loaded exercises on performance and muscle architecture of the lower body muscles.

Methods: Nineteen resistance trained individuals were randomly assigned to HT (N.=10; age: 25.9±4.2 y; body mass: 72.7±11.4 kg; height: 174.0±6.0 cm) or VT group (N.=9; age: 26.9±4.4 y; body mass: 76.2±10.8 kg; height: 174.2.0±5.8 cm). Both 6-week training programs included 4 training sessions per week and were equated for the total number of repetitions. One repetition maximum (1RM) was assessed for squat and hip thrust, together with vertical and horizontal jumps and sprint. Muscle thickness (MT) and echo intensity (EI) of vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and gluteus were also evaluated pre- and post-training period.

Results: A significantly greater increase in 1RM hip thrust was detected in HT (+17.9%; P=0.004) while greater increases in 1RM squat were found in VT (+10.5%; P=0.007). A greater increase (P=0.009) in vastus medialis MT was detected in VT (4.1%) compared to HT (-7.9%). Similar increases in MT of gluteus were registered in both groups (P<0.05). A greater improvement in standing long jump (P=0.004) was detected in HT (+7.6%) compared to VT (+1.6%), while both groups significantly improved vertical jump performance. Combining both groups, strong correlations were detected between gluteus EI and 20-m sprint (r=0.79; P<0.001).

Conclusions: Results indicate that HT was more effective than VT for horizontal jumps while both HT and VT were equally effective on vertical jumps. Both HT and VT promoted similar changes in muscle architecture of the gluteus, but not of the vastus medialis.

Background: The physical nature of the sport of rugby results in a high incidence of injury, even in university rugby, compared to other contact sport codes. Rugby Union lacks injury data focusing on university student-athletes, specifically in South Africa. The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of injury among male rugby players participating in the Varsity Cup Young Guns national rugby tournament.

Methods: The study used a quantitative, cross-sectional, and correlational research design. A total of 252 rugby players, males aged 18 to 20 years, who played for their university rugby team in the 2022 Varsity Cup Young Guns national tournament were conveniently recruited to determine the incidence of overall, match, and training injuries (number of injuries/1000 hours) for the 2022 tournament.

Results: The overall injury incidence for all players was 9.5 injuries/1000 player-hours. The injury incidence for all players during matches was 136.5 injuries/1000 match-hours, whereas during training it was 0.6 injuries/1000 training-hours. The injury incidence was greater for backs than forwards (150.6 injuries/1000 match-hours vs. 124.1 injuries/1000 match-hours, respectively). The lower limb was the most commonly injured anatomical site with 36.6% (95% CI: 27.7-48.3%), while the common types of injuries were the joints (41.6%, 95% CI: 29.9-49.9%) and muscles (28.7%, 95% CI: 20.8-38.0%). A statistically significant association was found between the playing position and the phase of play in which injury occurred (χ²(1)=160.2; P=0.021).

Conclusions: This study reported a high injury incidence, especially during matches, in the Varsity Cup Young Guns tournament. It is recommended that prospective, incidence-based studies be used to precisely determine the incidence, nature, severity and mechanisms of injury. An injury surveillance system should be implemented, specifically within Varsity Cup rugby to inform, support, and improve current injury prevention strategies.

Background: Saliva sampling provides a practical noninvasive way for biological monitoring of steroid hormones but few studies have focused on saliva sex hormones in female athletes, and it is still unknown whether salivary concentrations are an accurate reflection of blood concentrations in this population. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the correlation between serum and saliva estradiol (E2) and progesterone (PG) in 10 young female athletes with normal menstrual cycle.

Methods: Thirty blood and saliva samples were taken at rest in a fasting state in order to analyze E2 and PG concentrations, during 3 different hormonal periods: Status 1: low E2 and low PG (end luteal/early follicular); Status 2: high E2 and low PG (end follicular/peri-ovulatory); Status 3: high PG (mid-luteal).

Results: A strong correlation was found between serum and saliva PG (r=0.914, P<0.01), whereas a weaker but still significant relationship was observed between serum and saliva E2 (r=0.755, P<0.01). The most significant correlations obtained for E2 were during Status 2 (r=0.941, P<0.01) and during Status 3 for PG (r=0.817, P<0.01).

Conclusions: Although it remains challenging to produce precise identification with only saliva samples for each menstrual cycle phase, results seem to show that saliva can provide a convenient substitute to serum for sex hormones in female athletes during longitudinal monitoring. This is of particular interest in this population, with the number of female athletes suffering from an altered menstrual cycle, sometimes even during regular menstruation.

Background: The aim of this prospective randomized clinical study was to compare the clinical and second-look arthroscopic outcomes of early weight-bearing and delayed weight-bearing rehabilitation protocols following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with hamstring tendons.

Methods: This prospective study involved 90 patients who underwent ACL reconstruction with hamstring tendons. The patients were randomly assigned to either perform weight-bearing exercises at three weeks postoperatively (group A) or at one week postoperatively (group B). Evaluation of the patients was conducted at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively, focusing on knee range of motion, thigh circumference, and knee function assessed using the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) form and Lysholm knee score. Graft evaluation was performed based on tension, tear, and synovial coverage via second-look arthroscopy at least one year after reconstruction.

Results: Group B exhibited significantly greater knee extension and flexion angles at 3 and 6 months compared to group A. IKDC and Lysholm scores were significantly higher in group B at 3 and 6 months. Additionally, the difference in thigh circumference between groups A and B was smaller at all evaluation periods, indicating less muscle atrophy in group B. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in synovial coverage, graft tear, or tension between the two groups based on second-look arthroscopy findings.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates that an early weight-bearing protocol leads to faster recovery of knee joint function and muscle strength, facilitating a quicker return to sports activities. Additionally, there was no significant difference in graft morphology observed at second-look arthroscopy between the two groups at one year postoperative. Therefore, clinicians are encouraged to develop suitable early weight-bearing rehabilitation protocols for patients who have undergone ACL surgery.

Background: Critical swimming velocity (CV) is widely used as an index for setting intensity in endurance training (IT). This study aimed to examine the effects of varying repetitive swimming distances on physiological and stroke parameters during IT at CV.

Methods: Eleven male national-level collegiate swimmers participated in all-out 200 and 400 m front crawl swims to determine the CV. The participants then completed three interval training sets at CV: 5×400 m (400-m IT), 10×200 m (200-m IT), and 20×100 m (100-m IT) interval swims at the CV with rest periods of 60, 30, and 15 s, respectively.

Results: The mean calculated CV value was 1.44±0.07 m/s. Posttest blood lactate concentration was significantly lower during the 100-m IT (3.4±1.9 mmol/L, P<0.05) versus the 400-m IT (6.4±2.6 mmol/L) and 200-m IT (5.3±3.2 mmol/L). Across all tests, heart rate (HR) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were significantly higher with longer repetitive swimming distances, while stroke length (SL) was lowest in the 400-m IT (P<0.05). The increases in HR and RPE, as well as the decrease in SL, were statistically significant throughout all training sets (P<0.05).

Conclusions: The findings indicate that longer repetitive swimming distances at CV elicit higher the metabolic, perceptual, and mechanical stimuli. These changes suggest that IT at CV is an effective training condition for enhancing endurance performance.

Background: Functional massage (FM) is a soft tissue technique that incorporates non-end range joint movement with tissue compression to treat musculotendinous pain and dysfunction. FM has been associated with promoting neural excitability and neuromuscular efficiency. In clinical practice, FM may be used at the beginning of a treatment session to prepare fibers of the target muscle and surrounding soft tissues for functional activity. The Physical Working Capacity at the Fatigue Threshold (PWCFT) uses surface electromyography (EMG) to demarcate between non-fatiguing and fatiguing exercise. To our knowledge, no studies have examined the efficacy of FM when performed prior to an exercise session. The purpose of this study was to determine whether pre-performance FM delays the onset of neuromuscular fatigue. We hypothesized that FM would increase maximal power output as well as PWCFT compared to the control condition.

Methods: Thirteen healthy college-aged men (mean±SEM: age, 24.1±0.5 years; weight, 83.0±3.2 kg; and height, 1.80±0.02 m) ranging from 22 to 28 years-old volunteered for the present study. On two occasions separated by at least 7 days, participants visited the laboratory to perform single-leg knee-extensor ergometer exercise after either receiving 7 min of FM (experimental condition) or no FM (control condition).

Results: The results indicated that the onset of neuromuscular fatigue was significantly delayed for the absolute and relative PWCFT (~80%) values compared to the control condition. There was no significant mean difference between FM and control for maximal power output.

Conclusions: The findings of the present study indicated that FM was effective in delaying neuromuscular fatigue as assessed by PWCFT. These findings may be applicable to both athletic and clinical settings as FM prior to exercise may help to prime a target muscle before training.

Background: Pacing strategies during endurance efforts vary depending on athlete experience, race length, and terrain. In ultramarathon trail running the specific race route profile can have a significant impact on optimal pacing strategy. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between uphill, downhill and level running with overall performance and to compare the difference in pacing strategies between top 10 (TOP-10) and non-top 10 (NOT TOP-10) finishers of a 100-km ultra-trail marathon with +5000-m elevation gain.

Methods: Fifty male finishers (TOP-10: N.=6, NOT TOP-10, N.=44) and forty-six individual segments (1.5±1.2 km) were analyzed based on 2021 100-km UTCT STRAVA data. Relative segment speed and CV% were used to identify pacing strategies. Spearman Rank and Mann Whitney-U tests were used to analyze the data. Significance was set at P<0.05.

Results: Uphill running had the strongest relationship with overall performance (r=0.826, P<0.01). Substantially weaker relationships between overall running performance and level (r=0.402, P<0.01) and downhill (r=-0.382, P<0.01) running performance were found. The CV% was significantly lower in TOP-10 (32.10±1.81) than NOT TOP-10 (35.39±4.43) (U=24, r=0.46, P<0.01).

Conclusions: Uphill running performance remains a valuable measure of overall trail running performance as it represents a higher percentage of overall running demand. TOP-10 runners have diminished decay in initial running speed than NOT TOP-10 runners, despite a generally high variation in pace and net positive split in ultra-trail running.