Research in Sports Medicine最新文献

This study investigated the effects of Tai Chi training on functionality, dynamic balance, kinesiophobia, and quality of life in athletes with Functional Ankle Instability (FAI). Forty-three athletes with FAI were randomly assigned to either a Tai Chi group (n = 21) or a control group (n = 22). The Tai Chi group followed a tailored exercise protocol addressing ankle instability through a three-phase progression, while the control group had no intervention but continued their usual activities. Measurements, including Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT), Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK), Short Form-12 (SF-12), figure-8 hop test, and perceived treatment effect were assessed before and after the intervention. The Tai Chi group showed significant improvements in CAIT score and SEBT reach distance compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Tai Chi exercises also reduced TSK, improved figure-8 hop score, and enhanced the physical component of SF-12 (p < 0.005), with no significant effect on the mental component of SF-12 (p = 0.7). The findings imply that Tai Chi may be a valuable consideration for athletic trainers and sports medicine professionals working with athletes with FAI.

This case report details the management of a 23-year-old professional footballer who sustained a rupture of the proximal adductor longus (AL) tendon. Following surgical reattachment of the tendon, the player completed an eleven-phase return to performance (RTP_erf) pathway designed to ensure a rapid and safe return to play (RTP_lay). The pathway uses distinct phases that incorporate clinical, performance, and sport-specific criteria to guide decision-making throughout the process. This case report outlines the phases and criteria used in conjunction with shared decision-making by the interdisciplinary team (IDT) to ensure a successful RTP_lay. The effectiveness of this pathway was demonstrated by the player's return to competitive play 12 weeks post-surgery.

The prevalence of anterior cruciate ligament injury in female soccer players has been attributed to hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle (MC), with injury incidence greatest during the follicular phase. Eight, eumenorrheic, collegiate soccer players (19.5 ± 0.75 years, 1.62 ± 4.90 cm, 61.12 ± 7.6 kg mean ± SD) completed eccentric knee flexor and concentric knee extensor trials at 60 and 240°·s^-1 during the follicular, ovulation and luteal phases of their MC. Peak torque and corresponding angle of peak torque were maintained across all phases of the MC, irrespective of testing modality and speed (p ≥ 0.149). Strength ratios defined using peak torque were also not sensitive to MC phase (p ≥ 0.933). However, Functional Range in eccentric knee flexion was significantly lower during the follicular phase (p = 0.017), at both testing speeds. This supports epidemiological observations but highlights the importance of analysing isokinetic data beyond the peak of the strength curve. Interpretation of isokinetic data should therefore focus on points of "weakness" as opposed to maximum strength, whilst (p)rehabilitative strategies should consider strength through range of motion, and at different speeds. Eccentric hamstring strength was observed to decrease significantly at the higher speed, contrary to observations in elite male players, and potentially reflecting a differential training adaptation.

Sport-related concussions (SRCs) are prevalent in high school (HS) sports, though the determinants of, and relationships between concussion symptoms in this population remain relatively unknown. We analysed SRC data captured within the HS RIO injury surveillance system during 2014/15-2018/19. We used Generalized Estimating Equations to simultaneously assess covariate predictors of symptom presentations and identify pairwise symptom associations and employed multivariable ordinal logistic regressions to determine symptom resolution time (SRT) predictors. Among the 8,969 concussions assessed, headaches (94.3%) and dizziness (73.3%) were the most prevalently reported symptoms. In 5,953 boys' concussion assessed, class year, event type and injury mechanism emerged as determinants of various concussion symptoms, while in 3,016 girls' concussions assessed, class year, event type, injury mechanism, and sport type emerged as significant symptom determinants. In both groups, difficulty concentrating, sensitivity to light, sensitivity to noise, and disorientation were symptoms with the strongest associations with other symptoms. Odds of longer SRT were higher with greater endorsement (i.e. counts) of the subset of symptoms with strongest cross-domain associations (OR_adj. = 1.35; 95% CI = [1.30, 1.40]). Our findings provide valuable information for informing sideline and follow-up clinical concussion assessment algorithms in high school athletes.

The objective of this study is to investigate the beneficial effects of resistance training (RT) on individuals suffering from knee osteoarthritis (KOA). In order to gather relevant studies from the beginning of various databases until January 2023, a comprehensive search was conducted on PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library. Additionally, manual searches were performed on the reference lists. The association between RT and KOA was analysed using a random-effects model. The results indicated that patients with KOA who underwent RT experienced a significant reduction in the WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis) Pain index (WMD = -2.441; 95% CI = -3.610 to -1.273; p < 0.01), the WOMAC Stiffness index (WMD = -1.018; 95% CI = -1.744 to -0.293; p < 0.01), the WOMAC Function index (WMD = -7.208; 95% CI = -10.412 to -4.004; p < 0.01), and the VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) index (WMD = -5.721; 95% CI = -9.320 to -2.121; p < 0.01). These improvements were observed when compared to the control group. However, no significant difference was found in the 6-MWT (6-Minute Walk Test) index between the two groups (WMD = 2.659; 95% CI= -16.741 to 22.058; p = 0.788). Consequently, RT has the potential to positively enhance pain, stiffness, and function in patients with KOA, while the 6-MWT index may not exhibit significant improvement.

Ischaemic preconditioning (IPC), brief periods of ischaemia immediately followed by reperfusion applied to a vascular bed, has emerged as a method to improve exercise performance. There is, however, a lack of research exploring repeated episodes of IPC on anaerobic performance. The aim of this study was to determine if a 2-week repeated IPC intervention could enhance anaerobic performance in male academy football players. Eight male academy football players completed two, 2-week intervention trials: six IPC episodes (4 × 5 min at 220 mmHg per episode), and six SHAM episodes (4 × 5 min at 20 mmHg per episode). Prior to and following each intervention trial, the participants completed assessments of anaerobic performance (Running Anaerobic Sprint Test [RAST]), and superficial femoral artery endothelial function (flow-mediated dilation [FMD]). IPC significantly enhanced peak and mean power output by 12% (p = 0.026) and 11% (p = 0.019) and significantly improved superficial femoral artery FMD (p = 0.049). The increase in endothelial function suggests that this may be a mechanism contributing to this enhancement of anaerobic performance. The present study supports the use of repeated IPC prior to matches and training sessions to enhance anaerobic performance.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of sodium bicarbonate (SB) supplementation on physical performance, neuromuscular and metabolic responses during CrossFit® exercise. Seventeen Advanced CrossFit®-trained athletes completed the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover protocol consisting of four visits, including two familiarization sessions and two experimental trials separated by a 7-day washout period. Participants supplemented 0.3 g/kg body mass (BM) of SB or placebo 120-min prior to performing the CrossFit® benchmark Fran followed by 500 m of rowing. SB improved time to complete Fran compared to PLA (291.2 ± 71.1 vs. 303.3 ± 77.8 s, p = 0.047), but not 500 m rowing (112.1 s ± 7.9 vs. 113.2 s ± 8.9 s, p = 0.26). No substantial side-effects were reported during the trials. This study showed that SB improved CrossFit® benchmark Fran performance, but not subsequent 500-m rowing. These data suggest that SB might be an interesting supplementation strategy for CrossFit® athletes.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the characteristics of match injury in male beach soccer players. Video recordings of all official beach soccer tournaments in which the European national male beach soccer teams participated from 2018 to 2021 were analysed by two sports medicine specialists retrospectively. Regarding each injury, data including the mechanism, location of the injury, whether the injury led to time-loss, and the relationship of the injury to the bicycle kick (BK), etc. were documented. A total of 632 injuries were documented, corresponding to 234.9 injuries/1000 player hours. Video footage was available for 580 injuries. Whilst 79.8% of medical attention injuries occurred due to opponent contact, 19.5% of time-loss injuries occurred due to non-contact, and 12.2% of indirect opponent contact (p < 0.01). The most common location of the BK related injury was the head/neck (68.7%), whereas most common location of the BK unrelated injury was the lower extremity (54.1%) (p < 0.01). The findings demonstrated that beach soccer injury incidence was quite high; the most common injury location was head/neck and head/neck injuries were associated with BK. In light of these results, some rule regulations, particularly those associated with BK, and the use of protective equipment should be considered to prevent these injuries.

Field hockey is characterized by a unique dribbling position which has been associated with a prevalence of low back pain and lumbar injury. To quantify the biomechanical response of the hockey-specific running gait, twelve field hockey players completed treadmill running at speeds of 6, 9 and 12 km·hr^-1 with a normal running gait and whilst manipulating the hockey stick to replicate dribbling. Mechanical loading was quantified using tri-axial accelerometery at L4, and muscular activity was measured for biceps femoris (BF), gluteus medius (GM) and quadratus lumborum (QL) of each limb. Running with the stick elicited greater mechanical loading in the medio-lateral (p = 0.001) and antero-posterior (p = 0.003) planes, and increased peak (p = 0.004) and mean (p = 0.002) EMG response of QL (p = 0.004). The greater planar mechanical loading and QL activation in response to hockey-specific running technique support epidemiological observations of lower back pain prevalence. The sensitivity of uni-axial mechanical loading to the hockey-specific running posture provides an efficacious means of objectively monitoring mechanical loading in-vivo, whilst the QL activation response has implications for (p)rehabilitative interventions. Running posture and speed can be considered as discrete progressions when considering training load.

This study retrospectively compared the effect of holding the 2022 FIFA World Cup™ (WC) mid-season (season 2022/23) on injury rates and patterns in French Ligue 1 soccer clubs. Epidemiological data in 17 clubs were prospectively recorded by their physicians. Time-loss injuries (injuries leading to a player being unable to fully participate in play over the following 72-hour period) were compared with those reported during a regular season (2021-22). In the WC season, an increase of approximately 23% (training + match-play) was observed for both the total number of injuries and knee, ankle and muscle injuries combined. Incidences for match-play injury overall and for the knee, ankle and muscle regions combined and the hamstrings and calf regions specifically also rose significantly (range: p < 0.05-p < 0.01). These results suggest that injury occurrence and patterns in French L1 soccer clubs were substantially affected during the 2022/23 season when a mid-season WC was held.