Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine最新文献

Introduction: Athletic peak performance is increasingly focused on cognitive and mental factors. In the current study, cognitive performance was measured by neurophysiological responses in elite Junior-A hockey players.

Methods: Neurophysiological brain vital signs were extracted from event-related potentials (ERPs) to evaluate auditory sensation (the N100), basic attention (the P300), and cognitive processing (the N400). In total, we evaluated 348 athletes, across 17 teams, throughout different hockey arenas in British Columbia, Canada. While brain vital signs were collected to help manage concussion, the current investigation focused on a retrospective performance analysis of cognitive processing differences.

Results: The results revealed three interesting findings: 1) Player position differences were detectable in sensory N100 latency, with significantly faster responses for forwards compared to defense; 2) Goalies showed significantly higher attention P300 amplitude compared to all other positions; and 3) Cognitive N400 processing differences were detectable only during competitive combine testing, showing 60ms latency differences between forwards and defense on average.

Discussion: The current findings suggest that neurophysiological responses, which are also sensitive to concussion, may be used to identify sensory, attentional, and cognitive processing differences to help optimize peak performance.

Background: Sarcopenia is characterized by the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and poses a significant health challenge for older adults by increasing the risk of disability and decreasing quality of life. Yoga considers as a low-risk and beneficial exercise for older adults. This research aims to evaluate the potential of yoga practice as a preventive strategy against sarcopenia in Indonesian older adults.

Methods: An observational cross-sectional research was conducted including 41 older adults aged 60-87 years. The research focused on key biomarkers and functional assessments, including serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels, telomere length, gait speed, hand grip strength, and SARC-F questionnaire scores.

Results: The results showed that participants aged 71-80 years who practiced yoga for more than a year had significantly higher IGF-1 levels (p=0.04). While improvements in gait speed, hand grip strength, and SARC-F scores were observed, these changes were not statistically significant, and no significant differences were found in telomere length.

Conclusion: Yoga in older adults was associated with higher IGF-1 levels and potential improvements in upper and lower extremity strength, though these findings were not statistically significant and did not influence telomere length. Yoga practice shows potential as an emerging adjuvant option but can not be applied as a single strategy for sarcopenia prevention in older adults.

Background: Un-acclimatized individuals may experience acute altitude illness. Thus, the current study investigated the impact of short-term intermittent normobaric hypoxia (NH) combined with light exercise on the acclimatization of cardiorespiratory function to altitude in inactive adults.

Methods: This quasi-experimental study recruited 10 inactive university students (age: 26.3 ± 2.53 years). All participants were instructed to perform light exercise while exposed to intermittent NH (15%) (2 h/d) for 2 weeks continuously. The heart rate (HR), relative oxygen consumption (VO2 mL/kg/min), minute ventilation (VE), VO2/HR, and respiratory frequency (RF) were measured.

Results: Results illustrated a significant improvement in participants' cardiorespiratory functions by 10 days after exposure to NH, as compared to day 1 of exposure, based on their HR, RF, and VE responses at rest and HR, RF, VE, VO2, VO2/kg, and VO2/HR during light exercise. Resting-state values had returned to the pre-NH exposure levels after 10 days of intermittent NH exposure. Furthermore, values measured during light exercise were significantly decreased on days 10 and 14 as compared to day 1 of NH exposure.

Conclusion: This study concluded that as few as 10 days of exposure to intermittent NH (pO2 = 15%) combined with light exercise may improve the acclimation to NH of 15% pO2 in inactive adults.

In recent years, exercise has shown a powerful ability to regulate the gut microbiota received with concern. For instance, compared with the sedentary group, high-level athletes showed a different gut microbiota composition and remarkable capability of physiological metabolism. In addition, different diet patterns (eg, high-fat diet, high carbohydrate diet et.al) have different effects on gut microbiota, which can also affect exercise performance. Furthermore, adaptations to exercise also might be influenced by the gut microbiota, due to its important role in the transformation and expenditure of energy obtained from the diet. Therefore, appropriate dietary supplementation is important during exercise. And exploring the mechanisms by which dietary supplements affect exercise performance by modulating gut microbiota is of considerable interest to athletes wishing to achieve health and athletic performance. In this narrative review, the relationship between gut microbiota, dietary supplements, training adaptations and performance is discussed as follows. (i) The effects of the three main nutritional supplements on gut microbiota and athlete fitness. (ii) Strategies for dietary supplements and how they exerted function through gut microbiota alteration based on the gut-brain axis. (iii) Why dietary supplement interventions on gut microbiota should be tailored to different types of exercise. Our work integrates these factors to elucidate how specific nutritional supplements can modulate gut microbiota composition and, consequently, influence training adaptations and performance outcomes, unlike previous literature that often focuses solely on the effects of exercise or diet independently. And provides a comprehensive framework for athletes seeking to optimize their health and performance through a microbiota-centric approach.

Introduction: The National Football League (NFL) combine tests the athleticism of prospects competing for the draft. The vertical jump is included to test lower extremity power, yet the components which lead to the greatest performance remain elusive. Therefore, this study aimed to utilize a sample of elite athletes to analyze vertical jump components associated with increased performance and the relationship between vertical jump performance and rookie-year success.

Methods: Videos of 50 NFL prospects performing the vertical jump task were analyzed for various countermovement jump components. Regression analyses examined the components in relation to normalized jump height and rookie Approximate Value (AV) using an alpha level of 0.05.

Results: After analysis, only the overall model for normalized jump height was statistically significant (R^2^ = 0.69, p = 0.002).

Discussion: While no single variable predicted jump height, distinct strategies were evident between the top and bottom 25% performers based on component correlations. The regression model approached significance in predicting rookie AV (R^2^ = 0.94, p = 0.052), with notable components like heel pauses for skilled positions and greater knee flexion for linemen. By creating models that can predict jump height or AV, variables can be identified that can be used to improve one's jump height or, in the case of AV, that can be used to predict which draft prospects will perform better in the NFL.

Purpose: Exercise therapy is the first-line treatment in rotator cuff-related shoulder pain (RCRSP), and diverse types of exercise seem effective. However, it is not still clear if painful exercise should be allowed or avoided during exercises. The objective of this study was to investigate if exercise into pain is more effective than no pain in RCRSP.

Patients and methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in a physiotherapy clinic in Belgium. Forty-three participants with chronic RCRSP were randomly allocated to G1 (exercising into pain) or G2 (exercising without pain) in a 12-week intervention with 6-month follow-up. Primary outcome was the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI); secondary outcomes were pain intensity, fear-avoidance beliefs, fear of pain, quality of life, strength, and range of motion. Outcomes were measured at baseline (T0), after 9 weeks (T1), 12 weeks (T2), and 6 months (T3) from the first session and analysed with linear mixed models.

Results: No between-group difference in SPADI (time-by-group interaction, p = 0.25) up to 6 months was found, with mean difference (G1-G2) at T1 = 5.78 (CI95%: -3.43,14.59; p = 0.33), at T2 = 0.93 (CI95%: -7.20,9.05; p = 0.82), at T3 = 4.15 (CI95%: -2.61,10.92; p = 0.33). No between-group differences were found for any other outcomes.

Conclusion: Pain provocation seems not to be necessary in RCRSP for achieving successful treatment effect in pain and disability reduction, fear-related beliefs, and quality of life up to 6 months.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04553289.

Purpose: The objective was to describe the location, examination procedures, diagnoses, and treatment for gradual-onset Achilles tendon pain in male professional football (soccer) players.

Patients and methods: Forty-seven teams were followed prospectively for at least one season from 2013/14 to 2017/18. Time-loss injuries were recorded by the teams' medical staffs. For all non-contact Achilles tendon injuries, a specific Achilles tendon form was sent to teams.

Results: There were 88 time-loss injuries recorded with gradual-onset Achilles tendon pain amongst 72 players; 22 (25%) of them were severe lasting more than four weeks including one career-ending injury. The specific form was returned for 78 injuries (89%) with 55 cases (71%) having midportion and 23 cases (29%) insertional pain. There were 51 cases (65%) being examined with ultrasound and 29 cases (37%) with magnetic resonance imaging, both modalities being used in 18 cases (23%). Tendinopathy was the most frequently reported main diagnosis both for midportion and insertional pain with 60 cases (77%), but multiple diagnoses were recorded in 21 cases (27%). Surgery was performed in six cases (8%), and the majority of players were exposed to several non-surgical treatments in various combinations, with eccentric training and cryotherapy being most frequent with 52 cases (72%) each.

Conclusion: Tendinopathy was the most frequent diagnosis both for midportion and insertional pain. Imaging was carried out for most injuries. A majority of injuries were managed non-surgically, with eccentric training and cryotherapy being the most frequently applied treatments.

Purpose: Adolescent soccer players experience distinct physiological changes due to chronological and biological maturation, impacting their soccer performance. Here, we explored age-related variations and associations between quadriceps geometry and strength in male national-level adolescent soccer players.

Patients and methods: We used ultrasonography to examine the regional architecture and morphology of the rectus femoris (RF) and vastus lateralis (VL) muscles, and we assessed knee extension strength by isometric and isokinetic dynamometry. Players were categorized into four age groups: under (U) 15 (n=18, age=13.7±0.5 years), U16 (n=15, age=14.7±0.5), U17 (n=19, age=15.7±0.5), U18 (n=18, age=16.7±0.5) and U21 (n=25, age=18.5±0.5).

Results: The absolute and relative strengths were higher in the U16 compared to U15 by 12-15% and 6-8%, 11-12% and 6-7% in the U17 compared to U16, 5-7% and -1-2% in the U18 compared to U17 and 0-15% and -1-11% in the U21 compared to U18 age groups, respectively. VL architecture did not change relevantly between the age groups. The muscle anatomical cross-sectional area (ACSA) of the VL and RF differed non-uniformly and muscle region-specific by 10-36%, with highest values in the U21 age group. Moderate correlations between the VL architecture and knee extension strength in both legs were observed only in the U16 age group. The quadriceps ACSA showed age-specific correlations with knee extension strength.

Conclusion: Our findings highlight non-uniform differences in quadriceps muscle morphology and absolute and relative strength among male national-level adolescent soccer players in different age groups. The correlations observed between muscle morphology or architecture and strength were muscle, muscle region, leg and age dependent.

Introduction: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures are frequent injuries, especially in athletes. Return to sports after reconstruction of the ligament is a frequently debated topic and of high relevance for these patients. It is mostly achieved at 9-12 months post-surgery. However, the risk of subsequent knee injuries is high and psychological factors play an important role in the process and success of returning to sports. Little is known about patients' perception of their journey returning to sports. This study aims to fill the gap.

Material and methods: The study aimed to include patients treated surgically for an ACL injury over 5 years at a specialized sports-medicine clinic. Patients were surveyed on the impact of the injury on their lives, their return to sports experience, and medical history.

Results: In total, 100 (of 474) patients aged 35.9 years responded. Within 5 years, 19% experienced a reoperation and 23% a new knee injury. Overall, 83% of patients returned to their main sport, 72% reached their pre-injury level. However, 45% reported at least one distinct or severe consequence of their ACL injury. The ability to return to sports had more impact on the perception of the course of treatment than the experience of new injuries or surgery.

Conclusion: The rate of successful return to sports was comparable to previous reports despite a higher average age in this cohort. A successful return to sports seems to be a major determinant for the perception of impact from the injury and may be more important than the avoidance of repeat trauma.