Retirements of professional tennis players in second- and third-tier tournaments on the ATP and WTA tours.

The demands of professional tennis, including physical and psychological aspects, contribute to the frequency of retirements at elite levels of the sport. The aim of this study was to analyze epidemiological patterns and risk factors associated with retirements in previous ATP and WTA Tour tournaments. A retrospective cohort study was conducted. This study focused on previous ATP and WTA Tour tournaments. The ATP database encompassed 584,806 matches, while the WTA database included 267,380 matches. To assess retirements, potential risk factors such as playing surface, tournament category, match round, and player age were analyzed. Incidence rates were calculated for the period between 1978-2019 for men and 1994-2018 for women. The overall incidence rate was 1.56 (95%CI: 1.54, 1.59) and 1.36 (95%CI: 1.33, 1.39) retirements per 1000 games played in male and female competitions, respectively. Retirements increased over the years. Higher incidence rates were observed on hard (1.59 [95%CI: 1.56, 1.63] and 1.39 [95%CI: 1.34, 1.44]) and clay (1.60 [95%CI: 1.57, 1.63] and 1.36 [95%CI: 1.32, 1.41]) compared to grass courts (0.79 [95%CI: 0.65, 0.94] and 1.06 [95%CI: 0.88, 1.27]). Risk factors differed by gender, with tournament category significant in males (IRR: 1.23 [95%CI: 1.19, 1.28] in ITF vs ATP) and match round in females (IRR: 0.92 [95%CI: 0.88, 0.98] in preliminary vs final). This study provides valuable insights for coaches, players, support teams, and epidemiologists regarding retirements and associated risk factors in previous ATP and WTA Tour tournaments, contributing to injury prevention strategies.

Quantifying Hitting Load in Racket Sports: A Scoping Review of Key Technologies.

PURPOSE: This scoping review aims to identify the primary racket and arm-mounted technologies based on inertial measurement units that enable the quantification of hitting load in racket sports. METHODS: A comprehensive search of several databases (PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore) and Google search engines was conducted following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) extension for scoping reviews guidelines. Included records primarily focused on monitoring hitting load in racket sports using commercialized racket or arm-mounted inertial sensors through noncompetitive and competitive racket-sports players. RESULTS: A total of 484 records were identified, and 19 finally met the inclusion criteria. The largest number of systems found were compatible with tennis (n = 11), followed by badminton (n = 4), table tennis (n = 2), padel (n = 1), and squash (n = 1). Four sensor locations were identified: grip-attached (n = 8), grip-embedded (n = 6), wrist (n = 3), and dampener sensors (n = 2). Among the tennis sensors, only 4 out of the 11 (36.4%) demonstrated excellent reliability (>.85) in monitoring the number of shots hit either during analytic drills or during simulated matches. None of the other racket-sports sensors have undergone successful, reliable validation for hitting-volume quantification. CONCLUSIONS: Despite recent advancements in this field, the quantification of hitting volume in racket sports remains a challenge, with only a limited number of tennis devices demonstrating reliable results. Thus, further progress in technology and research is essential to develop comprehensive solutions that adequately address these specific requirements.

Time-loss Injuries among Female and Male Spanish Rink Hockey Players.

The present study describes the time-loss injuries among female and male athletes of the Spanish rink hockey league during the 2021/22 season.We performed a retrospective cohort study on time-loss injuries, whereby the athlete is prevented from participating in a training session or game because of the injury.A total of 463 athletes were included, with 326 (70.4%) senior male and 137 (29.6%) female. Two hundred and eighty-two time-loss injuries were recorded, the most common form being muscle injuries (112 episodes, 39.7%), especially those affecting the hip adductor muscles (52 episodes, 46.4% of muscle injuries). Most injuries were classified as mild (1-7 days of time-loss) and the median return-to-play was 9.5 days (range 1-180).Injury patterns were compared according to gender, position and moment: the results showed significant differences between senior males and females, between field players and goalkeepers, as well as between training and game, in terms of injury nature and type. The injury incidence proportion was significantly higher for field players compared to goalkeepers), and senior males had a significantly higher risk than senior females.The present study provides a starting point for studying and preventing injuries in rink hockey athletes.

Scoping review and quality of studies on the epidemiology of pickleball injuries

Pickleball is a sport that combines several elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis. It is played on a court similar to the badminton court and the objective of the game is to hit the ball over a net similar to the tennis net. During these years, its popularity has grown substantially in the United States of America and it has been a sport played by people of different ages. It is important to know the different injuries that can occur in this sport in order to prevent and treat them. The aim is to perform a scoping review following the PRISMA-SCR guidelines to identify the main health problems and injury characteristics suffered in pickleball athletes. A total of 4 articles from different databases were found based on the keywords and boolean operators: ("Pickleball") AND ("injury" OR "injuries" OR "pathology*" OR "illness*" OR " disease*"). The most common injuries that occur are sprains and strains, and they tend to belong to the old age. However, more epidemiological studies about pickleball injuries are needed. Few studies have been found where the data sources show limitations to subsequently be able to carry out epidemiological studies with more precision. Even so, the scientific evidence is limited to provide applicable and conclusive results and more studies are needed on this topic in pickleball. (AU)

Analysis of injuries during the 2019 Rink Hockey World Championship.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to describe the incidence and characteristics of injuries at the 2019 Rink Hockey World Championship. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed among rink hockey athletes from three National Teams (Argentina, Portugal, and Spain). All injuries were reported by the medical staff of each National Team during the preparation period and the competition in the 2019 World Championship (Barcelona, Spain). Injury rate was calculated as the number of injuries per 1000 hours of player-hours of exposure. RESULTS: A total of 91 players (n = 61, 67% male; and n = 30, 33% female) participated in the study: 31 Senior Male (34%), 30 Senior Female (33%), and 30 Under-19 Male (33%). A total of 54 games were played by 9 teams from 3 countries, comprising of 4562 and 4380 hours of total athletic game and training exposure recorded, respectively. Fifty-one injuries (20 injuries with time-loss and 31 medical attention -injuries with no time-loss) were reported. The overall injury incidence rate was 11.2/1000 hours (95% CI, 8.5-14.7). The injury incidence during games (27.5; 95% CI, 11.6-65.2) was higher than the injury incidence during training sessions (3.4; 95% CI, 2-5.7). The incidence rate for game for the entire study period was 8.19 times higher (95% CI, 2.61-21.36) than that for training. The global injury burden was 45.4 days/1000 hours for a total exposure time. Acute was the most frequently documented onset and the non-contact was the most common mechanism. The most frequently reported injuries were head contusion (n = 5, 25%), followed by thigh injuries (n = 3, 15%). CONCLUSIONS: The injury incidence reported in a Rink Hockey international competition was 11.2/1000 hours. The risk of injury was higher during games than during training. Prevention strategies for injuries in these kinds of championships may be worth discussing. The craniofacial injuries were the most frequently reported.

Data set on mortality of national basketball association (NBA) players.

In this work, we present a data set on the survival times and mortality rates of all 4374 professional basketball players who participated in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from its inception in 1946 until July 2019 [1]. It contains the data of 412 active and 3962 former players. The data were recorded from different internet sources and include information on each player's position, ethnicity, handedness, ages at NBA debut and career end, height, weight, or number of NBA games. The results of the analysis of a previous data set with the same variables of all NBA players from 1946 to 2015 were recently published by Martinez et al. in 2019 [2]. The information provided in the data set can be useful to better understand the mortality risk among NBA players.

Injury epidemiology in the men’s and women’s Spanish rollerhockey league: a descriptive study / Epidemiología lesional en la liga española de hockey patines masculina yfemenina: un estudio descriptivo

The purpose of the present study is to describe the injury patterns among male and female athletes of the Spanish Rink hockey league. A cross-sectional study was performed, concerning the time-loss injuries (the athlete is prevented to participate in a training session / game because of the injury registered by the medical staff of every team. 137 athletes were included (98 male, age 26.7 ± 5.9 years; 39 female, age 23.3 ± 4.6 years). Ninety-four time-loss injuries were recorded, being the most frequent the muscle injury (38 episodes, 40.4%), especially the ones affecting the adductor longus muscle (23 episodes, 60,5% of the muscle injuries). The majority of the registered injuries were classified as mild (1-7 days of time-loss) but the and the median return-to-play was 19.4 ± 29.6 days. Eight episodes of reinjury were described (8.5% of total injuries) and 2 injuries required surgical treatment (2.1% of total injuries). Concerning female athletes, we can highlight a increased number of ligament injuries in the lower limbs compared with male athletes and the absence of tendinopathies causing time-loss. The knee injuries were the injuries with a higher return-to-play in goalkeepers. The present study is the first to describe the injury patterns among rink hockey elite athletes and must set a starting point to study and prevent injuries in this sport.(AU)

El propósito del presente estudio es describir los patrones lesionales durante una temporada de los deportistas de la máxima competición masculina y femenina de Hockey Patines en España. Se realizó un estudio descriptivo de las lesiones con baja deportiva (el/la deportista no puede participar como mínimo en un entrenamiento o partido debido a la lesión) recogidas por los equipos biomédicos de cada equipo. Se estudiaron 137 deportistas (98 hombres, con una media de edad de 26,7 ± 5,9 años y 39 mujeres con una media de edad de 23,3 ± 4,6 años) Se recogieron un total de 94 lesiones con baja deportiva, siendo las más frecuentes las lesiones musculares (38 episodios, 40,4% de las lesiones totales), en especial del músculo aductor largo (23 episodios, 60,5% de las lesiones musculares). La mayoría de lesiones registradas fueron leves (1-7 días de baja deportiva) aunque el tiempo medio de baja fue de 19,4 ± 29,6 días. Se recogieron 8 episodios de relesión (8,5% de las lesiones totales) y 2 lesiones que precisaron tratamiento quirúrgico (2,1% de las lesiones totales). Al estudiar a las deportistas femeninas destaca que presentaron un mayor número de lesiones ligamentosas de extremidades inferiores en comparaciones con los varones y no se describió ningún episodio de tendinopatía.Al estudiar las lesiones específicas de los porteros/as se evidenció que las lesiones que causaban más baja deportiva eran las lesiones de rodilla. El presente estudio es el primero en describir las lesiones en jugadores/as de primer nivel de hockey patines y debe marcar un punto de partida para el estudio y prevención de las lesiones en este deporte.(AU)

Injury incidence and patterns in rink hockey: A systematic review

This systematic review aims to analyze studies on the extent of injuries in rink hockey athletes. Quality of the reported information was also analyzed. A literature search was performed from January 1992 until August 2020 using the main databases The search terms were: “rink hockey” or the synonym “roller hockey” and “injur*”.A total of 11 studies were considered eligible and included. Of these, nine were cross-sectional or descriptive. All samples were non-random, and only one study used a standardized consensus classification of injuries.Muscle strains were the most frequent injuries and lower limbs the most affected body regions. Moreover, overuse was the most common cause, and injury severity was primarily moderate. Injury burden was not reported, and the incidence rate ranged from 3.23–9.7 injuries/1000 h.We conclude that the quality of the reports has room for improvement in terms of study design, outcome, epidemiology measures, and investigation of injury characteristics. (AU)

Use of GPS to measure external load and estimate the incidence of muscle injuries in men's football: A novel descriptive study.

Measurement of external load in players provides objective information to optimise the weekly balance between training and recovery to improve performance and prevent injuries. Our aim was to evaluate the incidence of sports-related muscle injuries of the lower limb in relation to external load, measured by global positioning system (GPS), in football players. A descriptive study was carried out. Data were collected from 71 professional male football players (30 professionals and 41 youth players) from an elite football club competing in the Spanish and European League in the 2017-2018 season. As external load variables, we measured High Metabolic Load Distance (HMLD), High Speed Running (HSR), Player Load (PL), and Total Distance (TD) through GPS. Injury rate (IR) was calculated both in relation to such GPS load metrics and to load exposure time. We considered categories (youth and professional), playing positions (centre back, full back, midfielder, and forward), and training day with respect to match-day (-4MD, -3MD, -2MD, -1MD, MD, +1MD, +2MD). The GPS load metrics HMLD, HSR, PL, and TD showed very similar patterns across categories and positions, but varied according to training session or MD. The highest loads were observed on MD and three days prior to the match (-3MD). Similarly, the overall IR, both calculated per load exposure time and per GPS load metrics, was highest on MD and -3MD. Again, no differences were observed between youth and professional players. Midfielders demonstrated the highest IR in all metrics, followed by the forwards. In conclusion, this study suggests that external load and incidence of muscle injuries are directly proportional. Therefore, the measurement of more external load variables other than load exposure time, such as the GPS metrics HMLD, HSR, PL, and TD may help to describe the pattern and magnitude of injuries. Future studies based on ours may help to further improve the understanding of the incidence of muscle injuries on the basis of external loads measurements in different football teams.

Past-season, pre-season and in-season risk assessment of groin problems in male football players: a prospective full-season study.

OBJECTIVE: We assessed past-season, pre-season and in-season risk factors to investigate their association with an in-season groin problem in male amateur football players. METHODS: Past-season groin-pain information and pre-season short-lever and long-lever adductor squeeze strength were obtained at baseline, together with anthropometrics (weight, lower limb lever length) and player age. In-season hip-related and groin-related sporting function was monitored every 4 weeks using the Sports and Recreation (Sport) subscale from the Hip And Groin Outcome Score questionnaire (HAGOS (Sport)). Groin problems, including time-loss groin injuries and groin pain irrespective of time loss, were collected over a 39-week competitive in-season. We estimated relative risk (RR), and 95% credibility interval (ICr) from logistic regressions fitted in a Bayesian framework. RESULTS: Players (n=245) suffering from groin pain during the past-season had 2.4 times higher risk of experiencing a groin problem in the new season (2.40 RR; 95% ICr 1.5 to 3.7). This risk was reduced by 35% (0.65 RR; 95% ICr 0.42 to 0.99) per unit (N·m/kg) increase in the long-lever adductor squeeze test. Player age, short-lever squeeze test and the HAGOS (Sport) scores were not associated with the risk of a groin problem. CONCLUSIONS: Past-season groin pain increased the risk of a groin problem in the new in-season. This risk was reduced by higher pre-season long-lever adductor squeeze strength. Past-season groin-pain information and long-lever adductor squeeze strength can be quickly obtained during pre-season to identify players with an elevated risk of in-season groin problems. This may be key to reduce these problems in the new season.

Impacts of ambient temperature and seasonal changes on sports injuries in Madrid, Spain: a time-series regression analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Recreational physical activity is an integral part of our society, and the injuries caused by sports activities are a concern for public health. We studied the effect of outdoor ambient temperature on hospital emergency department visits caused by sports injuries in Madrid, Spain, and accounted for its seasonal changes. METHODS: We used a time-series design. Data was analysed with quasi-Poisson regression models. We calculated the proportion of emergency visits attributable to seasonal changes before and after adjusting for daily ambient temperature. We modelled the association between emergency visits and temperature using distributed lag non-linear models. RESULTS: The proportion of emergency visits attributable to seasonal changes was 24.1% and decreased to 7.6% after adjusting for temperature. We found a high risk of emergency visits associated with cold and hot temperatures, whereas the risk was higher for heat. CONCLUSION: Sports and recreational physical activity injuries are not rare events; therefore, appropriate healthcare decisions should consider the impact of outdoor ambient temperature and seasonal changes.

Sports in time of COVID-19: Impact of the lockdown on team activity

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many sectors of our global society since its detection in Wuhan in December 2019, and team sports have been no stranger to this reality. This special article presents a review of the literature exposing the dangers for athletes of this virus, reporting the effects of the pandemic on competitive sport, and making evidence-based recommendations to avoid the consequences of detraining in confined athletes. Furthermore, we present the results of a survey with 361 answers computed from coaches and different staff members from 26 different countries, representing the activity of more than 4500 athletes from all over the world. The aim was to know more teams’ activity during this cessation period. Finally, the article outlines recommendations based on the answers to help teams if a second outbreak of the virus forces massive confinements again, guiding a safe return to sport at any competitive level. (AU)

Groin problems from pre- to in-season: a prospective study on 386 male Spanish footballers.

This study investigated the weekly prevalence of groin problems over a 3-week football pre-season, compared to a 39-week competitive in-season. We registered time-loss groin injuries, and self-reported weekly groin-pain in 17 amateur male football teams (386 players). The average weekly prevalence of groin problems (prevalence ratio (PR)) was 1.8 times higher (95% CI 1.6 to 2.0) during pre-season (21%) compared to in-season (12%). We found a higher weekly prevalence (PR 1.8; 95% CI 1.6 to 2.1) of groin problems without time loss, during the pre-season (19%) compared to the in-season (10%), but no significant difference in the weekly prevalence of groin problems with time loss (PR 1.5; 95% CI 1.0 to 2.4). Attention should be given to optimal load progression, and early implementation of preventive measures during the football pre-season to reduce the prevalence of groin problems in both pre- and in-season.

The use of recovery strategies by Spanish first division soccer teams: a cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVES: different active and passive post-exercise recovery techniques such as massage, foam rolling, stretching or ice baths among others, are used by elite athletes to promote effective physiological, physical, and mental restoration. However, limited research is available investigating the use of recovery strategies in professional soccer. As such, we aimed to explore and describe the use of strategies by professional teams throughout the season, describing competitive and preparatory phases. METHODS: the present study collected data from all professional Spanish soccer teams who played in 'LaLiga' (The Spanish first division), during the season 2018-2019 (n = 20) and the ones promoted for the season 2019-2020 (n = 3). A six-section online survey was responded once. RESULTS: teams used different recovery protocols and combinations, although natural and physical strategies such as sleep/nap, food/fluid replacement, cold/ice bath/shower/immersion, and massage were always present. However, there is no agreement in the protocols and timings employed. Three physical strategies showed a higher presence in the recovery protocols after competition: cold/ice bath/shower/immersion, massage and foam rolling; always used by seventeen teams (74%), sixteen (70%) and thirteen (57%) respectively. The design and supervision of recovery are multidisciplinary tasks in 87% of the teams. Our findings also demonstrate that although there is a body of scientific evidence on recovery, a gap between theory and practice exists with 13% of the teams acknowledging that insufficient logistics and economic resources limit the use of some strategies, and two teams (9%) not periodizing or individualizing recovery. CONCLUSION: the investigation provided insight into the current use of recovery strategies by 'LaLiga' teams, highlighting that all clubs used them to one extent or another, but also that significant variability responding to individualized perceptions exists. Moreover, this study provides relevant contextual information that may be useful for professional soccer staff concerning the use of recovery strategies.

Higher training workloads do not correspond to the best performances of elite basketball players.

The aim of this study was to identify the correspondence between the workload demands in training sessions and the game performance from elite basketball players, according to their specific positions. Data were collected from a professional men's basketball team competing in the Spanish Professional League and Euroleague. Players' activity during the training sessions was measured using WIMU PRO® and the game statistics were used as a measure of game performance. Cluster analysis allowed to classify the training workload and the game performance, whereas correspondence analysis allowed to explore their relationship. In essence, there was no correspondence from the higher workloads with the best performances, on the contrary, the small forwards' best performances corresponded to lower training workouts. Despite their importance, the external measures of load need to be complemented with additional (and valid) measures that can be translated to game performance.

Performance changes during the off-season period in football players - Effects of age and previous hamstring injury.

The aims of this study were to investigate changes in selected performance measures during an off-season period, their association, and the potential role of age and previous hamstring injury in semi-professional and amateur football players. Seventy-four male players (age: 25 ± 4 years, stature: 178.0 ± 6.6 cm, body mass: 74.9 ± 8.1 kg) were assessed at the beginning and end of the off-season summer-period for sprint, change-of-direction performance and eccentric hamstring strength. Small to medium increases in sprint times were observed at 5 (d = 0.26, p = 0.057), 10 (d = 0.42, p < 0.001) and 30 m (d = 0.64, p < 0.001). Small (d = -0.23, p = 0.033) improvements were observed for COD performance, and no changes in eccentric hamstring strength (d = 0.10, p = 0.317). The changes in the outcomes were not affected by age (p = 0.449 to 0.928) or previous hamstring injury (p = 0.109 to 0.995). The impaired sprint performance was not related to changes in eccentric hamstring strength (r = -0.21 to 0.03, p = 0.213 to 0.856), instead, changes in COD performance were associated with changes in eccentric hamstring strength (r = -0.42, p = 0.008).