The Recovery Umbrella in the World of Elite Sport: Do Not Forget the Coaching and Performance Staff.

In the field of sports science, the recovery umbrella is a trending topic, and even more so in the world of elite sports. This is evidenced by the significant increase in scientific publications during the last 10 years as teams look to find a competitive edge. Recovery is recognized to be an integral component to assist athlete preparation in the restoration of physical and psychological function, and subsequently, performance in elite team sports athletes. However, the importance of recovery in team staff members (sports coaches and performance staff) in elite sports appears to be a forgotten element. Given the unrelenting intense nature of daily tasks and responsibilities of team staff members, the elite sports environment can predispose coaches to increased susceptibility to psycho-socio physiological fatigue burden, and negatively affect health, wellbeing, and performance. Therefore, the aim of this opinion was to (1) develop an educational recovery resource for team staff members, (2) identify organizational task-specific fatigue indicators and barriers to recovery and self-care in team staff members, and (3) present recovery implementation strategies to assist team staff members in meeting their organizational functions. It is essential that we do not forget the coaching and performance staff in the recovery process.

Prevalence and significance of T-wave inversion in Arab and Black paediatric athletes: Should anterior T-wave inversion interpretation be governed by biological or chronological age?

BACKGROUND: International electrocardiographic (ECG) recommendations regard anterior T-wave inversion (ATWI) in athletes under 16 years to be normal. DESIGN: The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence, distribution and determinants of TWI by ethnicity, chronological and biological age within paediatric athletes. A second aim was to establish the diagnostic accuracy of international ECG recommendations against refinement within athletes who present with ECG variants isolated to ATWI (V1-V4) using receiver operator curve analysis. Clinical context was calculated using Bayesian analysis. METHODS: Four hundred and eighteen Arab and 314 black male athletes (11-18 years) were evaluated by ECG, echocardiogram and biological age (by radiological X-ray) assessment. RESULTS: A total of 116 (15.8%) athletes presented with ATWI (V1-V4), of which 96 (82.8%) were observed in the absence of other ECG findings considered to be abnormal as per international recommendations for ECG interpretation in athletes; 91 (12.4%) athletes presented with ATWI confined to V1-V3, with prevalence predicted by black ethnicity (odds ratio (OR) 2.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3-3.5) and biological age under 16 years (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.2-3.3). Of the 96 with ATWI (V1-V4) observed in the absence of other ECG findings considered to be abnormal, as per international recommendations for ECG interpretation in athletes, diagnostic accuracy was 'fail' (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.00-1.00) for international recommendations and 'excellent' (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.92-1.00) when governed by biological age under 16 years, providing a positive and negative likelihood ratio of 15.8 (95% CI 1.8-28.1) and 0.0 (95% CI 0.0-0.8), respectively. CONCLUSION: Interpretation of ECG variants isolated with ATWI (V1-V4) using international recommendations (chronological age <16 years) warrants caution, but governance by biological age yielded an 'excellent' diagnostic accuracy. In the clinical context, the 'chance' of detecting cardiac pathology within a paediatric male athlete presenting with ATWI in the absence of other ECG findings considered to be abnormal, as per international recommendations for ECG interpretation in athletes (positive likelihood ratio 15.8), was 14.4%, whereas a negative ECG (negative likelihood ratio 0.0) was 0%.

Ergometría y cambio climático / Ergometry and climate change

Introducción y objetivosEn la corta historia de la ergometría moderna (50 años aprox.) se han producido notables cambios en la atmósfera que respiramos a nivel de grandes, medianas y pequeñas partículas; también a nivel de la composición gaseosa, con aumentos del gas carbónico (CO2) en torno al 125%. Esta situación se agrava dentro de los edificios, que es donde se ubican los laboratorios de fisiología del esfuerzo.El objeto del presente estudio fue comprobar cómo afectan estos cambios atmosféricos a los humanos durante el esfuerzo.MétodosSe realizó estudio comparativo mediante dos pruebas cicloergométricas, apareadas, en 13 sujetos (12♂+1♀). Una se hizo en la situación habitual del laboratorio (indoor) y la réplica se hizo en el mismo laboratorio, dentro de una burbuja con un sitema de filtrado de grandes, medianas y pequeñas partículas, tomando el aire del exterior del laboratorio, (aire libre, outdoor). Los parámetros que se controlaron fueron: la potencia máxima conseguida en el cicloergómetro y expresada en vatios (W), los parámetros ergoespirométricos (VO2max, VCO2max, VEmax), los parámetros cardiológicos: ritmo cardíaco por minuto y los niveles de ácido 2-hidroxipropanoico (La++) y la glicemia en sangre capilar arterializada.ResultadosNo se modificaron estadísticamente los parámetros ergoespirométricos, cardíacos, así como los relativos a la potencia alcanzada en el cicloergómetro, cuando comparamos las dos situaciones estudiadas. Sin embargo, los sujetos mostraron un mayor nivel de lactato arterial capilarizado (+117%) a los 3minutos de finalizar la prueba en situación indoor (7,55±1,81 vs 6,44±1,76mMol/dl; p<0,016; n=13).Idéntico comportamiento observamos en los niveles de glucosa en sangre capilar, que mostraron un incremento del 112% en la situación habitual (indoor) en comparación con los de la burbuja de aire purificado y exterior (glicemia: 90,0±12,2mg/dl vs 82,15±6,94mg/dl; p>0,054 no significativo; n=13)(AU)

DiscusiónLos analizadores de gases para estudio metabólico fueron capaces de calibrarse en diferentes atmósferas y determinar correctamente las capacidades y potenciales de estos sujetos, a pesar de los cambios atmosféricos. Las adaptaciones metabólicas fueron suficientes para compensar las diferencias atmosféricas comparadas y permitieron un nivel similar de prestaciones físicas expresadas en la prueba de esfuerzo y también en el comportamiento cardíaco expresado durante la misma atendiendo a los niveles de contaminación en un laboratorio cercano a Barcelona (NE spam).ConclusionesLos sujetos fueron capaces de adaptarse a los cambios atmosféricos debidos a la progresiva contaminación. No mostraron diferencias en las dos situaciones planteadas en el análisis metabólico de gases en esfuerzo, y tampoco hubo cambios en el comportamiento cardíaco. No se modificó la potencia máxima obtenida en el laboratorio. Pero metabólicamente se pagó un precio por la contaminación atmosférica, como muestra la mayor mobilización de glucosa en la sangre capilar y también en la mayor producción de lactato capilar en las condiciones del estudio(AU)

Introduction and objectivesIn the short history of ergonomics (approximately 50 years) there have been notable changes in the atmosphere that we breathe, such as large, medium and small particles, as well as the gas composition, with increases in carbon dioxide (CO2) of about 125%. This situation becomes worse within the buildings where the physiology exercise laboratories are located.The objective of this study was to determine how these atmospheric changes affect humans during exercise.MethodsA comparative study was conducted by means of 2 paired ergometric bicycle tests on 13 subjects (12 males and 1 female). One was carried out in the normal laboratory situation (indoor), and the repeat was done in the same laboratory, with a bubble with a system that filtered large, medium and small particles, breathing the air outside the laboratory (outdoor). The parameters that were controlled were: the maximum power achieved on the ergometric bicycle expressed in watts (W), the ergospirometer parameters (VO2max, VCO2max, VEmax), cardiological parameters: heart beats per minute and 2-hydroxypropanoic acid (La++) levels and arterialised capillary blood glucose.ResultsThe ergospirometer and cardiac parameters, or those associated with the power achieved on the ergometric bicycle did not change statistically, when we compared the two situations studied. However, the subjects did have higher levels of arterialised capillary lactate (+117%) 3min after finishing the indoor situation test (7.55±1.81 vs 6.44±1.76mMol/dl, P<0.016; n=13).We observed identical behaviour in the capillary blood glucose levels, which showed an increase of 112% in the usual situation (indoor) compared to those in the purified (outdoor) air bubble (blood glucose: 90.0±12.2mg/dl vs 82.15±6.94mg/dl; P>0.054 (not significant, n=13)(AU)

ConclusionsThe subjects were able to adapt to the atmospheric changes owing to the gradual contamination. No differences were seen in the two situations established in the metabolic gas analyses under effort, and neither were there any changes in cardiac behaviour. The maximum potential obtained in the laboratory did not change. But, metabolically, a price was paid for atmospheric contamination, as shown by the higher mobilisation of glucose in capillary blood, and also in the higher production of capillary lactate under the conditions of the study(AU)

Risk assessment of the potential side effects of long-term creatine supplementation in team sport athletes.

BACKGROUND: Use of creatine has become widespread among sportsmen and women, although there are no conclusive evidences concerning possible health risks of long-term creatine supplementation. THE AIM OF THE STUDY: To investigate long-term effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation on clinical parameters related to health. METHODS: Eighteen professional basketball players of the first Spanish Basketball League participated in the present longitudinal study. The subjects were ingesting 5 g creatine monohydrate daily during three competition seasons. Blood was collected in the morning after an overnight fast, five times during each of the three official competition seasons of the first National Basketball League (September 1999-June 2000, September 2000-June 2001 and September 2001-June 2002) and the European League. Standard clinical examination was performed for 16 blood chemistries. RESULTS: The plasma concentrations of all clinical parameters did not alter significantly during the analyzed time frames of creatine supplementation. All of these parameters were, with the exception of creatinine and creatine kinase, within their respective clinical ranges at all time points. CONCLUSION: Our data shows that low-dose supplementation with creatine monohydrate did not produce laboratory abnormalities for the majority of the parameters tested.