Effects of high-intensity sprint exercise on neuromuscular function in sprinters: the countermovement jump as a fatigue assessment tool.

Background: High-intensity sprint exercises (HIS) are central to sprinter training and require careful monitoring of athlete muscle fatigue to improve performance and prevent injury. While the countermovement jump (CMJ) may be used to monitor neuromuscular fatigue (NMF), little is known about the specific effects from HIS. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of HIS on the CMJ to assess its utility for assessing NMF following HIS. Methods: Ten male collegiate 400 m sprinters completed a 400 m sprint fatigue protocol and underwent five CMJ-testing sessions (baseline, 3 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 hour and 24 hours) over two days. Three CMJ trials, performed on a force plate, were completed each trial, with rating of perceived exertion (RPE) recorded as a subjective fatigue measure. Changes in RPE, CMJ variables, force-time and power-time curves at baseline and post fatigue were assessed. Results: Significant changes were observed in most variables following the fatigue protocol. In particular, concentric mean power remained significantly lower after 24 hours compared to baseline. In addition, the force-time curves exhibited a significant reduction in all conditions following the fatigue protocol. This decline was most pronounced within 50-75%of the concentric phase relative to baseline measurements. Conclusion. Results indicate that the CMJ may be a useful tool for monitoring fatigue in at least 400 m sprinters. These data also indicate that HIS may disproportionately reduce force output in during concentric movement. These insights may improve training prescriptions and injury prevention strategies for sprint athletes.

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.

Mobile-based mindfulness meditation intervention's impact on mental health among young male judo athletes in South Korea: a quasi-experimental study.

Young athletes commonly encounter various mental health challenges due to the distinct pressures inherent in sports environments. This study investigates the effectiveness of mobile-delivered mindfulness meditation interventions in alleviating mental health indicators of depression, perceived stress, and anxiety, and enhancing self-esteem and resilience among young male judo athletes in South Korea. Pre- and post-test questionnaires were completed by 53 judo athletes. Participants were then allocated to the intervention group (N = 27; Mage = 13.77 [SD = 1.11]), which used a mobile meditation software program, or the control group (N = 27; Mage = 13.56 [SD = 1.05]). Data analysis compared intervention and control group scores using multiple statistical methods, including independent sample t-tests, paired sample t-tests, and 2 (time) × 2 (group) repeated measures analysis of variance. Following the intervention, the mindfulness group exhibited significant enhancements in the mental health indicators of depression (GMD = 2.74 [95% CI 0.90-4.56], Cohen's D = 0.84), perceived stress (GMD = 0.35 [95% CI 0.002-0.70], Cohen's D = 0.56), and anxiety (GMD = 0.2 [95% CI 0.001-0.40, Cohen's D = 0.56]. Self-esteem also had a significant increase (GMD = 0.55 [95% CI - 0.22 to - 0.88], Cohen's D = 0.95). The findings of this study underscore the potential benefits of mobile-delivered mindfulness meditation interventions in addressing mental health challenges among young male judo athletes. The significant enhancements observed in scores on measures of depression, perceived stress, anxiety, and self-esteem among participants in the mindfulness group highlight the effectiveness of such interventions in promoting mental health in sports settings.

Discipline-specific Torque-Velocity Profiles and Musculotendinous Morphology in Athletes.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare torque-velocity profiles, muscle architecture, tendon dimensions, and bilateral-symmetry between competitive cyclists (CY), competitive runners (RN), ice-hockey players (IH), basketball players (BP), and physically-active individuals (CN) (n=10 for each group). METHODS: Vastus lateralis (VL) muscle and patellar tendon (PT) structures were determined with B-mode ultrasonography, and maximal knee extensor isokinetic torque was assessed at three different velocities. RESULTS: Optimal torque and velocity were lower in runners than CY, BP and IH (p<0.05). Maximal power was similar between the athlete groups but greater than CN (p<0.05). Furthermore, RN and BP reached their peak-torque at longer muscle lengths compared to IH and CY (p<0.05). RN had the lowest VL muscle thickness and the greatest fascicle length, while CY had the greatest pennation angle (p<0.05). CY had the greatest PT thickness, particularly at the proximal and medial sites, while BP at the distal point (p<0.05), with similar trends observed for PT cross-sectional-area. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that even if power generating capacity is similar between athletic disciplines, there are discipline-specific muscle adaptations, where particularly runners appear to have muscles adapted for speed rather than torque development, while in cyclists, velocity is sacrificed for torque development.

Clinical Effects of Tibial Posterior Tendon Reconstruction in the Treatment of Young Athletes With Accessory Navicular Bone Syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of anchor reconstruction of posterior tibial tendon with the traditional Kidner's procedure for accessory navicular bone syndrome. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 40 young athletes diagnosed with accessory navicular bone syndrome who were admitted to our hospital from 2018 to 2021. Among them, 20 patients underwent the modified Kidner procedure for the anchor reconstruction of the posterior tibial tendon (Experimental group), while the remaining 20 patients were treated with the traditional Kidner's procedure (Control group). Regular follow-ups were conducted to evaluate the degree of relief of foot symptoms and functional recovery. RESULTS: All patients were followed up for 12 to 24 months (mean duration: 18.6±3.7) after the operation. At the last follow-up, significant differences were observed in the function and symptom relief of the affected foot compared to the preoperative state. The experimental group had a mean operation time of 52.10 ± 3.41 minutes, significantly shorter than the control group's 61.25 ± 2.75 minutes. The mean time to return to normal activity was 12.65 ± 1.23 weeks for the experimental group, compared to 15.25 ± 1.16 weeks for the control group. CONCLUSION: The modified Kidner procedure demonstrates a higher patient satisfaction rate compared to the traditional Kidner procedure. This is attributed to its shorter duration, reduced trauma, and quicker recovery of normal activity.

The Effects of the French Contrast method on Soccer Player's Jumping, Sprinting and Balance Performance.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to examine the effect of a six-week French contrast method applied to professional Soccer players on jumping, sprinting, and dynamic balance performance values. METHODS: A total of 21 male Soccer players voluntarily participated in the study, all of whom played professionally for 1461 Trabzonspor club. Data on gender, age, body weight (kg), body fat percentage (%BF), body mass index (BMI), vertical jump (cm), 30m sprint, and dynamic balance were obtained from the players. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to assess the normality of the data. Since the data showed normal distribution, paired samples T-test statistical analysis was applied. RESULTS: According to the statistical results obtained from professional Soccer players, there is a statistically significant difference between vertical jump, 30m sprint, and dynamic balance values (p<0.05). Based on these findings, it can be stated that the applied French contrast training method is effective on the mentioned variables. CONCLUSION: French contrast training program applied to professional Soccer players can be considered effective in improving vertical jump, 30m sprint, and dynamic balance values.

Differences in visuospatial cognition among table tennis players of different skill levels: an event-related potential study.

This study aimed to examine the influence of sport skill levels on behavioural and neuroelectric performance in visuospatial attention and memory visuospatial tasks were administered to 54 participants, including 18 elite and 18 amateur table tennis players and 18 nonathletes, while event-related potentials were recorded. In all the visuospatial attention and memory conditions, table tennis players displayed faster reaction times than nonathletes, regardless of skill level, although there was no difference in accuracy between groups. In addition, regardless of task conditions, both player groups had a greater P3 amplitude than nonathletes, and elite players exhibited a greater P3 amplitude than amateurs players. The results of this study indicate that table tennis players, irrespective of their skill level, exhibit enhanced visuospatial capabilities. Notably, athletes at the elite level appear to benefit from an augmented allocation of attentional resources when engaging in visuospatial tasks.

Identification of pattern mining algorithm for rugby league players positional groups separation based on movement patterns.

The application of pattern mining algorithms to extract movement patterns from sports big data can improve training specificity by facilitating a more granular evaluation of movement. Since movement patterns can only occur as consecutive, non-consecutive, or non-sequential, this study aimed to identify the best set of movement patterns for player movement profiling in professional rugby league and quantify the similarity among distinct movement patterns. Three pattern mining algorithms (l-length Closed Contiguous [LCCspm], Longest Common Subsequence [LCS] and AprioriClose) were used to extract patterns to profile elite rugby football league hookers (n = 22 players) and wingers (n = 28 players) match-games movements across 319 matches. Jaccard similarity score was used to quantify the similarity between algorithms' movement patterns and machine learning classification modelling identified the best algorithm's movement patterns to separate playing positions. LCCspm and LCS movement patterns shared a 0.19 Jaccard similarity score. AprioriClose movement patterns shared no significant Jaccard similarity with LCCspm (0.008) and LCS (0.009) patterns. The closed contiguous movement patterns profiled by LCCspm best-separated players into playing positions. Multi-layered Perceptron classification algorithm achieved the highest accuracy of 91.02% and precision, recall and F1 scores of 0.91 respectively. Therefore, we recommend the extraction of closed contiguous (consecutive) over non-consecutive and non-sequential movement patterns for separating groups of players.

The adapted French version of the Academic and Athletic Identity Scale (AAIS-FR): Evidence of validity and reliability and relationships with sport well-being.

BACKGROUND: Effectively managing their athletic and academic projects is a major challenge for student-athletes. The salience of the identity they develop in each of these contexts can affect their well-being and is therefore an important variable to consider. Examining these mechanisms in countries and student-athlete support systems other than the United States is also important. AIM: This study aims to both translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of a French version of the Academic and Athletic Identity Scale, the AAIS-FR, and to examine the additive and interactive relationships of the two identities with sport burnout and engagement. METHODS: Participants were 359 French student-athletes (50.42% female) who were competing at various levels (ranging from regional to international). RESULTS: Results from analyses using a slightly modified version of the original scale provided evidence of construct (i.e., factor structure) and concurrent (i.e., expected relationships between both identities and several correlates identified in previous work) validity, as well as reliability (i.e., internal consistency) and invariance across gender and sport competition levels of the AAIS-FR. In addition, regression analyses revealed a favourable relationship between athletic identity and sport well-being (i.e., positive with engagement and negative with burnout), no relationship between academic identity and sport well-being, and no interaction between the two identities. CONCLUSION: While further research is needed to provide additional evidence for the validity of the AAIS-FR, researchers can still use this tool to measure the salience of the two identities of French-speaking student-athletes.

"A shoulder to lean on during your first year"-An exploration into a Canadian post-secondary institution's peer mentor program for varsity student athletes.

The transition period from high school to post-secondary can be particularly challenging for many, including varsity student-athletes (SAs). To better support SAs through this transitional experience, some institutions have created peer mentor programs. What is unclear, however, is the perceived value of these mentorship programs from the perspectives of multiple stakeholder positions. This paper contributes to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning by presenting findings of a program evaluation that investigated the perceived value of a peer mentor program to its stakeholders. To accomplish this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 participants to discuss SA's experiences with being a first year student, making the transition from high school to post-secondary studies, and also, to discuss their lived experiences with the peer mentor program developed for SAs. Using the findings from the inductive thematic analyses, the peer mentor program's effectiveness, areas of strengths, and areas of improvement are discussed to better align with the stakeholders' needs and experiences. Findings offer insights into a) the trials and tribulations of the first year SA experience, b) how peer mentor programs can better support SA's transition to post-secondary education, c) the benefits of conducting a program evaluation, and d) strategies to enhance the peer mentor program to better support students' needs.

Regional Anesthesia for Athletes Undergoing Upper Extremity Procedures: Techniques and Considerations.

Upper extremity injuries are frequent in athletes which may require surgeries. Regional anesthesia for postoperative analgesia is important to aid recovery, and peripheral nerve blocks for surgical anesthesia enable surgeries to be performed without general anesthetics and their associated adverse effects. The relevant nerve block approaches to anesthetize the brachial plexus for elbow, wrist and hand surgeries are discussed in this article. There is very limited margin for error when performing nerve blocks and multimodal monitoring approach to reduce harm are outlined. Lastly, the importance of obtaining informed consent prior to nerve block procedures should not be overlooked.

Regional Anesthesia in the Elite Athlete.

Elite athletes are exposed to an elevated risk of musculoskeletal injury which may present a significant threat to an athlete's livelihood. The perioperative anesthetic plan of care for these injuries in the general population often incorporates regional anesthesia procedures due to several benefits. However, some concern exists regarding the potential for regional anesthesia to adversely impact functional recovery in an elite athlete who may have a lower tolerance for this risk. This article aims to review the data behind this concern, discuss strategies to improve the safety of these procedures and explore the features of consent in this patient population.

Impact of specialized fatigue and backhand smash on the ankle biomechanics of female badminton players.

During fatigued conditions, badminton players may experience adverse effects on their ankle joints during smash landings. In addition, the risk of ankle injury may vary with different landing strategies. This study aimed to investigate the influence of sport-specific fatigue factors and two backhand smash actions on ankle biomechanical indices. Thirteen female badminton players (age: 21.2 ± 1.9 years; height: 167.1 ± 4.1 cm; weight: 57.3 ± 5.1 kg; BMI: 20.54 ± 1.57 kg/m2) participated in this study. An 8-camera Vicon motion capture system and three Kistler force platforms were used to collect kinematic and kinetic data before and after fatigue for backhand rear-court jump smash (BRJS) and backhand lateral jump smash (BLJS). A 2 × 2 repeated measures analysis of variance was employed to analyze the effects of these smash landing actions and fatigue factors on ankle biomechanical parameters. Fatigue significantly affected the ankle-joint plantarflexion and inversion angles at the initial contact (IC) phase (p < 0.05), with both angles increasing substantially post-fatigue. From a kinetic perspective, fatigue considerably influenced the peak plantarflexion and peak inversion moments at the ankle joint, which resulted in a decrease the former and an increase in the latter after fatigue. The two smash landing actions demonstrated different landing strategies, and significant main effects were observed on the ankle plantarflexion angle, inversion angle, peak dorsiflexion/plantarflexion moment, peak inversion/eversion moment, and peak internal rotation moment (p < 0.05). The BLJS landing had a much greater landing inversion angle, peak inversion moment, and peak internal rotation moment compared with BRJS landing. The interaction effects of fatigue and smash actions significantly affected the muscle force of the peroneus longus (PL), with a more pronounced decrease in the force of the PL muscle post-fatigue in the BLJS action(post-hoc < 0.05). This study demonstrated that fatigue and smash actions, specifically BRJS and BLJS, significantly affect ankle biomechanical parameters. After fatigue, both actions showed a notable increase in IC plantarflexion and inversion angles and peak inversion moments, which may elevate the risk of lateral ankle sprains. Compared with BRJS, BLJS poses a higher risk of lateral ankle sprains after fatigue.

Impact of androgenic anabolic steroid use on cardiovascular and mental health in Danish recreational athletes: protocol for a nationwide cross-sectional cohort study as a part of the Fitness Doping in Denmark (FIDO-DK) study.

INTRODUCTION: The use of androgenic anabolic steroids (AASs) among recreational athletes is steadily increasing. However, knowledge regarding the potentially harmful effects of AAS primarily originates from case reports and small observational studies. This large-scale study aims to investigate the impact of AAS use on vascular plaque formation, preclinical coronary disease, cardiac function, circulating cardiovascular risk markers, quality of life (QoL) and mental health in a broad population of illicit AAS users. METHODS AND ANALYSES: A nationwide cross-sectional cohort study including a diverse population of men and women aged ≥18 years, with current or previous illicit AAS use for at least 3 months. Conducted at Odense University Hospital, Denmark, the study comprises two parts. In part A (the pilot study), 120 recreational athletes with an AAS history will be compared with a sex-matched and age-matched control population of 60 recreational athletes with no previous AAS use. Cardiovascular outcomes include examination of non-calcified coronary plaque volume and calcium score using coronary CT angiography, myocardial structure and function via echocardiography, and assessing carotid and femoral artery plaques using ultrasonography. Retinal microvascular status is evaluated through fundus photography. Cardiovascular risk markers are measured in blood. Mental health outcomes include health-related QoL, interpersonal difficulties, body image concerns, aggression dimensions, anxiety symptoms, depressive severity and cognitive function assessed through validated questionnaires. The findings of our comprehensive study will be used to compose a less intensive investigatory cohort study of cardiovascular and mental health (part B) involving a larger group of recreational athletes with a history of illicit AAS use. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study received approval from the Regional Committee on Health Research Ethics for Southern Denmark (S-20210078) and the Danish Data Protection Agency (21/28259). All participants will provide signed informed consent. Research outcomes will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05178537.

Unique Medical Considerations for the Athlete Undergoing Anesthesia.

Athletes are among a unique group such that they may possess a serious underlying pathologic condition that may often go unnoticed given their high caliber of physical fitness. However, several considerations should be investigated, especially in the perioperative period, in order to minimize morbidity and mortality. Namely, cardiac pathologic condition can result in sudden death, and pulmonary pathologic condition may affect airway and respiratory management. Moreover, patients undergoing orthopedic surgery are at the highest risk for venous thromboembolism. Regardless of the condition, it is crucial to be vigilant and explore the unique medical considerations for the athlete undergoing anesthesia.

Investigation of left atrial mechanical function and left ventricular systolic and diastolic parameters in athletes performing resistance exercise and combined exercise.

Some individuals who go to fitness centers for various purposes perform resistance exercise (RE) alone, while others engage in combined exercise (CE) by including cardio exercises along with RE. Studying the effects of these two different training methods on left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic parameters and left atrial mechanical function is an important step toward understanding the effects of different types of exercise on cardiac function. This knowledge has significant implications for public health, as it can inform the development of targeted and effective exercise programs that prioritize cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of adverse outcomes. Therefore, the primary aim of this study is to comprehensively investigate the LV systolic and diastolic parameters of athletes who engage in RE and CE using ECHO, to contribute to the growing body of literature on the cardiovascular effects of different types of exercise. Forty-two amateur athletes aged between 17 and 52 were included in our study. The participants consisted of the RE (n = 26) group who did only resistance exercise during the weekly exercise period, and the CE group (n = 16) who also did cardio exercise with resistance exercises. After determining sports age (year), weekly exercise frequency (day), and training volume (min) in addition to demographic information of RE and CE groups, left ventricular systolic and diastolic parameters and left atrial functions were determined by ECHO. Findings from our study revealed that parameters including the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) (p = .008), left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) (p = .020), stroke volume index (SV-I) (p = .048), conduit volume (CV-I) (p = .001), and aortic strain (AS) (p = .017) were notably higher in the RE group compared to the CE group. Also left atrial active emptying volüme (LAAEV) of CE was higher than the RE group (p = .031). In conclusion, the cardiac parameters of the RE group showed more athlete's heart characteristics than the CE group. These results may help to optimize the cardiovascular benefits of exercise routines while minimizing the potential risks associated with improper training.