Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness

First rib stress fractures are uncommon in athletes and diagnosis requires a high degree of clinical suspicion. Diagnostic delay may increase risk of poor healing and long-term complications. Case reports and series describe these injuries primarily in overhead athletes; proposed contributing factors include anatomic susceptibility to stress and repetitive opposing muscular forces. We describe an ice hockey goalie with acute-on-chronic thoracic back pain who was found to have a first rib stress fracture, which to our knowledge is the first reported in this sport...

BACKGROUND: Non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injuries are common in soccer and volleyball, occurring during changes of direction and landings. This study aimed to investigate kinematic differences between soccer and volleyball players in single-planar and multiplanar landing tasks, simulating sport-specific injury mechanisms. Since the anterior cruciate ligament injury rate in soccer is higher than in volleyball, we hypothesized that volleyball players would adopt safer landing strategies, especially in single-planar landing tasks...

BACKGROUND: Due to the increase in the number of Parabadminton (PBd) athletes and the lack of scientific knowledge of the sport, it is important to evaluate performance variables in different game stimuli. Thus, this study sought to examine the physiological and metabolic responses in a simulated effort protocol in PBd athletes. METHODS: Forty-seven volunteers (WH1=7; WH2=9; SL3=8; SL4=9; SU5=6; SH6=8) performed a simulated effort protocol, consisting of 2 blocks of activities (1st change of direction + 1st simulated effort; 2nd change of direction + 2nd simulated effort)...

BACKGROUND: Jumping and linear sprinting performances show a moderate correlation with change of direction (COD) ability. However, the extent of these correlations remains unknown through statistical analysis. Thus, this study statistically compared correlation coefficients between COD, COD deficit (CODD), and jumping and linear sprint performances. METHODS: National-level basketball (29) and baseball (18) intercollegiate female athletes performed 20-m linear sprint, proagility (5-10-5) test, squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump with (CMJarm) and without (CMJ) arm swing and modified reactive strength index (RSImod)...

BACKGROUND: As already proven in the literature, exercise positively affects mental health. However, the question regarding which type of exercise and what limit and time are sufficient to gain the maximum benefit still exists. The current study attempts to answer this question by comparing aerobic and anaerobic exercise in terms of the prevalence of depressive symptoms and their relationship with two different exercise categories. METHODS: Walking, running, and cycling represent forms of aerobic exercise, while resistance training represents anaerobic sport...

Superstitious rituals are common in sports and can play a role in athletes' optimism, sense of control, and confidence in performance. Superstitious rituals have characteristics rooted in tradition and need for perfection. While superstitious rituals vary in type of activity, it is necessary to consider their impact on players and the team, and to guide athletes into positive forms of expression to optimize their performance and overall well-being when engaged in their athletic activities. This paper explores the potential benefits and challenges of superstitious rituals, and the ways in which positive alternative pathways can contribute to peak performance in athletes...

BACKGROUND: The countermovement jump (CMJ) is a reliable and valid test of lower-extremity (LE) muscle power and neuromuscular performance. Body mass is positively associated with CMJ performance in young adults, warranting the examination of the influence of body composition on jump height (JH). This study examined the mediation effects of body composition on CMJ performance in young adults. The hypothesis was that fat-free mass and percent fat mass would significantly mediate the association between body mass with JH in young adults...

Amateur or non-competitive cycling is one of the most popular and growing sports, and the repetitive nature of this sport, combined with a cleat position that is too far forward, often leads to peripheral ischemia or pressure, which can cause pain at the metatarsal level due to the nerve and vascular structures present at this level, according to several authors. This clinical series describes the work done to reduce pain in 21 cyclists who reported foot pain/discomfort exclusively during pedaling. To exclude different causes of pain, other than the position of the cleat, the cyclists received biomechanical assessments using an indoor bike smart trainer and a 2D motion capture system...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze muscle injuries and their related risk factors during the Athletics events of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games including the differences in muscle injury rates between heats and finals. METHODS: We included and analyzed in this study muscle injuries diagnosed by either magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound, or physical examinations by at least two physicians, from Athletics athletes participating at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games...

BACKGROUND: There have been several published studies on the prevalence of low energy availability (LEA) risk amongst North American and European endurance athletes. Yet the prevalence and risk factors amongst rugby league players are less well understood. This study assessed the prevalence of low energy availability risk, eating disorder risk, and food security amongst players from a female National Rugby League squad in Australia. METHODS: Players from one Australian professional rugby league club volunteered to participate in the study...

INTRODUCTION: Overuse injuries are common in sports involving jumping, running, and landing, due to the repetitive nature of these activities and the strain they place on the lower extremity. The objective of the study was to determine the role of strengthening exercises in the management of overuse sports injuries of lower extremity and its effects on prevention of injury recurrence. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: This study employed a systematic review design. The author extracted and reviewed the papers for this study in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria, and then used the PEDro scale to rate the articles' quality...

BACKGROUND: Off-season periods imply considerable changes in the fitness status of soccer players. So far, no studies evaluated the effects of proprioception-focused training during soccer off-season periods. In this work, we assessed how much some players' abilities (static and dynamic balance, reaction times, quickness, strength, and technical skills) were affected by proprioception training and padel activity during an off-season period of 12 weeks. METHODS: Twenty-eight non-professional adult male soccer players were organized into three groups: a group carried out regular padel activity, ~2 h once a week...

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to comprehensively investigate and compare the architecture of the quadriceps muscle in football, taekwondo, and athletics, shedding light on potential differences and providing valuable insights for athletic training and performance enhancement. METHODS: Thirty-five athletes (football[N.]=14. [7 women, 7 men]; taekwondo [N.]=11. [6 women, 5 men]; athletics [N.]=10. [5 women, 5 men]) aged 17-21 years participated in the study...

BACKGROUND: Concussion is a pathophysiological process that occurs due to a traumatic biomechanical force. Concussions are an "invisible" and common traumatic brain injury with symptoms that may be underestimated. This necessitates fundamental improvements in public knowledge specifically addressing young university athletes and different genders. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the possibility of gender differences with respect to university student athletes' concussion knowledge, attitude and reporting behaviors...

BACKGROUND: Unpredictable stopping or deceleration tasks are crucial to prevent ACL injury. The purpose of this study was to reveal differences and relationships in kinematics during different deceleration tasks with and without anticipation. METHODS: Twenty-four collegiate athletes were recruited. Three commercial video cameras were used to capture frontal and sagittal lower-extremity kinematics. Participants were instructed to perform three deceleration tasks: 1) anticipated stopping and running backward at a point indicated previously (SRB-P); 2) anticipated stopping and running backward in front of a badminton net (SRB-N); and 3) unanticipated stopping and running backward upon random flashing of a light (SRB-U)...

BACKGROUND: Recent scientific work shows that the most common injuries in CrossFit© occur in the shoulder joint. This paper aims to provide a review of shoulder pathologies in a young CrossFit© cohort via MRI and clinical examination. METHODS: A survey was conducted in 13 CrossFit "boxes" in Germany, in which athletes with recurrent shoulder pain could report for a clinical examination and MRI diagnostic. Fifty-one CrossFit athletes with chronic shoulder pain agreed to participate in the study and were then examined physically and by MRI...

BACKGROUND: Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) can be used to regulate exercise intensity. This study examined the effect of anchor scheme on performance fatigability and neuromuscular responses following fatiguing forearm flexion tasks. METHODS: Twelve men (age 20.9±2.2 years; height 179.8±5.3 cm; body mass 80.2±9.9 kg) performed sustained, isometric forearm flexion tasks to failure anchored to RPE=6 (RPEFT) and the torque (TRQFT) that corresponded to RPE=6...

BACKGROUND: Anterior cruciate ligament injury frequently occurs in the deceleration with the knee-extended position. In addition, a rapid hip internal rotation is concomitantly observed. However, how the extended knee position induces the hip internal rotation is unclear. METHODS: Sixteen healthy participants performed the simulated foot impact task on the experimental chair. To vary the knee flexion angle, the following four-foot placement positions relative to the pelvis segment, i...

BACKGROUND: The development of moral competence seems to be an important factor in the context of youth development. The problem with lack of moral competence among youth has often been observed. Physical education (PE) as a subject in school seems to provide space in the curriculum where moral development can and should be experienced and practiced. METHODS: The participants were high school students (N.=235), divided into 4 groups: two experimental and two control groups...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this paper was to identify the most appropriate allometric scaling model for expressing aerobic fitness, determined by maximal oxygen consumption (VO<inf>2max</inf>), that would allow comparisons across differing body types. METHODS: VO<inf>2max</inf> and body composition data were collected from untrained non-obese and obese participants (N.=126). Allometric models were created using body mass (BM), fat-free mass (FFM), and leg FFM (LFFM) to determine the goodness-of-fit using the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC)...