Yoga in school sport – A non-randomized controlled pilot study in Germany

ObjectivesDistress is an increasing public health problem for adolescents and young adults. We aimed to evaluate potential effects of a 10-week 90-minute once-a-week yoga course.MethodsA non-randomized controlled study with a school sport control group was implemented in two German secondary schools. Primary outcome was stress on the Perceived Stress Scale from baseline to week 10. Secondary outcomes included depression/anxiety, attention, quality of life, mood, visual analogue scales (for pain, headache, neck tension, exhaustion, sleep), and yoga-efficacy. Parameters were assessed at pre-baseline (before holidays), baseline (after 3-week holidays, before interventions started), week 10, and at a 6-months follow-up. An intention-to-treat analysis using ANCOVA was performed.Results92 participants (67 % female; 19.6 ± 2.2 years) were included into the study. No significant differences were observed between the groups with regard to PSS, at either 10 weeks (Δ=-1.4; 95 % CI: -3.6;0.8; p = 0.22) or 6 months (Δ = 2; 95 % CI: -0.2;4.2, p = 0.08). Only VAS headache in favour of yoga and HADS-D in favour of school sport showed significant group differences at the 6-months follow-up. Significant intra-group mean changes for the primary outcome and several secondary outcomes were found in the yoga group.ConclusionsYoung adults in German secondary school settings might benefit from yoga, as the found effects were more prominent in the yoga group. However, the effects might be attributed to non-specific effects due to the chosen study design. Further studies are needed, which include high-quality study designs including randomization, longer-term follow-ups and larger sample sizes.     

Ramadan Nutritional Strategy: Professional Soccer Player Case Study

The period of Ramadan induces changes in the usual eating patterns of individuals. During this period, Muslims must abstain from drinking and eating from dawn to dusk. Therefore, some research conducted on professional soccer players has observed that during and/or after Ramadan, performance, running speed, agility, dribbling speed, and endurance and/or skill performance in athletic events may be negatively affected by Ramadan intermittent fasting (RIF). The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of a dietary plan during RIF on performance and body composition in a professional soccer player. A 20-year-old elite player (86.0 kg, 188.5 cm) followed a dietary-nutritional plan with an isocaloric diet and was supplemented with glycerol. The athlete’s strength and power in the lower limbs was assessed by performing a countermovement jump (CMJ) and Abalakov vertical jump (ABK) before and after Ramadan. After nutritional planning, the patient’s body composition improved in terms of fat loss (6.61 to 5.70%) and muscle mass gain (50.26 to 51.50%). In addition, this translated into improvements in performance tests, both in the CMJ (36.72 to 40.00 cm) and ABK (39.16 to 49.34 cm). In conclusion, during a period of fasting, personalised nutritional planning and an appropriate supplementation and rest protocol can improve the body composition and performance of soccer players.     

Intra-rater Reliability of a Qualitative Landing Scale for the Single-Hop Test: A Pilot Study

BackgroundThe test battery classically used for return-to-sport (RTS) decision-making after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR) may not be sufficient, as it does not include a qualitative analysis of movement. Therefore, the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) scale was adapted to a primary functional test in the typical RTS test battery: the single leg hop for distance (SHD).Hypothesis/ PurposeThe aim of this study was to determine the intra-rater reliability of the LESS scale adapted to the SHD (SHD-LESS scale) in healthy young athletes.Study DesignReliability analysisMethodsNineteen healthy individuals (14 men, 5 women; mean age: 22.4 years) participated in the study. Participants performed the SHD tasks on both limbs (dominant and non-dominant) using a standardized protocol in two sessions that were one week apart (single reviewer; 2-dimensional video). Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC2,1) were used to measure the reproducibility of the scale in the dominant (dom) and non-dominant (nondom) limbs. Additionally, limb data (dom and nondom) were pooled and evaluated collectively with intra-class correlation coefficients. The Kappa coefficient was used to assess the reproducibility of each individual item of SHD-LESS scale.ResultsThe intra-rater reliability was good (ICCdom = 0.77; ICCnondom = 0.87; ICCpooled = 0.87) for the overall SHD-LESS scale scores. Agreement of SHD-LESS individual items ranged from 62% to 100%. Dorsiflexion at initial contact (97% agreement; kappa value=0.79) and knee valgus after landing (88% agreement; kappa value=0.65) had excellent agreement and kappa values.ConclusionThe newly-adapted SHD-LESS scale showed good intra-rater reliability overall. Further studies should evaluate the impact of using the SHD-LESS scale within the RTS test battery on outcomes in patients after ACLR.Level of Evidence3     

OSG-Distorsion: Konservative Therapie der lateralen Bandläsion

Ankle sprains are among the most frequent injuries seen within a sportsmedical practice. Consequently, questions such as optimal treatment options (surgical vs. non-surgical), planing of specific physiotherapeutic therapies and timing of return to competition represent major challenges for the physician in charge. Therefore, immediate therapeutic management should focus on lace-up bracing, manual therapeutic joint mobilisation and sensorimotor training. In case of grade III-IV lesions or persistent instability after six month of non-surgical treatment surgical intervention might be re-evaluated. In order to make use of alternative non-surgical procedures such as PRP- or hyaluronic acid injections further research is needed.     

Personal food systems of male collegiate football players: a grounded theory investigation

Context:

Factors that affect food choices include the physical and social environments, quality, quantity, perceived healthfulness, and convenience. The personal food choice process was defined as the procedures used by athletes for making food choices, including the weighing and balancing of activities of daily life, physical well-being, convenience, monetary resources, and social relationships.

Objective:

To develop a theoretical model explaining the personal food choice processes of collegiate football players.

Design:

Qualitative study.

Setting:

National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II football program.

Patients or Other Participants:

Fifteen football players were purposefully sampled to represent various positions, years of athletic eligibility, and ethnic backgrounds.

Data Collection and Analysis:

For text data collection, we used predetermined, open-ended questions. Data were analyzed using the constant comparison method. The athletes'' words were used to label and describe their interactions and experiences with the food choice process. Member checks and an external audit were conducted by a qualitative methodologist and a nutrition specialist, and the findings were triangulated with the current literature to ensure trustworthiness of the text data.

Results:

Time was the core category and yielded a cyclic graphic of a theoretical model for the food choice system. Planning hydration, macronutrient strategies, snacks, and healthful food choices emerged as themes.

Conclusions:

The athletes planned meals and snacks around their academic and athletic schedules while attempting to consume foods identified as healthful. Healthful foods were generally lower in fat but high in preferred macronutrients. High-protein foods were the players'' primary goal; carbohydrate consumption was secondary. The athletes had established plans to maintain hydration. Professionals may use these findings to implement educational programs on food choices for football players.     

The epidemiology of injuries in powerlifting at the London 2012 Paralympic Games: An analysis of 1411 athlete‐days

Sport injury epidemiology has received increased recognition as a field of sport medicine research that can improve the health and safety of athletes. Injuries among Paralympic powerlifters have not previously been systematically studied. The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to characterize injuries among Paralympic powerlifters. Athletes competing in the sport of powerlifting were followed over the 7‐day competition period of the 2012 London Paralympic Games. The main outcome measurements were injury incidence rate (IR; number of injuries per 1000 athlete‐days) and injury incidence proportion (IP; injuries per 100 athletes). A total of 38 injuries among 163 powerlifters were documented. The overall IR was 33.3 injuries/1000 athlete‐days (95% CI 24.0–42.6) and the overall IP was 23.3 injuries per 100 athletes (95% CI 16.8–29.8). The majority of injuries were chronic overuse injuries (61%). The most commonly injured anatomical region was the shoulder/clavicle (32% of all injuries), followed by the chest (13%) and elbow (13%). The information obtained in this study opens the door for future study into the mechanisms and details of injuries into powerlifters with physical impairments.