ECSS Paris 2023: CP-MH01
INTRODUCTION: Physical activity declines from adolescence to young adulthood, potentially due to lifestyle changes or life transitions. This decline may be further exacerbated by youth sport specialization (YSS), which has been linked to an increased risk of injury and sports burnout. Moreover, YSS is often pursued as a pathway to elite athletic success and better sport performance. This study investigated the impact of YSS, training volume, and injury history on dynamic balance, isometric strength, and functional movement patterns in young athletes. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of youth athletes in northern Poland adhered to STROBE guidelines, was approved by the Independent Bioethics Committee, and was registered on clinicaltrials.gov. Participants were classified into low, moderate, and high specialization. Data were collected through face-to-face questionnaires and interviews, anthropometric measurements, and performance tests, including the Y-Balance Test (YBT), Functional Movement Screen (FMS), and lower-limb isometric strength assessments using a handheld dynamometer. RESULTS: Of the 373 participants initially enrolled, 235 young athletes (40% girls; 12.3 ± 1.8 yrs) met inclusion criteria, with 31% classified as highly, 53% moderately, 16% low specialized, and 37% reporting an injury history within the past year. No significant differences were observed in YBT, isometric muscle strength, or FMS scores across specialization levels (p<.05). Additionally, asymmetry analysis revealed a significant difference in anterior reach YBT scores between high (3.2 ± 10.5) and moderate (-1.9 ± 8.4) (p = .0485) and low (-1.03 ± 9.8)(p = .0387) specialization groups. Other asymmetry indices showed no significant differences (p<.05).Training volume correlated positively with isometric strength in knee flexors (r = 0.16–0.21) and hip abductors (r = 0.21, p = .005) and with FMS scores (r = 0.21–0.22, p < .05). Athletes training beyond their age showed higher strength in hip abductors, knee flexors, and ankle plantarflexors (p < .05) and better FMS scores (17.3 ± 1.66 vs. 16.2 ± 2.4, p = .027). No significant differences were observed in sports performance between athletes with and without a history of injury (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Contrary to common perceptions, higher specialization did not confer advantages in dynamic balance, isometric strength, or functional movement. Furthermore, it may be related to an asymmetry of dynamic balance in the anterior direction. Increased training volume was associated with strength improvements, particularly when exceeding age-related thresholds, but its impact on balance remained inconclusive, highlighting the need for balanced training approaches. Injury history was unrelated to sports performance. Given the increasing emphasis on evidence-based practice in youth sports, these findings provide valuable insights for coaches, parents, and sports scientists seeking to promote safe and effective training strategies for young athletes.
Read CV Bartosz WilczyńskiECSS Paris 2023: CP-MH01
INTRODUCTION: Despite successful surgery and standard rehabilitation practices, patients often remain with long-term deficits in muscle mass, strength, and physical functioning following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We hypothesized that an optimized, combined exercise and nutritional intervention program would induce greater improvements in muscle outcomes than standard rehabilitation following TKA. We compared the effects of 12 weeks of high-intensity resistance exercise training (RET) with protein supplementation with 12 weeks of standard rehabilitation (SR) on muscle mass, strength, and physical functioning in older adults recovering from TKA. METHODS: Thirty-three patients (70±6 y; 28.7±3.1 kg/m2) were randomized to the RET (n=18) or SR group (n=15). Starting 8 weeks after TKA, the RET group performed 12 weeks of supervised, high-intensity, whole-body resistance exercise training on standard exercise machines, 3x/week, progressing from 50% to 80% one-repetition maximum (1RM), and ingested a daily whey protein-based nutritional supplement (45g protein). The SR group underwent standard rehabilitation following individualized procedures from their own physiotherapist. Before and after the 12 weeks, muscle strength (1RM) was assessed on the leg press and leg extension, body composition and quadriceps cross-sectional area (CSA) were assessed using DEXA and CT-scan, respectively, and physical functioning was assessed with the short physical performance battery (SPPB), six-minute walk test (6MWT), chair-stand test (5CST) and timed-up-and-go test (TUG). Data were analyzed with 2-way repeated measures ANOVA (α=0.05) and expressed as mean±SD. RESULTS: Leg press 1RM increased to a greater extent (P-interaction=0.026) in the RET vs SR group (RET: from 131±38 to 174±56 kg, P<0.001; SR: from 124±36 to 143±49 kg, P=0.018). Similar findings were observed for 1RM leg extension, with a tendency for greater improvements in RET vs SR (P-interaction= 0.074). Appendicular lean mass increased from 23.7±5.0 to 24.2±5.1 kg in the RET and from 23.4±5.1 to 23.6±5.4 kg in the SR group, with no differences between groups (P-time=0.009; P-interaction=0.390). Similarly, quadriceps CSA increased in both the operated and non-operated leg in both groups (RET: +6.7±7.2% and +4.7±4.4%; SR: +7.3±5.5% and +3.0±3.0%; P-time<0.001), with no differences between groups. While the SPPB significantly improved in the RET group (from 9.2±1.5 to 10.4±1.1, P<0.001), the SR group showed no changes (from 10.1±1.3 to 10.5±1.4, P=0.150; P-interaction=0.045). In contrast, improvements in the 6MWT were greater in the SR vs RET group (P-interaction=0.034), and both groups showed similar improvements on the TUG and 5CST. CONCLUSION: High-intensity resistance exercise training with protein supplementation induces greater strength gains when compared to standard rehabilitation during recovery from TKA, but does not further augment gains in muscle mass and improvements in physical functioning.
Read CV Alejandra MonsegueECSS Paris 2023: CP-MH01
INTRODUCTION: The international governing body of basketball (FIBA) reports nearly half a billion people play globally each year (1). The physical demands mean that injuries occur frequently (2). However, the injury epidemiological profile is largely unknown. This is attributed to a variety in reporting methods, making comparisons of injury rates between sports and contexts difficult (3). This review aims to summarise injury epidemiology and reporting methods in the literature to provide guidance for accurate reporting that aligns with IOC recommendations on injury surveillance. METHODS: This review was conducted as per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines and registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023487335). PubMed, SportDiscus, and Scopus were systematically searched up to December 2024 with no restrictions in place. Inclusion criteria specified peer-reviewed articles reporting injury rates (of any definition) per an exposure denominator, not intervention-based, in traditional 5v5 basketball of all age groups, sexes, levels or contexts in English. The abstract screening was completed by two pairs following calibration with raw agreement >0.80. A single author conducted data extraction, focusing on injury definitions, types of exposure, and the corresponding denominators. The quality of articles eligible for inclusion was assessed using the modified Downs and Black (DB) checklist (4). RESULTS: A total of 2,879 articles were retrieved after the initial database search, of which 118 full-text articles were included. DB scores varied between 5 and 14 (mean 8.3). Key reporting methods included: injury definition, exposure type, and denominators. The majority of articles assessed injuries in North America (78%), with sparse data available for other continents. There were 12 different types of injury definitions. A total of 9 different exposure denominators were found, with athlete exposures being the most adopted (70%) followed by player-hours (17%). However, multiple different denominators were used, complicating any direct comparisons. Approximately one-third (36%) of articles reported no injury severity measures, limiting the understanding of an injurys impact. CONCLUSION: This systematic review and the subsequent metanalysis in progress, provides a comprehensive overview of basketball injury epidemiology and highlights extensive heterogeneity across methods (injury definitions and reporting methods) making comparisons between studies difficult. These findings underscore the necessity for a consensus statement outlining standardised basketball injury surveillance protocols to advance research and promote player safety. [1] FIBA, 2024 [2] Bullock, 2021 [3]Ekegren et al, 2016 [4] Downs & Black, 1998
Read CV Kirsten WingECSS Paris 2023: CP-MH01