Sports_Medicine RSS : Gourt

Maine :: Maine :: Healthcare Recruitment Counselors, LLC

Sports Medicine Physician, Maine BC/CAQSM eligible sports medicine physician to join an existing CAQSM faculty member.a two site hospital system with a large service area and an established referral pattern

Are kids having a rough time of it in sports?

The pyramid of sports medicine and child health

Heat injury in youth sport

Heat injury is a potentially lethal condition that is considered to be completely preventable. Fatal heat injury is relatively rare (0.20 per 100 000 player-seasons in US high school football) and there are very limited data on non-fatal incidence. Expert recommendations for prevention include gradual acclimatisation of youth athletes to hot conditions, reductions in activity in hot and humid conditions, wearing light and light-coloured clothing, careful monitoring of athletes for signs of heat injury to facilitate immediate detection, having the resources to immediately and rapidly cool affected athletes, and education of athletes, care givers, and coaches about heat injury. Although a base of observational case data, physiological information, and expert opinion exists, the science surrounding this field is devoid of health communication and health behaviour research, and there is a pressing need for analytical studies to evaluate intervention programmes and/or identify new risk factors. There is also a need for ongoing data collection on heat injury incidence and on the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards heat injury among youth athletes, their care givers and their coaches.

Catastrophic injuries among young athletes

While very rare, catastrophic injuries in youth sports have a major impact on athletes and their families when they do occur. This article reviews and summarises the sparse research on direct catastrophic injuries in youth sports, a direct catastrophic sports injury being defined as a sport injury that resulted from participation in the skills of the sport, and resulted in a fatality or in a non-fatal brain or spinal cord injury, or skull or spinal fracture. While an electronic database search was completed to assemble the articles reviewed here, much of the data come from the National Center for Catastrophic Injury Research at the University of North Carolina, which has the most extensive and complete data set on this issue. This article reviews and summarises what is known about the rate of occurrence of these injuries in various youth sports, the risk factors for these injuries, injury mechanisms and what can be done to prevent them in various youth sports.

Long-term health outcomes of youth sports injuries

Injuries can counter the beneficial effects of sports participation at a young age if a child or adolescent is unable to continue to participate because of residual effects of injury. This paper reviews current knowledge in the field of long-term health outcomes of youth sports injuries to evaluate the evidence regarding children dropping out of sport due to injury, physeal injuries and growth disturbance, studies of injuries affecting the spine and knee of young and former athletes and surgical outcome of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in children. Studies of dropping out of sport due to injury are limited primarily to gymnasts and implicate such injuries as ACL rupture and osteochondritis dissecans of the elbow joint in the early retirement of young athletes. Although most physeal injuries resolve with treatment and rest, there is evidence of disturbed physeal growth as a result of injury. Radiological findings implicate the effects of intense physical loading and injury in the development of spinal pathology and back pain during the growth of youth athletes; however, long-term effects are unclear. Follow-up studies of young athletes and adults indicate a high risk of osteoarthritis after meniscus or ACL injury. Prospective cohort studies with a follow-up into adulthood are needed to clarify the long-term health outcomes of youth sports injuries. Important to this research is meticulous documentation of injuries on injury report forms that include age-appropriate designations of the type of injury and accurate determination of exposure-based injury rates.

Anabolic-androgenic steroid use among young male and female athletes: is the game to blame?

The use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) by young athletes has been a primary concern of sports governing bodies because of the implications for unfair advantage in performance and the potential for adverse side effects. Research over several decades indicated a lifetime prevalence of AAS use for adolescent males of 4–6% and for females of 1.5–3%, indicating a problem involving millions of athletes and a potential epidemic of AAS-related pathologies. However, recent studies have questioned the presumption that participation in organised sport is the primary risk factor for AAS use in adolescents as well as the extant estimates of the magnitude of the problem. Increasing evidence indicates that AAS use is associated with non-athletes and is linked to a broader syndrome of problem behaviours rather than efforts to achieve sporting success, and that sports participation may be protective against AAS use. Moreover, employing lifetime prevalence to gauge AAS use limits accurate evaluation of the personal and public health risk as the majority of respondents are not habitual users. Previous studies may have also inflated prevalence values through ambiguously worded survey questions and other design flaws, and few data are available on actual dosages. Prevention efforts need to be focused beyond organised sport and target the general adolescent population rather than athletes and should be founded on interventions with demonstrated efficacy for delinquent, antisocial and self-destructive behaviours rather than the ethical imperative of fair play.

Violence in youth sports: hazing, brawling and foul play

By separating hazing, brawling, and foul play and failing to recognise that their connection to sport binds them together into a cohesive subset of sport injury and youth violence, past research has failed to show how sports-related violence is a broad example of interpersonal violence. The acceptance of violence within the sporting culture may, in part, explain why sports-related violence has not yet been widely recognised as a public health concern. This review shows that sports-related violence, including hazing, brawling and foul play, occurs among youth athletes of all ages and in a variety of different sports. The few studies to address this issue have all acknowledged the dangers of sports-related violence; however, no incident tracking method has been developed. Future research must provide accurate national estimates of the incidence of sports-related violence among youth, identify associated risk factors, evaluate preventive interventions and identify effective methods of distributing and implementing evidence-based interventions. Monitoring the magnitude and distribution of the burden of sports-related violence and building the scientific infrastructure necessary to support the development and widespread application of effective sports-related prevention interventions are essential first steps toward a reduction in the incidence of sports-related violence.

Is there an injury epidemic in girls' sports?

Injuries to prominent sportswomen have raised questions about whether there is an injury epidemic for female athletes. Our aim was to synthesise the data on overall injury incidence among female athletes and present the evidence for specific injuries for which female athletes appear to be at greater risk than male athletes. We also reviewed the severity of female injuries, the hypothesised risk factors and injury prevention studies. In general, women have a lower rate of injury than men. Women are at greater risk for specific injuries such as non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injuries, but these injuries are relatively rare. Further, women tend to have higher rates of surgery for the same injuries than men. Nevertheless, injury rates likely can be reduced by research efforts to identify modifiable risk factors using rigorous epidemiological methods and the investigation of effective prevention programmes.

Oversized young athletes: a weighty concern

The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents is increasing worldwide, with a corresponding decline in physical fitness and general physical activity level. Overweight and obese adolescents are more than twice as likely to be injured in sports and other physical activities compared with non-overweight and non-obese adolescents. Obese adolescent athletes are more than three times as likely to sustain an ankle sprain compared with normal weight adolescent athletes. At the societal level, promoting physical activity for children and improving dietary habits are key strategies for lowering the prevalence of overweight and obesity. The increased risk of injury associated with being overweight or obese may in part be due to low physical activity level. Promotion of physical activity for children can provide neuromuscular training that may be beneficial in decreasing injury risk associated with general play and sports participation. For lower-extremity injuries, specific neuromuscular training interventions, such as balance training, have great potential in reversing the increased injury risk associated with overweight and obesity. Finally, the injured overweight young athlete may have a more prolonged recovery period than non-overweight young athletes. Early aggressive treatment of swelling with physical modalities, prolonged non-weight bearing, limited period of immobilisation and regular repetitive passive joint motion are indicated for the overweight young athlete with a lower-extremity joint injury.

Paediatric and adolescent sport injury in the wilderness

Participation in backcountry wilderness recreation has increased in recent years with children and adolescents making up an increasing number of participants visiting wilderness destinations. Engaging in wilderness activity involves the risk of injury, illness and even death. Unfortunately, there is very little research investigating the health challenges facing children and adolescents in the wilderness. With the intent of increasing awareness among the sports medicine community, this review examines reported paediatric and adolescent wilderness injuries reported in the state of Washington and in US National Parks, injuries reported during outdoor wilderness programmes and global youth expeditions, and health challenges in wilderness settings where the threat of acute mountain sickness is elevated. Future studies addressing the challenges of establishing numerator data linked to suitable denominator data and monitoring injured and non-injured children and adolescents in the wilderness are recommended.

Resistance training among young athletes: safety, efficacy and injury prevention effects

A literature review was employed to evaluate the current epidemiology of injury related to the safety and efficacy of youth resistance training. Several case study reports and retrospective questionnaires regarding resistance exercise and the competitive sports of weightlifting and powerlifting reveal that injuries have occurred in young lifters, although a majority can be classified as accidental. Lack of qualified instruction that underlies poor exercise technique and inappropriate training loads could explain, at least partly, some of the reported injuries. Current research indicates that resistance training can be a safe, effective and worthwhile activity for children and adolescents provided that qualified professionals supervise all training sessions and provide age-appropriate instruction on proper lifting procedures and safe training guidelines. Regular participation in a multifaceted resistance training programme that begins during the preseason and includes instruction on movement biomechanics may reduce the risk of sports-related injuries in young athletes. Strategies for enhancing the safety of youth resistance training are discussed.

Injury prevention in paediatric sport-related injuries: a scientific approach

Dieting to win or to be thin? A study of dieting and disordered eating among adolescent elite athletes and non-athlete controls

Objective: To examine the prevalence of dieting, reasons for dieting and prevalence of disordered eating among adolescent elite athletes and age-matched controls, and to examine the differences between athletes competing in leanness and non-leanness sports. Methods: First-year students of 16 different Norwegian Elite Sport High Schools (athlete group, n = 682) and two randomly selected ordinary high schools from a county representative of the general Norwegian population (control group, n = 423) were invited to participate in this cross-sectional study. A total of 606 athletes and 355 controls completed the questionnaire, giving a response rate of 89% and 84%, respectively. The questionnaire contained questions regarding training patterns, menstrual status and history, dieting, use of pathogenic weight control methods and the drive for thinness (DT) and body dissatisfaction (BD) subscales from the Eating Disorders Inventory. Main outcome measure: Disordered eating, defined as meeting one or more of the following criteria: DT score >=15 (girls) and >=10 (boys), BD score >=14 (girls) and >=10 (boys), body mass index <17.9 kg/m2 (girls) and <17.5 kg/m2 (boys), current and/or >=3 previous efforts to lose weight, use of pathogenic weight control methods and self-reported menstrual dysfunction. Results: A higher prevalence of control subjects were dieting and classified with disordered eating compared with the athletes. An improvement of appearance was a more common reason for dieting among controls compared with athletes. No differences in dieting or disordered eating were found between leanness and non-leanness sports athletes. Conclusions: Self-reported disordered eating is more prevalent among controls than adolescent elite athletes, and losing weight to enhance performance is an important reason for dieting among adolescent elite athletes.

BJSM reviews: A-Z of nutritional supplements: dietary supplements, sports nutrition foods and ergogenic aids for health and performance Part 5

Does cryotherapy aid proprioception and Throwing Accuracy in the Dominant Shoulder?

The use of cold therapy such as ice packs following an acute shoulder injury is common, as well as part of the rehabilitation plan. During athletic events, athletes may return to play following the cold therapy, however while the effects of this treatment on shoulder proprioception has been assessed, the effects on throwing performance is as yet unknown.

Physical activity reduces the risk of work-related repetitive strain injuries (RSI)

A new study has demonstrated that being physically active in leisure time is associated with a lower risk of developing upper limb occupational repetitive strain injuries (RSI). The study considered a cross section of 58,622 Canadian residents between the ages of 15 and 74 who had been employed full time in the previous 12 months.

Can the single leg balance test identify risk of ankle sprains?

Ankle sprains are a common injury which can often be disabling in the athlete. The ability to predict the susceptibility of an athlete to ankle sprain injuries with a simple test could allow a coach to develop preventative strategies such as balance and proprioceptive training alongside taping techniques to support the ankle, hence reducing the risk of injuries occurring.

What are the injury risks to elite windsurfer's?

This study investigated the incidence of injury and considered methods of prevention of injury amongst windsurfer's. 107 windsurfer's from recreational through to international level responded to the questionnaire with regards to their injuries over the previous two year period. They were also asked to note any recurrent injuries, level of ability and any preventative measures they were taking.

Is spine disc replacement the answer for degenerative spine disease in athletes?

Injuries to the vertebral disks are becoming far more common amongst sporting and non sporting injuries, however currently there is no treatment available to "replace" the disk.

Does vibration therapy influence delayed onset of muscle soreness?

This study considered whether the use of Vibration Training improved muscle performance by preventing or controlling Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) – the phenomenon of experiencing muscular pain some time after exercise.

Is early rehabilitation important in the recovery of Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury?.

This study, although broadly scientific and lab-based, may have implications in the rehabilitation of injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Is intermittent application of cryotherapy more effective than standard protocols when treating acute ankle sprains?

The use of cryotherapy (ice packs) in the management of acute injuries is largely anecdotal, however there is some evidence to suggest that intermittent application is more effective at reducing tissue temperature to optimal levels.

Can sport specific balance training can prevent acute injuries in high school basketball players?

In a study by Emery & colleagues, 920 basketball players from Calgary, Canada were studied in two groups. Both groups were taught basic warm up techniques, but the second group were also taught an additional warm up component and given a home based balance training programme involving the use of a wobble board.

Does injury in a previous season predispose a football player to injury the following season?

A study in Sweden looked at the injuries sustained by 12 elite Swedish male football teams during the 2001 and 2002 seasons.

Does fatigue cause women to be at higher risk of ACL injuries?

A small study of 20 NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) athletes suggests that due to biomechanical differences between male and female athletes when landing jumps, females may have higher risks of injuring Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) when fatigued.