To analyse the data on skydiving deaths and injuries collected prospectively by the French Parachuting Federation (FFP) between 2010 and 2019.
Prospective cohort study.
Data on number of skydiving ...deaths and injuries were collected prospectively between January 2010 and December 2019, among all skydivers licensed to the FFP, via a standardised report form that included the skydiver’s sex and level of experience (classified as tandem, student, or experienced), deaths, injuries, and injury location. The number of licensees, jumps, skydiving deaths and injuries were analysed descriptively and expressed as rates per 100,000 jumps and per 1000 skydivers with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI).
Among the almost 6.2 million jumps performed by 519,620 skydivers over 10 years between 2010 and 2019, 35 deaths and 3015 injuries were reported, corresponding to 0.57 deaths (95%CI 0.38 to 0.75) and 49 injuries (95%CI 47.0 to 50.1) per 100,000 jumps. Male skydivers had a five times higher deaths rate than women (RR=4.8, 95%CI 1.5 to 15.6). There was no death in tandem skydivers. Student skydivers had a six times higher risk of injuries than experienced skydivers (RR=6.1, 95%CI 5.7 to 6.6) and tandem skydivers had a significant lower risk of injuries than experienced skydivers (RR=0.07, 95%CI 0.06 to 0.08). 83.3% of the injuries occurred during the landing phase and 64.3% concerned the lower limb.
This large survey shows that the highest risk of death concerned experienced and male skydivers, and the highest risk of injuries concerned student skydivers. It also shows the safety of tandem skydiving. These results can be of help to develop skydiving-related deaths and injuries risk reduction strategies, and thus improve the global skydiving safety and the skydivers’ health.
Using historical, contemporary, scholarly, and popular sources, Schultz traces the progress and pitfalls of women's involvement in sport. By attending to issues such as gender, sexuality, sex ...segregation, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, media coverage, and the sport-health connection, Schultz shows why women's sports are important for players, fans, and society.
Sports performance is primarily associated with elite sport, however, recreational athletes are increasingly attempting to emulate elite athletes. Performance optimization is distinctly ...multidisciplinary. Optimized training concepts and the use of state-of-the-art technologies are crucial for improving performance. However, sports performance enhancement is in constant conflict with the protection of athletes’ health. Notwithstanding the known positive effects of physical activity on health, the prevention and management of sports injuries remain major challenges to be addressed. Accordingly, this Special Issue on "Sports Performance and Health" consists of 17 original research papers, one review paper, and one commentary, and covers a wide range of topics related to fatigue, movement asymmetries, optimization of sports performance by training, technique, and/or tactics enhancements, prevention and management of sports injuries, optimization of sports equipment to increase performance and/or decrease the risk of injury, and innovations for sports performance, health, and load monitoring. As this Special Issue offers several new insights and multidisciplinary perspectives on sports performance and health, readers from around the world who work in these areas are expected to benefit from this Special Issue collection.
Recently, the attention on recovery in sport increased enormously although there is lack of scientific evidence on the role of lifestyle in terms of movement i.e., physical behaviors (PBs), apart ...from sleep. Few studies assessed physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) in athletes. The aims of this scoping review were to answer to the following scientific questions: (1) How active/inactive are competitive athletes out of training? (2) Do off-training PBs affect recovery, performance, and health? (3) What strategies can be implemented to improve recovery using off-training PBs, apart from sleep? From 1,116 potentially relevant articles, nine were eligible for inclusion in this review. The main issues identified were related to the heterogeneity concerning the types of sports, age category, gender, competitive level, sample size, and instruments/devices adopted, the paucity of studies investigating the effects of PBs while awake on recovery, and the lack of experimental designs manipulating PBs while awake to accelerate recovery. Furthermore, PA and SB domains were rarely investigated, while no research articles focused on the combined effect of 24-h PBs. Eight out of nine studies measured PA, seven SB, and two included sleep. Three studies included training practice into PA measurement by the means of accelerometry. Overall, almost the totality of the athletes achieved recommended PA levels although they sustained prolonged SB. In conclusion, more descriptive researches are needed in different athletic populations and settings. Furthermore, experimental designs aimed at investigating the effects of PBs manipulation on recovery and the putative mechanisms are encouraged.
An athletic career is a succession of stages and transitions (normative and non-normative), which may have decisive effects on either maintaining a satisfactory and/or successful course or deciding ...about premature career termination. The main purpose of this study was to identify differences between swimmers (Mage = 21.32, SD = 2.62) who after undergoing the transition from junior to senior level either: (a) continued their career hoping to improve their performance regardless of low success at the elite level—Group I; or (b) decided on premature athletic career termination—Group II. The criteria for inclusion included having undergone the transition from junior to senior level and having competed at elite level for at least a year (M = 4.14 years, SD = 1.74). The participants were administered a demographic survey and a structured interview. The results revealed differences in developmental stages. The exploration phase was longer (MGroup I = 5.8 yrs, SD = 2.04, MGroup II = 4.6 yrs, SD = 2.4; Z = −1.902, p = 0.057); the commitment phase was shorter (MGroup I = 3.6 yrs, SD = 1.3; MGroup II = 4.6 yrs, SD = 1.7; Z = −1.735, p = 0.083); the number of hours of structured practice were (MGroup I = 5975, SD = 2474; MGroup II = 7623, SD = 2660, Z = −1.928, p = 0.054); the number of perceived costs were (Group I = 22, Group II = 34; Z = −2.209, p = 0.0027); and the most often pointed benefits of a sporting career were (Group I—94% health & physical fitness; Group II—88% personal growth & life skills). Furthermore, essential inhibitors and facilitators of athletes’ development were identified. The findings of the study have practical applications for athletes, coaches, parents and sport psychology professionals. For instance, appropriate social support can help to prevent elite athletes’ premature career termination from professional sport during and after their normative transition from junior to senior level.
Body composition as a meaningful factor can result in physiological responses in both the physical body and general health status. Nevertheless, the schemes for establishing cut-off points for ...identifying the classifications of the body fat percentage of athletes competing in combat sports still include gaps. The aim of this study was, by using bioimpedanciometry, to calculate the percentiles for the classification of body fat percentages in Lithuanian professional male athletes (n = 52) competing in combat sports with weight classes. A total of 52 Lithuanian professional male athletes competing in combat sports with weight classes were evaluated using a multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis method with frequencies ranging from 1 kHz to 1000 kHz. Percentiles P3, P10, P25, P50, P75, P90, and P97 were used to determine the classification. As a consequence, the following classification categories were assigned: 6.6–7.8% (extremely low); 7.9–10.9% (very low); 11.0–14.7% (below normal); 14.8–18.8% (normal); 18.9–21.5% (above normal); 21.6–29.3% (very excessive); and ≥29.4% (extremely excessive). The assessment of body composition in combat sports athletes identified an inverse association between higher body fat levels and a decrease in the muscle-to-fat ratio (β –1.3, 95% confidence interval (CI): –1.5; –1.0, p < 0.001). The relationship between lower body fat percentage and lighter weight categories in which combat sports athletes from different combat sports were competing has been identified (β 0.3%, 95% CI: 0.2; 0.3, p < 0.0001). The established cut-off points may assist sports medicine professionals and sports dietitians in monitoring the adiposity of combat sports athletes.
Background: Little is known about lower back complaints in adolescent competitive alpine skiers. This study assessed their prevalence and severity (i.e., intensity and disability) with respect to ...sex, category, discipline preference, and training attributes. Methods: 188 competitive skiers aged 15 to 18 years volunteered in this study. Data collection included (i) questions on participants’ demographics, sports exposure, discipline preferences, and other sports-related practices; (ii) the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire on lower back complaints; and (iii) the Graded Chronic Pain Scale. Results: As many as 80.3% and 50.0% of all skiers suffered from lower back complaints during the last 12 months and 7 days, respectively. A total of 50.7% reported their complaints to be attributable to slalom skiing, and 26% to giant slalom. The majority of complaints were classified as low intensity/low disability (Grade I, 57.4%) and high intensity/low disability complaints (Grade II, 21.8%). The Characteristic Pain Intensity was found to be significantly related to the skiers’ years of sports participation, number of competitions/season, and number of skiing days/season. Conclusion: This study further supports the relatively high magnitudes of lower back-related pain in adolescent competitive alpine skiers, with a considerable amount of high intensity (but low disability) complaints, and training attributes being a key driver.
Objectives: Identifying patterns of associations between self-rated health (SRH) and socioeconomic factors in male and female former athletes and non-athletes, and verifying if these associations are ...modified by the factors which characterize former athletes` past sport participation. Methods: The data used came from Former Athletes' Lifestyle Project conducted among former athletes (N=351) and non-athletes (N=466) aged 18-66 years randomly selected from three regions of Poland. Anonymous questionnaires regarding SRH, socioeconomic variable, and factors which characterize former athletes’ past sport participations (competitive sports training experience, sport level achieved in the past, and period of time since the end of sports career) were used. SRH was categorized as negative (average, poor or very poor) and positive (good or very good). Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to calculate the odds ratios of negative SRH after adjusting for socioeconomic and sports characteristics. Results: Groups former athletes and non-athletes exhibited different patterns of relationships between SRH and socioeconomic variables. In both male and female non-athletes the higher risks of negative SRH were significantly associated with low socioeconomic position. Short time from ending sport careers significantly reduced the risk of negative SRH in both male and female former athlete. Conclusions: Among men and women former participation in competitive sports limits the adverse effect of socioeconomic status on SRH. For this reason it appears to be appropriate to incorporate popularization of competitive sport as one of the strategies of public health indirectly oriented towards reduction in socioeconomic inequalities in health.
Introducing The CORE Philippon, Marc J.; Zoga, Adam C.; Poor, Alexander E. ...
2019, 2019-03-15, Letnik:
1
eBook
There is no more important area of the body for an athlete than the core, the region of our body from our chest to our knees. The core is our engine, our hub of activity. Strength there makes life ...easier for shoulders and knees. It produces speed and explosiveness. Endurance and grit.
The core is so important. So why has it remained such a medical mystery?
This book will explain that.
Introducing the Core: Demystifying the Body of an Athlete
traces the arc of the journey from injury to restoration of power to the return to normal life.
Dr. William Meyers is the nation's foremost authority on core health. Along with over 40 world-renowned expert contributors, Dr. Meyers explains how the core functions through stories from his work in locker rooms, the operating room, and the playing fields of elite athletes, giving readers a thorough understanding of the core's widespread influence on athleticism and the human anatomy.
The book:
Dissects the events that led Dr. Meyers and his team of experts to their new appreciation of this anatomy
Brings multiple world-renowned arthroscopists into the overall core picture, providing their perspectives on how the core works, with the pubic bone as "the sun" of the body's universe
Offers insight into the many causes of pelvic pain, demonstrating why the term "sports hernia," should be banished forever
Emphasizes the fact that a wide spectrum of professionals treat the core -- from traditional surgeons to alternative therapists
Brings it all together and proposes a new future, and perhaps a new medical specialty, that is the core
"Strength, power, and endurance all flow from the core. This book, and the work Bill Meyers has done in the field, will bring good core health to the forefront and help everyone-elite athletes and others."
Michael William Krzyzewski
"Even in baseball, injury patterns in the shoulder and elbow are related to core imbalance. This book has been needed for a long time... Bill has helped the idea of core strength become more popular, and this book could be what is needed to get it more attention."
James Rheuben Andrews, MD
"To understand the core, you must put on new eyes."
Marshawn Lynch
Background and objective: Oxidative stress is a consequence of professional sports that could endanger the health of athletes. This study aimed to determine the effect of L-carnitine supplementation ...on health indicators of untrained men over a period of resistance training. Methods: A double-blinded, randomized controlled trial study conducted on twenty-four healthy untrained male. Study subjects were randomly assigned to two equal groups, L-carnitine and placebo (n=12). Both groups participated in 8 weeks resistance training period and supplementation of 2 g/day L-carnitine or placebo (maltodextrin) was done. Anthropometric measurements, dietary intakes and blood biochemical parameters including glutathione, malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase and catalase were measured at the beginning and end of the study. Results: At the end of the study in L-carnitine group, mean serum glutathione (GSH) were significantly increased (p<0.05) and mean serum malondialdehyde (MDA) were significantly decreased (p<0.05). Also mean of these parameters between the two groups were significantly different from each other (p <0.5). Enzyme activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were significantly increased in both groups but the increase was higher in the supplement group (p <0.01). Conclusion: In this study, supplementation with 2 grams of L-carnitine per day for 8 weeks, increased serum glutathione,superoxide dismutase and catalase enzyme activity and decreased serum malondialdehyde significantly. Paper Type: Research paper
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