Assessing Head Acceleration Events in Female Community Rugby Union Players: A Cohort Study Using Instrumented Mouthguards.

Background: The rapid growth of women's rugby union has underscored the need for female-specific player welfare protocols, particularly regarding the risk of head injuries. Instrumented mouthguards (iMGs) play a vital role in gathering comprehensive data on head acceleration events (HAEs), including their frequency, magnitude, and spatial distribution during games and training. By doing so, iMGs offer valuable context for circumstances in women's matches that may increase player risk.

The "glass shoulder": Patients' lived experiences of a traumatic shoulder dislocation - A qualitative study.

Background: Anterior shoulder dislocations have a high recurrence rate, often necessitating stabilizing surgery, with residual long-term fear of reinjury.

Objectives: To explore patients' experiences of anterior shoulder dislocations in relation to their lives, well-being, fear of reinjury, and future perspectives.

Design: Qualitative study.

Unintended consequences - A qualitative exploration of baseline testing in community rugby concussion management.

Objectives: Understanding key stakeholders' perceptions around the value of baseline testing, as well as barriers or facilitators experienced as part of the process, may assist with the decision-making process of whether to implement baseline testing in community sport. This study explored coaches', players' and physiotherapists' perceptions of the perceived value, barriers and facilitators of baseline testing as part of New Zealand Rugby's (NZR) community concussion initiative.

Design: The study employed a pragmatic, qualitative descriptive design.

Strategies for knee stabilising and pivot-shift avoidance in a step-down and cross-over task observed sub-acutely after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Background: Individuals with a recent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction may demonstrate an altered movement strategy for protecting the knee and maintaining stability. Altered knee movement might lead to abnormal intra-articular load, potentially contributing to early knee osteoarthritis onset. A protective strategy may be particularly evident during active tasks that induce a pivot-shift manoeuvre, such as a step-down and cross-over task.

Quest for clarity: investigating concussion-related responsibilities across the New Zealand Rugby Community System.

There is a growing concern around concussions in rugby union, at all levels of the game. These concerns highlight the need to better manage and care for players. However, consistency around concussion-related responsibilities of stakeholders across the community rugby system remains challenging.

Clinicians' perspectives on planned interventions tested in the Otago MASTER feasibility trial: an implementation-based process evaluation study.

Objectives: This study reports a process evaluation of the Otago MASTER (MAnagement of Subacromial disorders of The shouldER) feasibility trial. This mixed-methods, process evaluation study was conducted parallel to the Otago MASTER feasibility trial. Our aims were to investigate: (1) supervised treatment fidelity of the interventions and (2) clinicians' perceptions of the trial interventions through a focus group.

Test-Retest Reliability of a Passive Joint Position Sense Test After ACL Reconstruction: Influence of Direction, Target Angle, Limb, and Outcome Measures.

Background: The joint position sense (JPS) is an element of proprioception and defined as an individual's ability to recognize joint position in space. The JPS is assessed by measuring the acuity of reproducing a predetermined target angle. The quality of psychometric properties of knee JPS tests after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is uncertain.

Physiotherapists' attitudes and beliefs about self-management as part of their management for low back pain.

Background: Perceptually, there is a discrepancy between research evidence and clinical physiotherapy practice for supporting self-management in people with low back pain (LBP).

Objective: This study aimed to explore physiotherapists' understanding of LBP; ascertain their knowledge of self-management concepts; and explore their attitudes and beliefs about supporting self-management for LBP within present physiotherapy practice in private and hospital settings.

Design: Interpretive Description qualitative methodology, involving in-depth data interpretation to clinical practice, was used.

The balancing act - Physiotherapists' experiences of managing rugby-related concussion in the community.

Background: New Zealand Rugby (NZR) implemented a concussion management pathway (CMP) to improve management at the community level. Physiotherapists play an important role in the CMP.

Objective: This study explored physiotherapists' experiences in the management of community rugby-related concussion as part of the CMP.

Co-Design of an Educational Resource with Female Partners of Male Stroke Survivors to Support Physical Activity Participation.

Many male stroke survivors find it challenging to meet the recommended physical activity (PA) guidelines for health benefits. The spouse/partner is an important source of self-management for stroke survivor PA participation; however, they feel unsupported by health professionals. This study aimed to co-design an educational resource prototype to guide and empower female partners in supporting male stroke survivors' participation in PA.

'Thinking about pain in a different way': Patient perspectives of a neuroscience-informed physiotherapy programme for rotator cuff-related shoulder pain.

Background: Rotator cuff-related shoulder pain (RCRSP) is a common musculoskeletal problem. The multi-factorial contributors to persistent pain are often overlooked during treatment. Pain neuroscience education (PNE) contributes to a holistic approach for patients with persistent pain but has not yet been researched for patients with RCRSP.

Can a knee sleeve influence ground reaction forces and knee joint power during a step-down hop in participants following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction? A secondary analysis.

Purpose: Elastic knee sleeves are often worn following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The study aimed to define immediate and 6-week effects of wearing a knee sleeve on ground reaction forces (GRF) and knee joint power during a step-down hop task.

Methods: Using a cross-over design, we estimated GRF and knee kinematics and kinetics during a step-down hop for 30 participants following ACL reconstruction (median 16 months post-surgery) with and without wearing a knee sleeve.

Influence of the frame of reference on head acceleration events recorded by instrumented mouthguards in community rugby players.

Objectives: To highlight the need for standardisation in the communication of head impact telemetry from instrumented mouthguards (iMG). The purpose of this study is to examine how the frame of reference for reporting head acceleration events (HAE) may affect the interpretation of head impacts recorded from iMGs in community rugby players.

Methods: An analytical investigation of 825 video verified HAEs recorded from male community players during 5 rugby match exposures.

A critical appraisal of web-based information on shoulder pain comparing biomedical vs. psychosocial information.

Background: Websites have become a primary way for patients to access health-related information, which allows patients to not only understand their condition better but also to engage in better decision making with their health care provider. However, this can be a double-edged sword, as information patients access may not be of high quality, easily readable, or could be biased based on website authorship. This study examines the readability and content quality of common websites about shoulder pain, with a specific focus on biomedical vs.

Association between changes in pain or function scores and changes in scapular rotations in patients with subacromial shoulder pain: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Scapular dyskinesis is reported as one of the potential factors contributing to the presentation of pain in subacromial shoulder pain. In clinical practice, the evaluation and control of scapular dyskinesis is considered important for managing the subacromial shoulder pain. The aim is to determine the association between changes in pain or function and changes in scapular rotations in participants with subacromial shoulder pain.

Tailored exercise and manual therapy versus standardised exercise for patients with shoulder subacromial pain: a feasibility randomised controlled trial (the Otago MASTER trial).

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess whether it was feasible to conduct a full trial comparing a tailored versus a standardised exercise programme for patients with shoulder subacromial pain.

Design: Two-arm, patient-blinded and assessor-blinded, randomised controlled feasibility trial.

Methods: Twenty-eight participants with shoulder subacromial pain were randomly allocated into one of two intervention groups-tailored or standardised exercise.

Immediate and six-week effects of wearing a knee sleeve following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction on knee kinematics and kinetics: a cross-over laboratory and randomised clinical trial.

Background: Elastic knee sleeves are often worn following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) but their effects on movement patterns are unclear.

Aim: To determine the immediate and six-week effects of wearing a knee sleeve on biomechanics of the knee during a step-down hop task.

Methods: Using a cross-over design, we estimated sagittal plane knee kinematics and kinetics and stance duration during a step-down hop for 31 participants (age 26.

Effectiveness of Physical Activity and Exercise on Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Adults with Resistant Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: Resistant hypertension (RHT) is a phenotype of hypertension that is challenging to manage by medications alone. While high grade evidence supports physical activity (PA) and exercise to reduce blood pressure (BP) in hypertension, it is unclear whether these are also effective for RHT.

Aims: To determine the quality of evidence for the effectiveness of PA and exercise and the change of magnitude of 24-hour ambulatory BP (24hABP) in adults with RHT.

Impact of fatigue at the shoulder on the contralateral upper limb kinematics and performance.

Background: Altered movement patterns have been proposed as an etiological factor for the development of musculoskeletal pain. Fatigue influences upper limb kinematics and movement performance which could extend to the contralateral limb and potentially increasing risk of injury. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of fatigue at the dominant arm on the contralateral upper limb movement.

Sport concussion assessment in New Zealand high school rugby players: a collaborative approach to the challenges faced in primary care.

Primary Objective: To describe the collaborative development of a New Zealand Rugby Concussion Assessment (NZRCA) for primary care and to provide normative baseline data from a representative group of high school rugby players.

Methods: This study, conducted over the 2018 and 2019 community rugby season where players were baseline tested during the pre- or start of season period.

Results: Data were collected from 1428 players (males n = 1121, females n = 307) with a mean age of 15.

Association Between Knee Moments During Stair Navigation and Participant-Related Factors in Individuals With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Context: Altered knee joint mechanics may be related to quadriceps muscle strength, time since surgery, and sex following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between knee moments, with participant-related factors during stair navigation post-ACLR.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Baseline concussion assessment performance of community-based senior rugby players: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To report pre-season baseline concussion assessment performance among senior rugby players and explore associations between assessment performance and player demographics.

Design: A cross-sectional study using the New Zealand Rugby Concussion Assessments (NZRCA), comprising symptom, cognitive and dynamic coordination assessments was conducted in the 2018-2019 season.

Methods: Players' baseline assessments were characterised using descriptive statistics; effect sizes (ES) and t-tests were used to explore associations between player demographic characteristics and NZRCA performance.