Carbon Fiber Insoles Enhance Perception of Performance Despite Variable Objective Outcomes: Specific to the Moderately Active Individual.

Carbon fiber insoles (CFIs) may benefit performance in elite athletes, however, their use in moderately active individuals has been adopted without evidence supporting such enhancements in this population. Fifteen male subjects performed vertical jump (VJ) and repeat treadmill sprint tests before and after a VO while wearing 1) CFIs and 2) control insoles (CON). Subjects completed a subjective survey regarding their perceived performance abilities for both conditions.

Association of Dynamic Knee Valgus and Bone Stress Injury in US Military Academy Cadets.

Context: Early identification of incoming military personnel at elevated odds for bone stress injury (BSI) is important for the health and readiness of the US military.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Methods: Knee kinematic data of the incoming US Military Academy cadets were collected while performing a jump-landing task (The Landing Error Scoring System) using a markerless motion capture system and depth camera.

Strength Training Rehabilitation Incorporating Power Exercises (STRIPE) for individuals with patellofemoral pain: a randomised controlled trial protocol.

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is a chronic condition that presents with patellar pain during various daily and recreational activities. Individuals with PFP have a wide range of impairments that result in long-term disability and reduced quality of life. Current interventions target hip muscle weakness with strength-based exercises, but recurrence rates are as high as 90%.

Preventive Training Program Feedback Complexity, Movement Control, and Performance in Youth Athletes.

Context: Preventive training programs (PTPs) reduce injury risk by improving movement control. Corrective feedback is important; however, many cues at once may be too complicated for athletes.

Objective: To compare movement control and long-jump (LJ) changes in youth athletes participating in a season-long PTP, with simplified feedback, traditional feedback, or a warmup of the coaches' choosing.

Using Predictive Modeling Technique to Assess Core Temperature Adaptations from Heart Rate, Sweat Rate, and Thermal Sensation in Heat Acclimatization and Heat Acclimation.

Assessing the adaptation of rectal temperature (T) is critical following heat acclimatization (HAz) and heat acclimation (HA) because it is associated with exercise performance and safety; however, more feasible and valid methods need to be identified. The purpose of this study was to predict adaptations in T from heart rate (HR), sweat rate (SR), and thermal sensation (TS) using predictive modeling techniques. Twenty-five male endurance athletes (age, 36 ± 12 y; VO, 57.

Hybrid effectiveness-implementation study designs in sports injury prevention research.

Despite vast evidence supporting the effectiveness of lower extremity injury prevention programs in a variety of sport settings, age groups, and levels of competition, there is limited evidence on implementation strategies that positively impact the feasibility, scale-up and sustainability of such programs. Sport-related injury prevention is affected by the research-to-practice gap, a pervasive issue in healthcare, where high-quality experimental research is not used in routine clinical practice. An intervention shown to be efficacious in a controlled environment, such as a lab or in a field-study conducted by scientists, will demonstrate a decline in benefit when implemented in the intended clinical setting.

Barriers and facilitators to the adoption and implementation of evidence-based injury prevention training programmes: a narrative review.

While there is a multitude of evidence supporting the efficacy of injury prevention training programmes, the literature investigating the implementation of these programmes is, in contrast, rather limited. This narrative review sought to describe the commonly reported barriers and facilitators of the implementation of injury prevention training programmes among athletes in organised sport. We also aimed to identify necessary steps to promote the uptake and sustainable use of these programmes in non-elite athletic communities.

Association Between Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) Items and the Incidence Rate of Lower Extremity Stress Fracture.

Background: Lower extremity stress fracture injuries are a major cause of morbidity in physically active populations. The ability to screen for modifiable risk factors associated with injury is critical in developing injury-prevention programs.

Purpose: To determine if baseline Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) scores are associated with the incidence rate of lower extremity stress fracture.

Effects of Heat Acclimatization, Heat Acclimation, and Intermittent Exercise Heat Training on Time-Trial Performance.

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of heat acclimatization (HAz) followed by heat acclimation (HA), and intermittent heat training (IHT) on time-trial performance.

Hypothesis: Time-trial performance will improve after HA and will further improve with twice a week of IHT.

Study Design: Interventional study.

Suppressed quadriceps fascicle behavior is present in the surgical limbs of those with a history of ACL reconstruction.

The balance of published data have largely focused on adaptations in muscle and fiber size after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), failing to account for the dynamic changes in the behavior of the muscles' contractile elements that strongly contribute to force production. To better understand the sources of quadriceps dysfunction, the purpose of our research was to determine if alterations in fascicle behavior are present after ACLR. Unilateral ACLR individuals (9 m/9f; 21 ± 3 yrs; 1.

Youth Perceptions of Sport-Confidence.

Zuk, EF, Maksymiw, K, Evanovich, J, McGarry, JE, Root, HJ, and Distefano, LJ. Youth perceptions in sport-confidence. J Strength Cond Res 35(11): 3232-3235, 2021-Sport-confidence is an important construct that is often missed during physical activity interventions in youth.

Automated Landing Error Scoring System Performance and the Risk of Bone Stress Injury in Military Trainees.

Context: Lower extremity bone stress injuries (BSIs) place a significant burden on the health and readiness of the US Armed Forces.

Objective: To determine if preinjury baseline performance on an expanded and automated 22-item version of the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS-22) was associated with the incidence of BSIs in a military training population.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

The Utilization of Core Exercises in Patients With Patellofemoral Pain: A Critically Appraised Topic.

Clinical Scenario: Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is characterized by general anterior knee pain around the patella and is one of the most prevalent knee conditions. PFP is challenging to treat due to a wide range of contributing factors and often has chronic, reoccurring symptoms. Traditional treatment focuses on quadriceps and gluteal strengthening with minimal emphasis on deep trunk musculature.

Differences in Lower Extremity Movement Quality by Level of Sport Specialization in Cadets Entering a United States Service Academy.

Background: Sport specialization in youth athletes is associated with increased risk for musculoskeletal injury; however, little is known about whether sport specialization is associated with lower extremity movement quality. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in lower extremity movement quality by level of sport specialization in US Service Academy cadets.

Hypothesis: Cadets who report an increased level of sport specialization would have a lower level of movement quality than those who are less specialized.

Movement Technique and Standing Balance After Graded Exercise-Induced Dehydration.

Context: Hypohydration has been shown to alter neuromuscular function. However, the longevity of these impairments remains unclear.

Objective: To examine the effects of graded exercise-induced dehydration on neuromuscular control 24 hours after exercise-induced hypohydration.

Adoption of Lightning Safety Best-Practices Policies in the Secondary School Setting.

Context: Lightning-related injuries are among the top 10 causes of sport-related death at all levels of sport, including the nearly 8 million athletes participating in US secondary school sports.

Objective: To investigate the adoption of lightning safety policies and the factors that influence the development of comprehensive lightning safety policies in United States secondary schools.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

The Relationship Between Physical Activity and Executive Functions Among Youth in Low-Income Urban Schools in the Northeast and Southwest United States.

The purpose of this study was to examine if physical activity is related to greater executive functions among youth in poverty. Executive functions (cognitive flexibility, inhibition, and working memory) and physical activity were measured in participants (N = 149) in the fifth to eighth grade from three schools located in high-poverty districts. Pearson correlations revealed a statistically significant correlation between physical activity and cognitive flexibility (r = .

Preseason Neck Mobility Is Associated With Throwing-Related Shoulder and Elbow Injuries, Pain, and Disability in College Baseball Pitchers.

Background: Shoulder and elbow injuries in baseball pitchers, which can lead to significant pain and disability, have been on the rise at all levels of play for 3 decades. Despite anatomic and neurophysiological relationships, neck mobility has not been explored as a contributor to shoulder and elbow injuries in baseball pitchers.

Hypothesis: Impaired neck mobility will increase the risk of shoulder and elbow injuries in college baseball pitchers.

Demographic Characteristics Among Patients With Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome of the Lower Leg.

Clinical Scenario: Chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) is a condition related with ischemia of the body's tissue due to increases in intracompartmental pressures, which involves, among other symptoms, pain with exertion. CECS is often overlooked or misdiagnosed due to an ambiguous presentation. Diagnostic accuracy of CECS and subsequent management can be improved when contributing factors are known.

Quadriceps Inhibition After Naturally Occurring Patellar Tendon Damage and Pain.

Context: After knee-joint injury, pain, effusion, and mechanoreceptor damage alter afferent signaling, which can result in quadriceps inhibition and subsequent weakness. The individual contributions of each factor to inhibition remain unclear due to confounding knee-joint injuries and indirect experimental models.

Objective: To characterize the influence of naturally occurring knee damage and pain on quadriceps neuromuscular function in individuals with patellar tendinopathy.

Examining the Relationship Between Neuroplasticity and Learned Helplessness After ACLR: Early Versus Late Recovery.

Context: Altered neural signaling is known to have a direct impact on psychological wellness. Therefore, disruptions in neural signaling after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction may influence psychological dysfunction, in some cases manifesting as learned helplessness. Helplessness is a psychological paradigm that presents as altered neuromuscular control, reduced motivation, and psychological deficits.

Does Dehydration Affect the Adaptations of Plasma Volume, Heart Rate, Internal Body Temperature, and Sweat Rate During the Induction Phase of Heat Acclimation?

Clinical Scenario: Exercise in the heat can lead to performance decrements and increase the risk of heat illness. Heat acclimation refers to the systematic and gradual increase in exercise in a controlled, laboratory environment. Increased duration and intensity of exercise in the heat positively affects physiological responses, such as higher sweat rate, plasma volume expansion, decreased heart rate, and lower internal body temperature.