Out-of-hospital birth training, experience and confidence of Australian rural volunteer ambulance officers.

Introduction: Unplanned out-of-hospital births represent less than 1% of ambulance requests for assistance. However, these call-outs have a high risk of life-threatening complications, which are particularly complex in rural or remote settings with limited accessibility to specialist care support. Many community hospitals no longer provide obstetrics care, so birth parents must travel to larger regional or metropolitan hospitals for assistance.

An Exploration of Low Back Beliefs of Male Pre-Professional and Professional Dancers.

Background: Globally, male dancers are affected by low back pain (LBP) up to 2.5 times more than female dancers. While female dancers' beliefs around LBP and dance-specific low back movements exist, no research has explored male dancers' beliefs.

Timing is everything, but does it really matter? Impact of 8-weeks morning versus evening iron supplementation in ballet and contemporary dancers.

The effectiveness of a morning versus evening oral iron supplement strategy to increase iron stores was explored. Ballet and contemporary dancers with serum ferritin (sFer) < 50μg/L (n = 14), were supplemented daily with 105 mg elemental oral iron in either the morning (Fe) or evening (Fe) for 8 weeks. A control group (n = 6) with sFer >50μg/L were given no supplement over the same period.

Paramedic training, experience, and confidence with out-of-hospital childbirth (OOHB) in Australia.

Background: Out-of-hospital births (OOHBs) are rare representing ∼0.05% of prehospital callouts. OOHBs are at increased risk of complications including life-threatening conditions such as postpartum haemorrhage and neonate resuscitation.

Developing an alcohol and other drug serious game for adolescents: considerations for improving student engagement.

Objectives: To explore perceptions of alcohol and other drug (AOD) education and digital game design preferences among Australian adolescents with the goal of identifying key factors to promote engagement in an AOD serious game for Australian secondary school students.

Methods: Semi-structured focus groups were conducted with 36 adolescents aged between 13 and 18 years. Qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis.

Out-of-hospital births and the experiences of emergency ambulance clinicians and birthing parents: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Emergency ambulance clinicians attend a wide range of prehospital emergencies, including out-of-hospital births (OOHBs). Intrapartum care comprises approximately 0.05% of emergency medical services' caseload, with only ~10% of intrapartum cases progressing to birth in emergency ambulance clinician care.

Movement quantity and quality: How do they relate to pain and disability in dancers?

Objective: This field-based study aimed to determine the association between pre-professional student dancers' movement quantity and quality with (i) pain severity and (ii) pain related disability.

Methods: Pre-professional female ballet and contemporary dance students (n = 52) participated in 4 time points of data collection over a 12-week university semester. At each time point dancers provided self-reported pain outcomes (Numerical Rating Scale as a measure of pain severity and Patient Specific Functional Scale as a measure of pain related disability) and wore a wearable sensor system.

Dietary Iron and the Elite Dancer.

Dancers are an athlete population at high risk of developing iron deficiency (ID). The aesthetic nature of the discipline means dancers potentially utilise dietary restriction to meet physique goals. In combination with high training demands, this means dancers are susceptible to problems related to low energy availability (LEA), which impacts nutrient intake.

Development of a Machine Learning Model for the Estimation of Hip and Lumbar Angles in Ballet Dancers.

Objective: Accurate field-based assessment of dance kinematics is important to understand the etiology, and thus prevention and management, of hip and back pain. The study objective was to develop a machine learning model to estimate thigh elevation and lumbar sagittal plane angles during ballet leg lifting tasks, using wearable sensor data.

Methods: Female dancers (n=30) performed ballet-specific leg lifting tasks to the front, side, and behind the body.

Judges' evaluation reliability changes between identifiable and anonymous performance of hip-hop dance movements.

Hip-hop competitions are performed across the world. In the recent inclusion in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, the assessment of hip-hop performance is undertaken by a panel of judges. The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of different visualisation tools utilised in the assessment of the hip-hop dance movements.

Dancers' Joint Strategies for Achieving Turnout in Low and High Friction Conditions.

Background: Dancing with legs externally rotated (turnout) is a fundamental element of ballet technique. A reliance on floor friction to achieve turnout may contribute toward the high injury rate in dancers. Joint strategies used by dancers in high and low friction turnout conditions are not well understood.

Development of a Human Activity Recognition System for Ballet Tasks.

Background: Accurate and detailed measurement of a dancer's training volume is a key requirement to understanding the relationship between a dancer's pain and training volume. Currently, no system capable of quantifying a dancer's training volume, with respect to specific movement activities, exists. The application of machine learning models to wearable sensor data for human activity recognition in sport has previously been applied to cricket, tennis and rugby.

An Exploration of Machine-Learning Estimation of Ground Reaction Force from Wearable Sensor Data.

This study aimed to develop a wearable sensor system, using machine-learning models, capable of accurately estimating peak ground reaction force (GRF) during ballet jumps in the field. Female dancers (n = 30) performed a series of bilateral and unilateral ballet jumps. Dancers wore six ActiGraph Link wearable sensors (100 Hz).

Virtual Reality Triage Training Can Provide Comparable Simulation Efficacy for Paramedicine Students Compared to Live Simulation-Based Scenarios.

Mass-casualty incidents (MCIs) are catastrophic. Whether they arise from natural or man-made disasters, the nature of such incidents and the multiple casualties involved can rapidly overwhelm response personnel. Mass-casualty triage training is traditionally taught via either didactic lectures or table top exercises.

An Exploration of Pre-Professional Dancers' Beliefs of the Low Back and Dance-Specific Low Back Movements.

Objective: Low back pain (LBP) is common in dancers. A biopsychosocial model should be considered in the aetiology of LBP, including a dancer's general beliefs of the low back and movements of the spine. This study aimed to determine pre-professional dancers' beliefs about their lower back in general and dance-specific movements of the spine and to explore whether these beliefs were influenced by a history of disabling LBP.

An analysis of the foot in turnout using a dance specific 3D multi-segment foot model.

Introduction: Recent three-dimensional (3D) kinematic research has revealed foot abduction is the strongest predictor of standing functional and forced turnout postures. However, it is still unknown how the internal foot joints enable a large degree of foot abduction in turnout. The primary purpose of this study was to use a dance specific multi-segment foot model to determine the lower leg and foot contributions to turnout that female university-level ballets use to accentuate their turnout.

The prevalence of generalized and syndromic hypermobility in elite Australian dancers.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of Generalized Joint Hypermobility (GJH) and Joint Hypermobility Syndrome/Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome-Hypermobility Type (JHS/EDS-HT) among dancers using established validated measures.

Design: Observational Cohort Study.

Setting: Laboratory.

Lower leg and foot contributions to turnout in female pre-professional dancers: A 3D kinematic analysis.

Turnout is a central element of classical ballet which involves sustained external rotation of the lower limbs during dance movements. Lower leg and foot compensation mechanisms which are often used to increase turnout have been attributed to the high incidence of lower limb injury in dancers. Evaluation of dancers' leg posture is needed to provide insight into the lower limb kinematic strategies used to achieve turnout.

Identifying lower limb specific and generalised joint hypermobility in adults: validation of the Lower Limb Assessment Score.

Background: The Lower Limb Assessment Score (LLAS) has only been validated in a paediatric population. The aim of this study was to validate the use of the LLAS in an adult population by: i) evaluating its ability to discriminate between different extents of lower limb hypermobility, ii) establishing a cut-off score to identify lower limb hypermobility, and iii) determining if the LLAS is able to identify Generalised Joint Hypermobility (GJH).

Methods: Participants were recruited across three groups representing varying degrees of hypermobility.

Ankle taping can reduce external ankle joint moments during drop landings on a tilted surface.

Ankle taping is commonly used to prevent ankle sprains. However, kinematic assessments investigating the biomechanical effects of ankle taping have provided inconclusive results. This study aimed to determine the effect of ankle taping on the external ankle joint moments during a drop landing on a tilted surface at 25°.

Lower-Leg and Foot Contributions to Turnout in University-Level Female Ballet Dancers.

Background: Turnout in ballet is produced through summation of the joint structure characteristics and ranges of motion at the hip, knee, ankle, and foot. Contributions of the hip joint to functional turnout in dancers have received extensive examination, whereas little is known about contributions from the knee, ankle, and foot. The aim of this study was to explore the nonhip components of turnout to dancers' functional turnout in first position by assessing passive external tibiofemoral rotation and active measures of foot pronation, ie, navicular drop and Foot Posture Index.

Kinematic repeatability of a multi-segment foot model for dance.

The purpose of this study was to determine the intra and inter-assessor repeatability of a modified Rizzoli Foot Model for analysing the foot kinematics of ballet dancers. Six university-level ballet dancers performed the movements; parallel stance, turnout plié, turnout stance, turnout rise and flex-point-flex. The three-dimensional (3D) position of individual reflective markers and marker triads was used to model the movement of the dancers' tibia, entire foot, hindfoot, midfoot, forefoot and hallux.

Torso and Bowing Arm Three-Dimensional Joint Kinematics of Elite Cellists: Clinical and Pedagogical Implications for Practice.

Background: Elite cello playing requires complex and refined motor control. Cellists are prone to right shoulder and thoracolumbar injuries. Research informing injury management of cellists and cello pedagogy is limited.

A comparison of the physical and anthropometric qualities explanatory of talent in the elite junior Australian football development pathway.

Objectives: To compare the physical and anthropometric qualities explanatory of talent at two developmental levels in junior Australian football (AF).

Design: Cross-sectional observational.

Methods: From a total of 134 juniors, two developmental levels were categorised; U16 (n=50; 15.

Single-leg squats can predict leg alignment in dancers performing ballet movements in "turnout".

The physical assessments used in dance injury surveillance programs are often adapted from the sports and exercise domain. Bespoke physical assessments may be required for dance, particularly when ballet movements involve "turning out" or external rotation of the legs beyond that typically used in sports. This study evaluated the ability of the traditional single-leg squat to predict the leg alignment of dancers performing ballet movements with turnout.