The Threshold Ambient Temperature for the Use of Precooling to Improve Cycling Time-Trial Performance.

Purpose: Cycling time-trial performance can be compromised by moderate to high ambient temperatures. It has become commonplace to implement precooling prior to competition to alleviate this performance decline. However, little is known about the ambient temperature threshold above which precooling becomes an effective strategy for enhancing endurance performance.

The effect of leg preference on postural stability in healthy athletes.

In research regarding postural stability, leg preference is often tested and controlled for. However, leg preference may vary between tasks. As athletes are a group of interest for postural stability testing, we evaluated the effect of five leg preference tasks categorization (step up, hop, ball kick, balance, pick up) on single-leg postural stability of 16 field hockey athletes.

Reducing muscle temperature drop after warm-up improves sprint cycling performance.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the effect of passive insulation versus external heating during recovery after a sprint-specific warm-up on thigh muscle temperature and subsequent maximal sprint performance.

Methods: On three separate occasions, 11 male cyclists (age = 24.7 ± 4.

The impact of adherence on sports injury prevention effect estimates in randomised controlled trials: looking beyond the CONSORT statement.

Objective: To investigate estimated outcome effects of a sports injury prevention intervention when analysed by means of a per protocol (PP) analysis approach.

Design: Randomised controlled trial (RCT) involving 522 athletes who sustained a lateral ankle sprain allocated to either an intervention (received a preventive programme in addition to usual care) or control group who were followed prospectively for one year.

Methods: Secondary analysis of data relating to registered ankle sprain recurrences, exposure and adherence to the allocated intervention using a PP analysis approach.

Potential savings of a program to prevent ankle sprain recurrence: economic evaluation of a randomized controlled trial.

Background: The most common ankle injury is the lateral ankle sprain. Dutch annual sports-related ankle sprain costs can roughly be estimated at €187,200,000. Research has shown that proprioceptive training accounts for an approximated overall 50% reduction in ankle sprain recurrence rate.

Effect of unsupervised home based proprioceptive training on recurrences of ankle sprain: randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of an unsupervised proprioceptive training programme on recurrences of ankle sprain after usual care in athletes who had sustained an acute sports related injury to the lateral ankle ligament.

Design: Randomised controlled trial, with one year follow-up.

Setting: Primary care.

Effect of sensorimotor training on morphological, neurophysiological and functional characteristics of the ankle: a critical review.

Sensorimotor training is effective in preventing ankle sprain recurrences, but the pathway through which this effect occurs is unknown. Biomechanical and neurophysiological analyses of sensorimotor training leading to functional changes of the ankle are needed to establish this pathway. This article reviews the effect of sensorimotor training on morphological, neurophysiological and functional characteristics of the ankle.

The 2BFit study: is an unsupervised proprioceptive balance board training programme, given in addition to usual care, effective in preventing ankle sprain recurrences? Design of a randomized controlled trial.

Background: There is strong evidence that athletes have a twofold risk for re-injury after a previous ankle sprain, especially during the first year post-injury. These ankle sprain recurrences could result in disability and lead to chronic pain or instability in 20 to 50% of these cases. When looking at the high rate of ankle sprain recurrences and the associated chronic results, ankle sprain recurrence prevention is important.

Increased hypoxic ventilatory response during 8 weeks at 3800 m altitude.

Acclimatization to chronic hypoxia (CH) increases ventilation (V(I)) and the isocapnic hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) over 2-14 days but hypoxic desensitization blunts the HVR after years of CH. We tested for hypoxic desensitization during the first 2 months of CH by studying five normal subjects at sea level (SL) and for 8 weeks at 3800 m (CH, PI(O(2)) approximately 90 Torr). We measured the isocapnic HVR (Delta V(I)/Delta Sa(O(2)) and tested for hypoxic ventilatory decline (HVD) by stepping Sa(O(2)) to 80% after 14 min at 90%.

Persistence of the lactate paradox over 8 weeks at 3,800 m.

The arterial blood lactate [La] response to exercise increases in acute hypoxia, but returns to near the normoxic (sea level, SL) response after 2 to 5 weeks of altitude acclimatization. Recently, it has been suggested that this gradual return to the SL response in [La], known as the lactate paradox (LP), unexpectedly disappears after 8 to 9 weeks at altitude. We tested this idea by recording the [La] response to exercise every 2 weeks over 8 weeks at altitude.