The efficacy of injury screening for lower back pain in elite golfers.

Background: Injury prevention is a growing focus for golfers in general and for elite golfers in particular. Movement screening has been proposed as a possible cost-effective means of identifying underlying risk factors and is widely utilised by therapists, trainers and coaches.

Objectives: Our study aimed to establish whether results from movement screening were associated with subsequent lower back injury in elite golfers.

Lower Quadrant Swing Biomechanics Identifies Golfers With Increased Risk of Low Back Pain: A Prospective Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Context: Elite golfers have a high incidence of low back pain. Recent reviews have emphasized the need for investigation into how to prevent low back pain in golfers, prompting the current study.

Design: Prospective longitudinal cohort study.

Increased trunk muscle recruitment during the golf swing is linked to developing lower back pain: A prospective longitudinal cohort study.

Background: This is the first study that presents electromyographic measurements prior to the development of lower back pain in young elite golfers.

Study Design: Prospective longitudinal cohort study.

Methods: Thirty-three injury free elite golfers were included.

Restless legs syndrome: Clinical changes in nervous system excitability at the spinal cord level.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a complex multifactorial disorder whose aetiology has yet to be fully elucidated. Some of the features of RLS, such as processing of sensations and activation of movement, may result from a dysfunction in spinal processing giving rise to a state of spinal hyperexcitability. In the current article we review studies investigating spinal excitability in RLS patients looking specifically at electrophysiological studies of spinal activity, sensory evaluations, and spinal reflex studies.

Characterization of painful Restless Legs Syndrome sensations in an English-speaking South African population.

Background and aims Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is characterised by unusual sensations in the legs which can be described as painful in up to 60% of RLS patients. The purpose of this study was to characterise and examine whether the presence of pain influenced the words used to describe the sensations of RLS in an English speaking population. Methods RLS participants (n=55) were divided according to whether or not painful RLS sensations were reported upon questioning.

A review of the biomechanical determinants of rugby scrummaging performance.

Background: The scrum is a physical contest unique to the game of rugby union, important for determining match outcomes.

Objective: This review will describe the current understanding of the kinetic and kinematic determinants of successful scrum performance to support coaching interventions and inform on future research.

Methods: Literature review.

Distal muscle activity alterations during the stance phase of gait in restless leg syndrome (RLS) patients.

Objective: To assess if there is a circadian variation in electromyographical (EMG) muscle activity during gait in restless legs syndrome (RLS) patients and healthy control participants.

Methods: Gait assessment was done in 14 RLS patients and 13 healthy control participants in the evening (PM) and the morning (AM). Muscle activity was recorded bilaterally from the tibialis anterior (TA), lateral gastrocnemius (GL), rectus femoris (RF) and biceps femoris (BF) muscles.

Circadian variation of flexor withdrawal and crossed extensor reflexes in patients with restless legs syndrome.

An evening state of spinal hyperexcitability has been proposed to be a possible cause of evening increases in restless legs syndrome symptoms. Thus, the objective of the current study was to assess the circadian variation in spinal excitability in patients with restless legs syndrome based on flexor withdrawal reflex and crossed extensor reflex responses. The reflexes were elicited on 12 participants with restless legs syndrome and 12 healthy control participants in the evening (PM) and the morning (AM).

Plantar reflex excitability is increased in the evening in restless legs syndrome patients.

Objective: To investigate if diurnal changes in spinal excitability (plantar reflex) occur in restless legs syndrome (RLS) participants compared to healthy matched controls.

Methods: Thirteen RLS participants and 13 healthy control participants' plantar reflex responses were evaluated in the evening (PM) and the morning (AM). Plantar reflex responses were assessed electromyographically, using motion analysis (kinematically) and by subjective nociception (Visual Analogue Scale).

Combined individual scrummaging kinetics and muscular power predict competitive team scrum success.

Scrummaging is a major component of Rugby Union gameplay. Successful scrummaging is dependent on the coordination of the forward players and the strength of the eight individuals. The study aim was to determine whether individual scrummaging kinetics and other candidate factors associated with scrummaging performance discriminate team scrum performances.

Reduced nondominant lumbar multifidi cross-sectional area is a precursor of low back injury in cricket fast bowlers.

Asymmetry in the lumbar multifidi muscle (LM) cross-sectional area (CSA) is associated with low back injury. The aim of this prospective cohort study was to investigate the symmetry of the CSA of LM at L3, L4, and L5, in the context of simultaneous injury monitoring. Injury free, male, right-handed cricket fast bowlers playing at a nonprofessional level participated in this study.

Extrinsic and intrinsic factors associated with non-contact injury in adult pace bowlers: a systematic review protocol.

Review Question/objective: Review question: which extrinsic and intrinsic factors are associated with non-contact injury in adult cricket pace bowlers?Review objective: the objective of this review is to determine the extrinsic and intrinsic factors associated with non-contact injury in adult pace bowlers.

Background: Cricket is generally considered to be a sport of low injury risk compared to other sports. In cricket, the pace bowler strives towards the adoption of a bowling technique with a relatively low injury threat that will, at the same time, allow for a fast (>120km/hr) and accurate delivery to the opposing batsman.

The association between loss of ankle dorsiflexion range of movement, and hip adduction and internal rotation during a step down test.

A pattern of excessive hip adduction and internal rotation with medial deviation of the knee has been associated with numerous musculo-skeletal dysfunctions. Research into the role that ankle dorsiflexion (DF) range of motion (ROM) play in lower limb kinematics is lacking. The objective of this cross-sectional, observational study was to investigate the relationship between ankle DF ROM, and hip adduction and hip internal rotation during a step-down test with and without heel elevation in a healthy female population.

Which Extrinsic and Intrinsic Factors are Associated with Non-Contact Injuries in Adult Cricket Fast Bowlers?

Background: The high prevalence of injury amongst cricket fast bowlers exposes a great need for research into the risk factors associated with injury. Both extrinsic (environment-related) and intrinsic (person-related) risk factors are likely to be implicated within the high prevalence of non-contact injury amongst fast bowlers in cricket. Identifying and defining the relative importance of these risk factors is necessary in order to optimize injury prevention efforts.

The Interrater Reliability of Subjective Assessments of the Babinski Reflex.

The Babinski reflex is a clinical diagnostic tool; however, the interrater reliability of this tool is currently greatly contested. A comparison between rater groups with objective measurements of the Babinski reflex was therefore conducted. Fifteen recorded Babinski reflexes were assessed by 12 neurologists and 12 medical students as being either pathological or nonpathological.

Kinematic and kinetic analysis of the inter- and intra-applicator assessment of the Babinski reflex.

Aims Of The Study: The first aim was to quantify variability in the mechanical technique used by neurologists to elicit the Babinski reflex. The second aim of the study was to assess if the mechanical technique is an important determinant of the subsequent reflex response.

Materials And Methods: In this study, twelve neurologists elicited the Babinski reflex five times on the same foot of the same participant using a special reflex hammer which recorded the force and duration of the stroke.

Injury and lumbar reposition sense in cricket pace bowlers in neutral and pace bowling specific body positions.

Background And Context: The cricket pace bowling action consists of a complex sequence of forceful actions, involving practiced, particular movements of the lumbar spine. The nature and repetition of the pace bowling action is known to be associated with a high incidence of low back injuries.

Purpose: This study aimed to establish whether lumbar proprioception (as measured by joint position sense) in the neutral lumbar spine position as well as lumbar positions corresponding to those at front foot placement and ball release positions of the cricket pace bowling action were related to previous injury and injury sustained during the cricket season under review.

Static and dynamic balance ability, lumbo-pelvic movement control and injury incidence in cricket pace bowlers.

Objectives: This study aimed to establish the difference in lumbo-pelvic movement control, static and dynamic balance at the start and at the end of a cricket season in pace bowlers who sustained an injury during the season and those who did not.

Design: This is a longitudinal, observational study.

Methods: Thirty-two, healthy, injury free, male premier league fast, fast-medium and medium pace bowlers between the ages of 18 and 26 years (mean age 21.

The accuracy of subjective clinical assessments of the patellar reflex.

Introduction: Measurement precision and accuracy of spinal reflexes plays an essential role in the clinical neurological examination. Reflexes are conventionally assessed either electromyographically or with rating scales. In this study we compared objective kinematic T-reflex and subjective assessments of patellar reflexes in 15 normal healthy subjects.

The patellar reflex: does activity of quadriceps femoris muscles reflect leg movement?

Objectives: The assessment of spinal reflexes has traditionally been performed by clinicians with minimal need for recording equipment, where doctors rely on their training and may use established subjective reflex rating scales. With advances in technology, it is now possible to assess reflexes objectively. This study compared two objective methods of assessing patellar reflex magnitude, duration, and latency, namely electromyography (EMG) of the quadriceps muscles and kinematic assessment of the leg movement around the knee joint.

Descriptors of restless legs syndrome sensations.

Background: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is characterised by an urge to move in response to unusual sensations in the legs. Patients experience difficulty describing their RLS sensations, resulting in a diverse range of descriptors which have not been fully categorised. The purpose of this study was to describe RLS sensations and to evaluate the accuracy of current diagnostic descriptors.

Anthropometric, biomechanical, and isokinetic strength predictors of ball release speed in high-performance cricket fast bowlers.

Fast bowling is fundamental to all forms of cricket. The purpose of this study was to identify parameters that contribute to high ball release speeds in cricket fast bowlers. We assessed anthropometric dimensions, concentric and eccentric isokinetic strength of selected knee and shoulder muscle groups, and specific aspects of technique from a single delivery in 28 high-performance fast bowlers (age 22.

Determinants of ball release speed in schoolboy fast-medium bowlers in cricket.

Aim: Studies investigating determinants of ball release speed have examined the technique and anthropometry of fast bowlers with little work being done on muscular strength. The aim of our study was to determine whether knee biomechanics during bowling and strength of the shoulder and knee could predict ball release speed.

Methods: Twelve cricketers, aged 16.

The agreement between reaction-board measurements and kinematic estimation of adult male human whole body centre of mass location during running.

The segmental method for estimating the centre of mass (COM) location of the human body has been widely used since 1889. How closely this method agrees with direct measurements of the location and movement of COM during activity however, remains unclear. To test this, a novel reaction-board utilizing life sized projections of human subjects is designed for measuring COM location.

Sperm characteristics of endurance trained cyclists.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of cycling on sperm characteristics. Twenty subjects volunteered for the study, comprising 10 long distance competitive cyclists (median 25.5 y) and 10 sedentary controls (median 24.