Effects of shoe collar height and limb dominance on landing knee biomechanics in female collegiate volleyball players.

Volleyball-specific footwear with higher collar heights (a mid-cut shoe) are worn to restrict ankle motion. Reduced ankle dorsiflexion has been associated with increased frontal plane motion and injury risk at the knee. With the high frequency of unilateral landings in volleyball, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of volleyball-specific shoes and limb dominance on knee landing mechanics in collegiate volleyball players.

Influence of Friction at the Head-Helmet Interface on Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) Blunt Impact Kinematic Performance.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to compare the rotational blunt impact performance of an anthropomorphic test device (ATD: male 50% Hybrid III head and neck) headform donning an Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) between conditions in which the coefficient of static friction (μs) at the head-to-helmet pad interface varied.

Materials And Methods: Two ACHs (size large) were used in this study and friction was varied using polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), human hair, skullcap, and the native vinyl skin of the ATD. A condition in which hook and loop material adhered the headform to the liner system was also tested, resulting in a total of five conditions: PTFE, Human Hair, Skullcap, Vinyl, and Hook.

Influence of foam thickness on the control of EMG activity during a step-down task in females.

Compliant foams can be used to mitigate ground reaction forces. However, it is unknown how foam surfaces influence the modulation of leg muscle activity. Thus, the current study aimed to investigate how the neuromuscular system managed changes in expected loading due to various thickness of foam placed on the landing surface during a step down task.

Describing headform pose and impact location for blunt impact testing.

Reproduction of anthropomorphic test device (ATD) head impact test methods is a critical element needed to develop guidance and technologies that reduce the risk for brain injury in sport. However, there does not appear to be a consensus for reporting ATD pose and impact location for industry and researchers to follow. Thus, the purpose of this article is to explore the various methods used to report impact location and ATD head pose for sport-related head impact testing and provide recommendations for standardizing these descriptions.

National Athletic Trainers' Association Position Statement: Preventing and Managing Sport-Related Dental and Oral Injuries.

Objective: To provide athletic trainers, health care professionals, and all those responsible for the care of athletes with clinical recommendations for preventing and managing sport-related dental and oral injuries.

Background: Participation in competitive sports continues to grow at both the interscholastic and intercollegiate levels. Therefore, exposure to, and the incidence of athletic-related injury, including orofacial injury, will also likely increase.

Characterizations of a quality certified athletic trainer.

Context: Didactic proficiency does not ensure clinical aptitude. Quality athletic health care requires clinical knowledge and affective traits.

Objective: To develop a grounded theory explaining the constructs of a quality certified athletic trainer (AT).

Investigation of baseline self-report concussion symptom scores.

Context: Self-reported symptoms (SRS) scales comprise one aspect of a multifaceted assessment of sport-related concussion. Obtaining SRS assessments before a concussion occurs assists in determining when the injury is resolved. However, athletes may present with concussion-related symptoms at baseline.

Characterization of mouthguard materials: thermal properties of commercialized products.

Objectives: Several mechanisms have been purported to describe how mouthguards protect the orofacial complex against injury. As the properties needed for these mechanisms to be effective are temperature and frequency dependent, the specific aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive thermal characterization of commercial mouthguard materials.

Methods: Five commercially representative thermoplastic mouthguard materials (Essix Resin, Erkoflex, Proform-regular, Proform-laminate, and Polyshok) were tested.

Characterization of mouthguard materials: physical and mechanical properties of commercialized products.

Objectives: Contemporary mouthguard materials need to perform consistently over a wide range of possible temperatures (-20 to 40 degrees C). Therefore the specific aim of this study was to characterize commercialized mouthguard materials' properties and investigate the effect of temperature on these properties.

Methods: Five commercially representative thermoplastic mouthguard materials (Essix Resin, Erkoflex, Proform-regular, Proform-laminate, and Polyshok) were tested.

Structural validity of a self-report concussion-related symptom scale.

Purpose: This study evaluated the factorial validity of a self-report measure of concussion-related symptom severity among a large sample of male, high-school athletes.

Methods: Participants (N = 1089) were nonconcussed, male, high-school football players. All participants completed a single baseline self-report measure of concussion-related symptom severity, namely the graded symptom checklist (GSC).

Evidence for the Factorial and Construct Validity of a Self-Report Concussion Symptoms Scale.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the factorial and construct validity of the Head Injury Scale (HIS) among a sample of male and female collegiate athletes. DESIGN AND SETTING: Using a cross-sectional design, we established the factorial validity of the HIS scale with confirmatory factor analysis and the construct validity of the HIS with Pearson product moment correlation analyses. Using an experimental design, we compared scores on the HIS between concussed and nonconcussed groups with a 2 (groups) x 5 (time) mixed-model analysis of variance.

Evaluation of neuropsychological domain scores and postural stability following cerebral concussion in sports.

Context: With increasing knowledge and research about concussion, there have been few objective studies that have used neuropsychological domain scores and postural stability to assess concussion.

Objective: To evaluate the recovery curve of athletes who incur sport-related concussion from repeated serial testing of neuropsychological and posturography testing.

Design: A prospective epidemiological model was used for the course of the study.