Gymnastics and concussions: A retrospective chart review.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical presentation (using PCSS), mechanism of injury, and recovery time of concussions sustained by gymnasts.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed at Boston Children's Hospital: Sports Medicine Clinic. Patients were identified with the words 'gymnastics' and 'concussion.

Improved Biomagnetic Signal-To-Noise Ratio and Source Localization Using Optically Pumped Magnetometers with Synthetic Gradiometers.

Optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) can capture brain activity but are susceptible to magnetic noise. The objective of this study was to evaluate a novel methodology used to reduce magnetic noise in OPM measurements. A portable magnetoencephalography (MEG) prototype was developed with OPMs.

The effects of sports-related concussion history on female adolescent brain activity and connectivity for bilateral lower extremity knee motor control.

Sports-related concussions (SRCs) are associated with neuromuscular control deficits in athletes following return to play. However, the connection between SRC and potentially disrupted neural regulation of lower extremity motor control has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to investigate brain activity and connectivity during a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) lower extremity motor control task (bilateral leg press) in female adolescent athletes with a history of SRC.

Age and Sex Comparisons in Pediatric Track and Field Hurdle Injuries Seen in Emergency Departments of the US.

There is limited literature analyzing pediatric hurdle injuries based on sex and age. This study compares hurdle-related injury types, injured body parts, and injury mechanisms by age and sex in pediatrics. Hurdle-related injury data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System were used to retrospectively review the injuries of hurdlers 18 years and under.

Contact or Collision Sport History, Repetitive Neurotrauma, and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Early to Midadulthood.

Context: Data on the early to midlife effects of repetitive neurotrauma on patient-reported outcomes have been delimited to homogeneous samples of male athletes without comparison groups or accounting for modifying factors such as physical activity.

Objective: To determine the effect of contact or collision sport participation and repetitive neurotrauma on patient-reported outcomes among early to middle-aged adults.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Running Marathons in High School: A 5-Year Review of Injury in a Structured Training Program.

Objective: The aim in this study was to quantify the number, nature, and severity of injuries sustained by male and female high school students who took part in a running training program that culminated in the completion of a half or full marathon.

Design: This study is a retrospective clinical audit.

Methods: Injury reports from high school students (grades 9-12) who participated in a half or full marathon 30-week progressive training program comprising four training days per week (three running days and one cross-training day) were reviewed.

A Landmark-Based Technique for Determining an Isometric Femoral Attachment Site for Lateral Extraarticular Tenodesis is Inaccurate.

Purpose: To evaluate the reliability and accuracy of a method of placing the femoral fixation location for lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET) within a safe isometric area using anatomic landmarks.

Methods: Using a pilot cadaveric specimen, the center of the radiographic safe isometric area for femoral fixation of LET, defined as a 1 cm (proximal-distal) area located proximal to the metaphyseal flare and posterior to the posterior cortical extension line (PCEL), was located using fluoroscopy and found to be 20 mm directly proximal to the center of the fibular collateral ligament (FCL) origin. Using 10 additional specimens, the center of the FCL origin and a location 20 mm directly proximal was identified.

Assessment of Physical Tests in 6-11 Years Old Children: Findings from the Play Lifestyle and Activity in Youth (PLAY) Study.

The purpose was to evaluate selected physical tests in children and to compare the outcomes by sex. A cross-sectional study design was used to evaluate children 6-11 years who completed five physical tests: hand grip, vertical jump, sit and reach, Y-balance, and obstacle course (time and score). The outcome measures including test results were descriptively examined and compared by sex.

Differences in Lower Extremity Coordination Patterns as a Function of Sports Specialization.

The practice of early sport specialization, defined as intense year-round training in a single sport at the exclusion of others, is increasing in youth athletics. Despite potential benefits, sport specialization may be detrimental to the health of young athletes, as specialization may increase the risk of musculoskeletal injuries-particularly overuse injuries. However, there remains limited knowledge about how sports specialization uniquely alters underlying sports-related motor behavior.

Design Considerations for the Attenuation of Translational and Rotational Accelerations in American Football Helmets.

Participants in American football experience repetitive head impacts that induce negative changes in neurocognitive function over the course of a single season. This study aimed to quantify the transfer function connecting the force input to the measured output acceleration of the helmet system to provide a comparison of the impact attenuation of various modern American football helmets. Impact mitigation varied considerably between helmet models and with location for each helmet model.

Barriers and Facilitators of Research in Pediatric Sports Medicine Practitioners: A Survey of the PRiSM Society.

Background: Barriers and facilitators to research in sports medicine (SM) by physicians and allied health (AH) professions such as physical therapists and athletic trainers are understudied. The purpose of this research was to examine and compare research barriers, facilitators, and other research related facets including interests, comfort, knowledge, and resources among SM physicians and AH practitioners.

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Effects of contact/collision sport history on gait in early- to mid-adulthood.

Background: To determine the effect of contact/collision sport participation on measures of single-task (ST) and dual-task (DT) gait among early- to middle-aged adults.

Methods: The study recruited 113 adults (34.88 ± 11.

Relating American Football Age of First Exposure to Patient-Reported Outcomes and Medical Diagnoses Among Former National Football League Players: An NFL-LONG study.

Background: The age of first exposure (AFE) to American football participation is a growing concern for late-life function. Mixed evidence exists surrounding AFE and may be attributed to varied methods employed across studies.

Objective: To examine the associations between AFE to American football participation with measures of cognitive, behavioral, and physical function and brain-related medical diagnoses across age categories among former National Football League players.

Lower extremity Interlimb coordination associated brain activity in young female athletes: A biomechanically instrumented neuroimaging study.

Bilateral sensorimotor coordination is required for everyday activities, such as walking and sitting down/standing up from a chair. Sensorimotor coordination functional neuroimaging (fMRI) paradigms (e.g.

Quantity and quality of sleep in young players of a professional football club.

Purpose: To investigate the quantity and quality of sleep hours in young athletes in a professional football club, to study if there is a significant relationship with mood state and subjective well-being, and to identify the relationship between sleep and quarterly academic performance. We also explored the relationship between sleep and quarterly academic performance.

Method: the study included 261 players of the various age group categories from football at Barcelona Football Club (average age:13.

Do Cutting Kinematics Change as Boys Mature? A Longitudinal Cohort Study of High-School Athletes.

Objective: Examine longitudinal changes in trunk, hip, and knee kinematics in maturing boys during an unanticipated cutting task.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Biomechanical laboratory.

Movement Regularity Differentiates Specialized and Nonspecialized Athletes in a Virtual Reality Soccer Header Task.

Background: Young athletes who specialize early in a single sport may subsequently be at increased risk of injury. While heightened injury risk has been theorized to be related to volume or length of exposure to a single sport, the development of unhealthy, homogenous movement patterns, and rigid neuromuscular control strategies may also be indicted. Unfortunately, traditional laboratory assessments have limited capability to expose such deficits due to the simplistic and constrained nature of laboratory measurement techniques and analyses.

Examining racial and ethnic disparities in adult emergency department patient visits for concussion in the United States.

Background: Racial and ethnic differences in emergency department (ED) visits have been reported among adolescent patients but are unsubstantiated among adults. Therefore, our purpose in this study was to examine the relationship between race/ethnicity and adult ED visits for concussions, their injury mechanisms, and computed tomography (CT) scan use among a nationally representative sample.

Methods: We used the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey database from 2010-2015 to examine 63,725 adult (20-45 years old) patient visits, representing an estimated 310.

A Weighted Head Accelerator Mechanism (WHAM) for visualizing brain rheology using magnetic resonance imaging.

Background: A device for moving the head during MR imaging, called a Weighted Head Accelerator Mechanism (WHAM), rotates the head of a supine subject within programmable rotation limits and acceleration profiles. The WHAM can be used with custom MRI sequences to visualize the deformation and recoil of in vivo brain parenchyma with high temporal resolution, allowing element-wise calculation of strain and shear forces in the brain. Unlike previous devices, the WHAM can be configured to provide a wide range of motion and acceleration profiles.

Adolescent Marathon Training: Prospective Evaluation of Musculotendinous Changes During a 6-Month Endurance Running Program.

Objectives: Assess changes in lower extremity musculotendinous thickness, tissue echogenicity, and muscle pennation angles among adolescent runners enrolled in a 6-month distance running program.

Methods: We conducted prospective evaluations of adolescent runners' lower extremity musculotendinous changes at three timepoints (baseline, 3 months, and 6 months) throughout a progressive marathon training program. Two experienced researchers used an established protocol to obtain short- and long-axis ultrasound images of the medial gastrocnemius, tibialis anterior, flexor digitorum brevis, abductor hallicus, and Achilles and patellar tendons.

Analysis of injuries during the 2019 Rink Hockey World Championship.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to describe the incidence and characteristics of injuries at the 2019 Rink Hockey World Championship.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed among rink hockey athletes from three National Teams (Argentina, Portugal, and Spain). All injuries were reported by the medical staff of each National Team during the preparation period and the competition in the 2019 World Championship (Barcelona, Spain).

Moderate and High Sport Specialization Level in Ice Hockey Athletes Is Associated With Symptomatic Cam Deformity.

Background: There is a known association between ice hockey and cam deformity in growing athletes. Similarly, the association between sport specialization and overuse injury in youth athletes has been well established. Limited research exists examining the relationship between cam deformity and sport specialization.