scholarly journals The Relationship between Dynamic Balance and Jumping Tests among Adolescent Amateur Rugby Players. A Preliminary Study

Author(s):  
Bartosz Wilczyński ◽  
Jakub Hinca ◽  
Daniel Ślęzak ◽  
Katarzyna Zorena

Rugby is a demanding contact sport. In light of research, poor balance, reduced jumping ability, muscle strength, and incorrect landing patterns might contribute to the increased risk of injury in athletes. Investigating the relationship between tests assessing these abilities might not only allow for the skillful programming of preventive training but also helps in assessing the risk of injury to athletes. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between dynamic balance, vertical and horizontal jumps, and jump-landings movement patterns. Thirty-one healthy amateur adolescent rugby players (age: 14.3 ± 1.6 years, height 171.4 ± 9.7 cm, body mass 80 ± 26 kg) participated in the study. Data were collected by the Y-balance Test (YBT), Counter Movement Jump (CMJ), Single Leg Hop for Distance (SLHD), and Landing Error Score System (LESS). Significant positive correlations were found between SLHD both legs (SLHDb) and YBT Composite both legs (COMb) (r = 0.51, p = 0.0037) and between SLHDb and CMJ (r = 0.72, p < 0.0001). A relationship was also observed between the CMJ and YBT COMb test (r = 0.51, p = 0.006). Moderate positive correlations were found between the dominant legs in SLHD and the posterolateral (r = 0.40, p = 0.027), posteromedial (r = 0.43, p = 0.014), and composite (r = 0.48, p = 0.006) directions of the YBT. These results indicate that variables that are dependent on each other can support in the assessment of injury-risk and in enhancing sports performance of young athletes.

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shane Malone ◽  
Mark Roe ◽  
Dominic A. Doran ◽  
Tim J. Gabbett ◽  
Kieran D. Collins

Purpose:To examine the association between combined session rating of perceived exertion (RPE) workload measures and injury risk in elite Gaelic footballers.Methods:Thirty-seven elite Gaelic footballers (mean ± SD age 24.2 ± 2.9 y) from 1 elite squad were involved in a single-season study. Weekly workload (session RPE multiplied by duration) and all time-loss injuries (including subsequent-wk injuries) were recorded during the period. Rolling weekly sums and wk-to-wk changes in workload were measured, enabling the calculation of the acute:chronic workload ratio by dividing acute workload (ie, 1-weekly workload) by chronic workload (ie, rolling-average 4-weekly workload). Workload measures were then modeled against data for all injuries sustained using a logistic-regression model. Odds ratios (ORs) were reported against a reference group.Results:High 1-weekly workloads (≥2770 arbitrary units [AU], OR = 1.63–6.75) were associated with significantly higher risk of injury than in a low-training-load reference group (<1250 AU). When exposed to spikes in workload (acute:chronic workload ratio >1.5), players with 1 y experience had a higher risk of injury (OR = 2.22) and players with 2–3 (OR = 0.20) and 4–6 y (OR = 0.24) of experience had a lower risk of injury. Players with poorer aerobic fitness (estimated from a 1-km time trial) had a higher injury risk than those with higher aerobic fitness (OR = 1.50–2.50). An acute:chronic workload ratio of (≥2.0) demonstrated the greatest risk of injury.Conclusions:These findings highlight an increased risk of injury for elite Gaelic football players with high (>2.0) acute:chronic workload ratios and high weekly workloads. A high aerobic capacity and playing experience appears to offer injury protection against rapid changes in workload and high acute:chronic workload ratios. Moderate workloads, coupled with moderate to high changes in the acute:chronic workload ratio, appear to be protective for Gaelic football players.


2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
TH Kruger ◽  
MF Coetsee ◽  
S Davies

Objective. To investigate the effects of prophylactic knee bracing on proprioceptive performance among first division rugby union players during a 2-minute Wilknox Quad Time Logger balancing task. Design. Each subject performed a 2-minute balancing task on the Wilknox Quad Time Logger. Test order, left or right leg, and the sequence of brace or non-brace, were randomised. Subjects were placed on the balancing board and instructed to balance for 2 minutes. Subjects performed 6 trials. Two days elapsed between testing. Each testing day involved 2 trials, 1 trial with and 1 without the prophylactic knee brace. Settings. Testing took place at the biokinetics laboratory of the University of Zululand. Subjects. Thirty playing (not injured) male rugby players, aged 22 - 30 years, participating in the KwaZulu-Natal club championships (2000). Outcome measure. Performance was measured in terms of time that balance was lost in a dynamic balance test. Peak proprioception was the best balancing performance recorded, and average proprioception the average balancing performance for all trials. Results. The findings showed an improvement of 17.9% in average proprioception times and 19.1% in peak proprioception times with the application of a prophylactic knee brace (p < 0.01). Conclusion. Prophylactic knee bracing improved proprioception performance of playing (uninjured) rugby players, and therefore may be responsible for the improvement in knee injury statistics reported in some studies on knee bracing. South African Journal of Sports Medicine Vol.16(1) 2004: 33-36


Author(s):  
Shih-Hsiang Ou ◽  
Chu-Lin Chou ◽  
Chia-Wei Lin ◽  
Wu-Chien Chien ◽  
Te-Chao Fang ◽  
...  

The association between gout and injury remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the injury risk in patients with gout. Using the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database (LHID) from 2000 to 2010 in Taiwan, patients with gout (group CFG) and those without gout (group C) were enrolled for further analysis. The CFG group was separated into two subgroups (with and without medication) to determine whether the risk of injury was reduced with drug intervention. The follow-up period was defined as the time from the initial diagnosis of gout to the date of injury. A total of 257,442 individuals were enrolled in this study, with 85,814 people in group CFG and 171,628 people in group C. Using Cox regression analysis, group CFG showed a significant increase in the risk of injury. Traffic injuries, poisoning, falls, crushing/cutting/piercing injury, and suicides were prominent among these injuries. Furthermore, when urate-lowing drugs were used to treat the CFG group, there were no significant differences in the occurrence of injury. Patients with gout had an increased risk of injury overall, and drug intervention did not lower the risk of injury in these patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 232596711987012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison E. Field ◽  
Frances A. Tepolt ◽  
Daniel S. Yang ◽  
Mininder S. Kocher

Background: Sports specialization has become increasingly common among youth. Purpose/Hypothesis: To investigate the relative importance of specialization vs volume of activity in increasing risk of injury. Hypotheses were that specialization increases the risk of injury and that risk varies by sport. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: A prospective analysis was conducted with data collected from 10,138 youth in the Growing Up Today Study—a prospective cohort study of youth throughout the United States—and their mothers. Activity was assessed via questionnaires in 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2001. Sports specialization was defined as engaging in a single sport in the fall, winter, and spring. Injury history was provided by participants’ mothers via questionnaire in 2004. The outcome was incident stress fracture, tendinitis, chondromalacia patella, anterior cruciate ligament tear, or osteochondritis dissecans or osteochondral defect. Results: Females who engaged in sports specialization were at increased risk of injury (hazard ratio [HR], 1.31; 95% CI, 1.07-1.61), but risk varied by sport. Sports specialization was associated with greater volume of physical activity in both sexes ( P < .0001). Total hours per week of vigorous activity was predictive of developing injury, regardless of what other variables were included in the statistical model (males: HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02-1.06; females: HR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.05-1.08). Among females, even those engaging in 3 to 3.9 hours per week less than their age were at a significantly increased risk of injury (HR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.34-2.77). In males, there was no clear pattern of risk. Conclusion: Sports specialization is associated with a greater volume of vigorous sports activity and increased risk of injury. Parents, coaches, and medical providers need to be made aware of the volume threshold above which physical activity is excessive.


Neurology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 91 (23 Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. S26.1-S26
Author(s):  
Hoch Matthew ◽  
Curry Nicole ◽  
Hartley-Gabriel Emily ◽  
Heebner Nicholas ◽  
Hoch Johanna

Athletes with a history of concussion (HC) are at an increased risk of sustaining lower extremity injuries. It is unclear if these individuals exhibit dynamic postural control deficits associated with lower extremity injury risk. The purpose of this study was to determine if collegiate athletes with a HC demonstrate differences in Y-Balance Test (YBT) performance compared to athletes with no history of concussion (NHC). A total of 116 varsity and club athletes from a Division-I university participated. Forty participants reported a HC (female/male: 31/9, age: 20.0 ± 1.4 years, height: 169.3 ± 13.1 cm, mass: 68.4 ± 14.0 kg) while 76 reported NHC (female/male: 60/16, age: 20.0 ± 1.7 years, height: 168.5 ± 12.9 cm, mass: 68.7 ± 14.6 kg). Individuals with a current concussion or lower extremity injury, or a history of lower extremity surgery were excluded. Participants completed the YBT anterior reach direction barefoot on both limbs. The YBT was completed by maximally reaching anteriorly, maintaining balance, and returning to the starting position without errors. Participants completed 4 practice trials and 3 test trials. Reach distances were averaged and normalized to leg length. Between-limb asymmetry was calculated as the absolute difference between the left and right limbs. Separate independent t-tests examined group differences in normalized reach distances and asymmetry. The proportion of participants in each group with >4 cm of asymmetry was compared using a χ2 test. Alpha was set at 0.05 for all analyses. No group differences were identified in normalized reach distances for the left (HC: 61.4% ± 9.2%, NHC: 60.8% ± 6.2%, p = 0.88, ES = 0.08) or right (HC: 61.4% ± 6.2%, NHC: 60.2% ± 6.8%, p = 0.51, ES = 0.17) limbs. However, a greater proportion of HC participants demonstrated >4 cm asymmetry (HC: 40.0%, NHC: 19.7%; p = 0.02) and these participants exhibited greater asymmetry (HC: 3.87 ± 3.69 cm, NHC: 2.40 ± 2.13 cm, p = 0.03; ES = 0.53). Athletes with a HC exhibited greater asymmetry compared to athletes with NHC. Anterior reach asymmetries of >4 cm are associated with greater lower extremity injury risk. The YBT may provide a clinical technique to further explore the relationship between concussion and lower extremity injury.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (9) ◽  
pp. 2225-2231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan J. Stares ◽  
Brian Dawson ◽  
Peter Peeling ◽  
Jarryd Heasman ◽  
Brent Rogalski ◽  
...  

Background: The risk of sustaining a subsequent injury is elevated in the weeks after return to play (RTP) from an index injury. However, little is known about the magnitude, duration, and nature by which subsequent injury risk is increased. Purpose: To quantify and describe the risk of injury in a 12-week period after RTP from an index injury in Australian football players. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: Injury data were collected from 79 players over 5 years at 1 Australian Football League club. Injuries were classified with the Orchard Sports Injury Classification System and by side of the body. Furthermore, injury severity was classified as time loss (resulting in ≥1 matches being missed) or non–time loss (no matches missed). Subsequent injury was categorized with the SIC-2.0 model and applied to the data set via an automated script. The probability of a time loss subsequent injury was calculated for in-season index injuries for each week of a 12-week period after RTP via a mixed effect logistic regression model. Results: Subsequent injury risk was found to be highest in the week of RTP for both time loss injuries (9.4%) and non–time loss injuries (6.9%). Risk decreased with each week survived after RTP; however, it did not return to baseline risk of participation (3.6%). Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that athletes returning to play are at an increased risk of injury for a number of weeks, thus indicating the requirement for tertiary prevention strategies to ensure that they survive this period.


2020 ◽  
Vol 114 (4) ◽  
pp. 315-324
Author(s):  
Melanie Perreault ◽  
Pamela Haibach-Beach ◽  
Lauren Lieberman ◽  
Elizabeth Foster

Introduction: Children with CHARGE syndrome often show delays in balance and motor skills due to multisensory impairments. Research also suggests that children with CHARGE syndrome have fewer opportunities to engage in physical activity. However, little research has examined the relationship among all of these variables. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between balance, motor skills, and physical activity. Methods: Participants consisted of 37 children with CHARGE syndrome aged 3–16 years who could walk independently. Parents of each child with CHARGE syndrome completed a demographics questionnaire and the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children or Adolescents. Their child completed the Mini-BEST balance test and five motor skills (run, jump, slide, kick, and throw) from the Test of Gross Motor Development II. Results: Results indicate that anticipatory control had significant positive correlations with all five motor skills, sensory orientation with three motor skills, and reactive postural control and dynamic gait with two motor skills. Running was the only variable that had a significant positive correlation with physical activity. Discussion: The findings indicate that balance, especially anticipatory control, plays an important role in fundamental motor skills of children with CHARGE syndrome. There is also a strong connection between physical activity and running competence for this population; however, since this is based on a correlational analysis, the direction of the relationship is unclear. Implications for practitioners: Physical education teachers should work with students with CHARGE syndrome on increasing balance and motor skill performance to give them the competence and confidence to engage in physical activity. Moreover, parents can help by engaging in physical activity with their child at an early age and seeking out additional physical activity opportunities for their child outside of the physical education and school setting.


2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min-Hyeok Kang ◽  
Dong-Kyu Lee ◽  
Kyung-Hee Park ◽  
Jae-Seop Oh

Context:Ankle-dorsiflexion range of motion has often been measured in the weight-bearing condition in the clinical setting; however, little is known about the relationship between the weight-bearing-lunge test (WBLT) and both ankle kinematics and performance on dynamic postural-control tests.Objective:To examine whether ankle kinematics and performance on the Lower Quarter Y-Balance Test (YBT-LQ) are correlated with results of the WBLT using an inclinometer and tape measure.Design:Cross-sectional.Setting:University motionanalysis laboratory.Participants:30 physically active participants.Interventions:None.Main Outcome Measures:The WBLT was evaluated using an inclinometer and a tape measure. The reach distances in the anterior, posteromedial, and posterolateral directions on the YBT-LQ were normalized by limb length. Ankle dorsiflexion during the YBT-LQ was recorded using a 3-dimensional motion-analysis system. Simple linear regression was used to examine the relationship between the WBLT results and both ankle dorsiflexion and the normalized reach distance in each direction on the YBT-LQ.Results:The WBLT results were significantly correlated with ankle dorsiflexion in all directions on the YBT-LQ (P < .05). A strong correlation was found between the inclinometer measurement of the WBLT and ankle dorsiflexion (r = .74, r2 = .55), whereas the tape-measure results on the WBLT were moderately correlated with ankle dorsiflexion (r = .64, r2 = .40) during the anterior reach on the YBT-LQ. Only the normalized anterior reach distance was significantly correlated with the results for the inclinometer (r = .68, r2 = .46) and the tape measure (r = .64, r2 = .41) on the WBLT.Conclusions:Inclinometer measurements on the WBLT can be an appropriate tool for predicting the amount of ankle dorsiflexion during the YBT-LQ. Furthermore, WBLT should be measured in those who demonstrate poor dynamic balance.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Cross ◽  
Sean Williams ◽  
Grant Trewartha ◽  
Simon P.T. Kemp ◽  
Keith A. Stokes

Purpose:To explore the association between in-season training-load (TL) measures and injury risk in professional rugby union players.Methods:This was a 1-season prospective cohort study of 173 professional rugby union players from 4 English Premiership teams. TL (duration × session-RPE) and time-loss injuries were recorded for all players for all pitch- and gym-based sessions. Generalized estimating equations were used to model the association between in-season TL measures and injury in the subsequent week.Results:Injury risk increased linearly with 1-wk loads and week-to-week changes in loads, with a 2-SD increase in these variables (1245 AU and 1069 AU, respectively) associated with odds ratios of 1.68 (95% CI 1.05–2.68) and 1.58 (95% CI 0.98–2.54). When compared with the reference group (<3684 AU), a significant nonlinear effect was evident for 4-wk cumulative loads, with a likely beneficial reduction in injury risk associated with intermediate loads of 5932–8651 AU (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.22–1.38) (this range equates to around 4 wk of average in-season TL) and a likely harmful effect evident for higher loads of >8651 AU (OR 1.39, 95% CI 0.98–1.98).Conclusions:Players had an increased risk of injury if they had high 1-wk cumulative loads (1245 AU) or large week-to-week changes in TL (1069 AU). In addition, a U-shaped relationship was observed for 4-wk cumulative loads, with an apparent increase in risk associated with higher loads (>8651 AU). These measures should therefore be monitored to inform injury-risk-reduction strategies.


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