-
Journal of Athletic Training Oct 2019Sport specialization is a training method now commonly used by young athletes who hope to achieve elite-level success. This may be defined as (1) choosing a main sport,... (Review)
Review
Sport specialization is a training method now commonly used by young athletes who hope to achieve elite-level success. This may be defined as (1) choosing a main sport, (2) quitting all other sports to focus on 1 sport, and (3) year-round training (greater than 8 months per year). A number of sports medicine organizations have published recommendations based on the limited evidence available on this topic. The objective of this article was to perform a narrative review of the currently available evidence and sports medicine organizational recommendations regarding sport specialization and its effects on health to guide athletic trainers and sports medicine providers. To accomplish this goal, we conducted a narrative review of articles and position statements on sport specialization published from 1990 through 2018. Injury, overuse injury, serious overuse injury, and lower extremity injury were likely associated with higher degrees of sport specialization in various populations. Sports medicine organizations in general recommended against sport specialization in young athletes and instead promoted multisport participation for physical and psychological benefits. Few long-term data suggest that sport specialization has negative health-related quality-of-life consequences. Higher degrees of sport specialization likely pose risks of overuse injury; however, the age of specialization at which this risk occurs is not known. Because different populations and sports activities may put children at risk for certain injuries, future researchers should monitor large populations with sport-specific prospective active surveillance.
Topics: Adolescent; Athletic Injuries; Child; Cumulative Trauma Disorders; Humans; Risk Factors; Specialization; Sports Medicine; Stress, Psychological; Youth Sports
PubMed: 31633420
DOI: 10.4085/1062-6050-380-18 -
Sports Health 2016Wearable performance devices and sensors are becoming more readily available to the general population and athletic teams. Advances in technology have allowed individual... (Review)
Review
CONTEXT
Wearable performance devices and sensors are becoming more readily available to the general population and athletic teams. Advances in technology have allowed individual endurance athletes, sports teams, and physicians to monitor functional movements, workloads, and biometric markers to maximize performance and minimize injury. Movement sensors include pedometers, accelerometers/gyroscopes, and global positioning satellite (GPS) devices. Physiologic sensors include heart rate monitors, sleep monitors, temperature sensors, and integrated sensors. The purpose of this review is to familiarize health care professionals and team physicians with the various available types of wearable sensors, discuss their current utilization, and present future applications in sports medicine.
EVIDENCE ACQUISITION
Data were obtained from peer-reviewed literature through a search of the PubMed database. Included studies searched development, outcomes, and validation of wearable performance devices such as GPS, accelerometers, and physiologic monitors in sports.
STUDY DESIGN
Clinical review.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
Level 4.
RESULTS
Wearable sensors provide a method of monitoring real-time physiologic and movement parameters during training and competitive sports. These parameters can be used to detect position-specific patterns in movement, design more efficient sports-specific training programs for performance optimization, and screen for potential causes of injury. More recent advances in movement sensors have improved accuracy in detecting high-acceleration movements during competitive sports.
CONCLUSION
Wearable devices are valuable instruments for the improvement of sports performance. Evidence for use of these devices in professional sports is still limited. Future developments are needed to establish training protocols using data from wearable devices.
Topics: Accelerometry; Athletes; Athletic Injuries; Athletic Performance; Humans; Microtechnology; Monitoring, Physiologic; Movement; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; Sports; Sports Medicine
PubMed: 26733594
DOI: 10.1177/1941738115616917 -
European Journal of Sport Science 2014The aim of this study is to estimate the ratio of male and female participants in Sports and Exercise Medicine research. Original research articles published in three...
The aim of this study is to estimate the ratio of male and female participants in Sports and Exercise Medicine research. Original research articles published in three major Sports and Exercise Medicine journals (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, British Journal of Sports Medicine and American Journal of Sports Medicine) over a three-year period were examined. Each article was screened to determine the following: total number of participants, the number of female participants and the number of male participants. The percentage of females and males per article in each of the journals was also calculated. Cross tabulations and Chi-square analysis were used to compare the gender representation of participants within each of the journals. Data were extracted from 1382 articles involving a total of 6,076,580 participants. A total of 2,366,968 (39%) participants were female and 3,709,612 (61%) were male. The average percentage of female participants per article across the journals ranged from 35% to 37%. Females were significantly under-represented across all of the journals (χ(2) = 23,566, df = 2, p < 0.00001). In conclusion, Sports and Exercise Medicine practitioners should be cognisant of sexual dimorphism and gender disparity in the current literature.
Topics: Biomedical Research; Female; Humans; Male; Research Subjects; Sexism; Sports Medicine
PubMed: 24766579
DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2014.911354 -
European Journal of Applied Physiology Jan 2021Energy availability (EA) is defined as the amount of dietary energy available to sustain physiological function after subtracting the energetic cost of exercise.... (Review)
Review
Energy availability (EA) is defined as the amount of dietary energy available to sustain physiological function after subtracting the energetic cost of exercise. Insufficient EA due to increased exercise, reduced energy intake, or a combination of both, is a potent disruptor of the endocrine milieu. As such, EA is conceived as a key etiological factor underlying a plethora of physiological dysregulations described in the female athlete triad, its male counterpart and the Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport models. Originally developed upon female-specific physiological responses, this concept has recently been extended to males, where experimental evidence is limited. The majority of data for all these models are from cross-sectional or observational studies where hypothesized chronic low energy availability (LEA) is linked to physiological maladaptation. However, the body of evidence determining causal effects of LEA on endocrine, and physiological function through prospective studies manipulating EA is comparatively small, with interventions typically lasting ≤ 5 days. Extending laboratory-based findings to the field requires recognition of the strengths and limitations of current knowledge. To aid this, this review will: (1) provide a brief historical overview of the origin of the concept in mammalian ecology through its evolution of algebraic calculations used in humans today, (2) Outline key differences from the 'energy balance' concept, (3) summarise and critically evaluate the effects of LEA on tissues/systems for which we now have evidence, namely: hormonal milieu, reproductive system endocrinology, bone metabolism and skeletal muscle; and finally (4) provide perspectives and suggestions for research upon identified knowledge gaps.
Topics: Energy Intake; Energy Metabolism; Exercise; Female; Gonadal Hormones; Humans; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System; Male; Sports Medicine
PubMed: 33095376
DOI: 10.1007/s00421-020-04516-0 -
British Journal of Sports Medicine Apr 2020Injury and illness surveillance, and epidemiological studies, are fundamental elements of concerted efforts to protect the health of the athlete. To encourage...
International Olympic Committee consensus statement: methods for recording and reporting of epidemiological data on injury and illness in sport 2020 (including STROBE Extension for Sport Injury and Illness Surveillance (STROBE-SIIS)).
Injury and illness surveillance, and epidemiological studies, are fundamental elements of concerted efforts to protect the health of the athlete. To encourage consistency in the definitions and methodology used, and to enable data across studies to be compared, research groups have published 11 sport-specific or setting-specific consensus statements on sports injury (and, eventually, illness) epidemiology to date. Our objective was to further strengthen consistency in data collection, injury definitions and research reporting through an updated set of recommendations for sports injury and illness studies, including a new Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist extension. The IOC invited a working group of international experts to review relevant literature and provide recommendations. The procedure included an open online survey, several stages of text drafting and consultation by working groups and a 3-day consensus meeting in October 2019. This statement includes recommendations for data collection and research reporting covering key components: defining and classifying health problems; severity of health problems; capturing and reporting athlete exposure; expressing risk; burden of health problems; study population characteristics and data collection methods. Based on these, we also developed a new reporting guideline as a STROBE Extension-the STROBE Sports Injury and Illness Surveillance (STROBE-SIIS). The IOC encourages ongoing in- and out-of-competition surveillance programmes and studies to describe injury and illness trends and patterns, understand their causes and develop measures to protect the health of the athlete. Implementation of the methods outlined in this statement will advance consistency in data collection and research reporting.
Topics: Athletic Injuries; Checklist; Disease; Epidemiologic Research Design; Humans; Sports Medicine
PubMed: 32071062
DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2019-101969 -
Australian Journal of General Practice Mar 2024
Topics: Humans; Sports Medicine
PubMed: 38437653
DOI: 10.31128/AJGP-03-24-5678e -
Nutrients May 2021Body composition is acknowledged as a determinant of athletic health and performance. Its assessment is crucial in evaluating the efficiency of a diet or aspects related... (Review)
Review
Body composition is acknowledged as a determinant of athletic health and performance. Its assessment is crucial in evaluating the efficiency of a diet or aspects related to the nutritional status of the athlete. Despite the methods traditionally used to assess body composition, bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) and bioelectric impedance vector analysis (BIVA) have recently gained attention in sports, as well as in a research context. Only until recently have specific regression equations and reference tolerance ellipses for athletes become available, while specific recommendations for measurement procedures still remain scarce. Therefore, the present narrative review summarizes the current literature regarding body composition analysis, with a special focus on BIA and BIVA. The use of specific technologies and sampling frequencies is described, and recommendations for the assessment of body composition in athletes are provided. Additionally, the estimation of body composition parameters (i.e., quantitative analysis) and the interpretation of the raw bioelectrical data (i.e., qualitative analysis) are examined, highlighting the innovations now available in athletes. Lastly, it should be noted that, up until 2020, the use of BIA and BIVA in athletes failed to provide accurate results due to unspecific equations and references; however, new perspectives are now unfolding for researchers and practitioners. In light of this, BIA and especially BIVA can be utilized to monitor the nutritional status and the seasonal changes in body composition in athletes, as well as provide accurate within- and between-athlete comparisons.
Topics: Athletes; Body Composition; Electric Impedance; Humans; Sports Medicine
PubMed: 34065984
DOI: 10.3390/nu13051620 -
Annals of the Academy of Medicine,... Apr 2008
Topics: Humans; Singapore; Sports Medicine
PubMed: 18461207
DOI: No ID Found -
Sports Health 2019
Topics: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; Athletic Injuries; Return to Sport; Sports Medicine
PubMed: 31253068
DOI: 10.1177/1941738119854691 -
Sports Health 2019
Topics: Athletic Injuries; Brain Concussion; Humans; Physicians; Professional Role; Sports Medicine
PubMed: 31658899
DOI: 10.1177/1941738119880223