Applied Sports Science newsletter – December 11, 2017

Applied Sports Science news articles, blog posts and research papers for December 11, 2017

 

From Barca to the Six: Two Victors face off in the 2017 MLS Cup final

MLSsoccer.com, Charles Boehm from

… Toronto FC playmaker Victor Vazquez and Seattle Sounders winger Victor Rodriguez share more than just a first name and Spanish citizenship. Though they didn’t play on the same teams due to their two-year age difference, the two Victors are both products of La Masia, Barça’s famed academy, and they have proudly carried the Barça DNA of quick, technical attacking play to MLS.

“I think the importance of players from La Masia is that technically they are always very gifted and that can make the difference a bit in MLS, which is a much more physical league and full of strong and powerful players,” Rodriguez told reporters upon Seattle’s arrival in Toronto late Wednesday evening. “That dose of quality that these type of players bring can raise the overall quality of the league.”

 

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield’s unconventional route to the Heisman Trophy

ESPN College Football, Coley Harvey from

“Did you expect me to be here when you talked to me [back then]?” the Austin, Texas, native asked Friday, joking during a media session with a sportswriter who covered him in high school.

Like most of those who had heard at that point of the sub-6-foot quarterback with no major college offers, the reporter sheepishly admitted: “I gotta be honest, no.”

What once seemed improbable for Mayfield has now become reality. The Sooners quarterback is the latest winner of college football’s highest honor, the Heisman Trophy. And as much as he might have wanted this, even he couldn’t have predicted what winning the award would actually be like.

 

A night out with Gordon Hayward, discussing his recovery, his team, and his eventual returnA night out with Gordon Hayward, discussing his recovery, his team, and his eventual return

The Boston Globe, Adam Himmelsbach from

… About two weeks after the injury, Hayward’s cast was replaced by a walking boot and Smeathers moved in with the Haywards to help with around-the-clock rehab.

Now, the two go to the Celtics’ practice facility from about 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day. Hayward undergoes massage work, he completes range-of-motion exercises, he lifts weights, and he practices shooting. Later in the night, he does another hour of rehabilitation at his home.

Hayward said that moving on from his crutches last week was significant. He still wears a walking boot sometimes, but he can often replace it with the small ankle brace. When he’s asked about that change, he flashes a wide smile.

“The best,” he said.

 

Powerline: Returning to action after a layoff

Coach & Athletic Director, Ken Mannie & Ted Lambrinides from

There have been some unfortunate incidents involving collegiate student-athletes related to conditioning procedures. Several of these occurrences took place after the athletes returned from an extended break.

The return point from a long layoff is a sensitive period, and precautions must be in place to protect athletes engaged in conditioning activities. A crucial premise to adhere to is that post-layoff program construction must be planned with the understanding that most of the athletes have probably been fairly sedentary over the break. This holds true regardless of whether the athletes were sent home with an optional “vacation workout.”

Underlying cardiovascular pathological abnormalities, rhabdomyolysis and complications from sickle-cell trait are a few factors you must consider when planning programming after a layoff. And our initial programming must be developed with the least conditioned athlete in mind.

 

The FIFA 11+ injury prevention program for soccer players: a systematic review

BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation from

Background

Soccer is one of the most widely played sports in the world. However, soccer players have an increased risk of lower limb injury. These injuries may be caused by both modifiable and non-modifiable factors, justifying the adoption of an injury prevention program such as the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) 11+. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the FIFA 11+ injury prevention program for soccer players.
Methodology

This meta-analysis was based on the PRISMA 2015 protocol. A search using the keywords “FIFA,” “injury prevention,” and “football” found 183 articles in the PubMed, MEDLINE, LILACS, SciELO, and ScienceDirect databases. Of these, 6 studies were selected, all of which were randomized clinical trials.
Results

The sample consisted of 6,344 players, comprising 3,307 (52%) in the intervention group and 3,037 (48%) in the control group. The FIFA 11+ program reduced injuries in soccer players by 30%, with an estimated relative risk of 0.70 (95% confidence interval, 0.52–0.93, p = 0.01). In the intervention group, 779 (24%) players had injuries, while in the control group, 1,219 (40%) players had injuries. However, this pattern was not homogeneous throughout the studies because of clinical and methodological differences in the samples. This study showed no publication bias.
Conclusion

The FIFA 11+ warm-up program reduced the risk of injury in soccer players by 30%. [full text]

 

UW’s nano institute is open for business

GeekWire, Alan Boyle from

… UW listed three research priorities for NanoES, which is part of the university’s College of Engineering:

  • Augmented humanity, which includes technology to both aid and replace human capability in a way that joins user and machine as one – and foresees portable, wearable, implantable and networked technology for applications such as personalized medical care, among others.
  • Integrated photonics, which ranges from single-photon sensors for health care diagnostic tests to large-scale, integrated networks of photonic devices.
  • Scalable nanomanufacturing, which aims to develop low-cost, high-volume manufacturing processes for applications ranging from the 3-D printing of cell and tissue scaffolds to ultrathin solar cells.
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    Scientists create stretchable battery made entirely out of fabric

    Binghampton University from

    A research team led by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York has developed an entirely textile-based, bacteria-powered biobattery that could one day be integrated into wearable electronics.

    The team, led by Binghamton University Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Seokheun Choi, created an entirely textile-based biobattery that can produce maximum power similar to that produced by his previous paper-based microbial fuel cells. Additionally, these textile-based biobatteries exhibit stable electricity-generating capability when tested under repeated stretching and twisting cycles.

    Choi said that this stretchable, twistable power device could establish a standardized platform for textile-based biobatteries and will be potentially integrated into wearable electronics in the future.

     

    UWA teams fast-tracked in CSIRO’s Accelerate program

    The University of Western Australia from

    Two UWA teams have been fast-tracked as part of the prestigious CSIRO’s ON Accelerate program for scientific inventions to detect muscle health for elite athletes and gut health. … Dr Peter Arthur, from UWA’s School of Molecular Sciences, and his team have developed the Inflamark Concept to help elite athletes achieve peak performance and avoid muscles being overstressed by overtraining.

     

    Research leads to call for lung health screening at top football clubs

    FC Business from

    New research from the University of Kent has discovered that nearly three in 10 elite footballers at top clubs in England have undetected lung and airway problems that could impair their on-field performance.

     

    MU researchers use video game motion sensors for physical therapy

    Columbia Missourian, Cameron R. Flatt from

    Video game motion sensors can also be useful in physical therapy, new research from MU has found.

    The research, conducted by a team from the MU School of Health Professions, the MU College of Engineering, MU Health Care, the Mizzou Motion Analysis Center and the Missouri Orthopaedic Institute shows that the Xbox Kinect 2.0 motion sensor can be used as a suitable replacement for medical motion labs that often cost over $100,000, according to a news release.

    Physical therapists, clinicians and athletic trainers use the motion-based technology to analyze patient movement. Aaron Gray, a sports medicine physician with MU Health Care, said motion sensors can be a big help for physicians because most have to do this analysis with their eyes in real time.

     

    Athletic training staff get injured Alabama players healthy again

    Tuscaloosa News, Ben Jones from

    Every Alabama football player is required to have his ankles taped or braced for every practice or game. That means every player comes to see Jeff Allen and his staff before every practice and every game.

    He’ll tape about 15 players a day before practice and more on game days. That’s about two hours of work every day. Some may consider it one of the more ponderous tasks of his profession. Allen doesn’t.

    “It matters,” Allen said. “It’s not just a menial task. It matters.”

     

    Pirates doctor talks about the perils of medication

    Observer-Reporter, Rick Shrum from

    Patrick DeMeo has been a physician for 25 years, all in Pittsburgh. It is a silver anniversary in a region dominated by black and gold.

    He is inextricably linked to the athletic landscape here, a sports medicine doctor who has worked with high school and college programs and, on a more visible plain, is medical director of the Pittsburgh Pirates. DeMeo also is a professor and chairman of orthopedic surgery at Allegheny Health Network and a staffer at Allegheny General and St. Clair hospitals.

    DeMeo is well-versed in health issues facing athletes, including painkillers and the possibility they could become a gateway to opioid or heroin addiction. He spoke about the perils of medications with the Observer-Reporter’s Rick Shrum.

     

    Disclosures in Nutrition Research – Why It Is Different

    JAMA Cardiology journal from

    Nutrition research is among the most contentious fields of science. Although the totality of an individual’s diet has important effects on health, most nutrients and foods individually have ambiguously tiny (or nonexistent) effects.1 Substantial reliance on observational data for which causal inference is notoriously difficult also limits the clarifying ability of nutrition science. When the data are not clear, opinions and conflicts of interest both financial and nonfinancial may influence research articles, editorials, guidelines, and laws.2 Therefore, disclosure policies are an important safeguard to help identify potential bias. In this Viewpoint, we contend that current norms for disclosure in nutrition science are inadequate and propose that greater transparency is needed, including a broader definition of what constitutes disclosure-worthy information.

     

    How To Eat To Flight Inflammation

    Mind Body Green blog, Vincent M. Pedre, M.D. from

    The right anti-inflammatory diet begins by eliminating foods that trigger or exacerbate inflammation. They include sugary processed foods, foods high in omega-6 fatty acids like grain-fed beef, and foods cooked in vegetable oils, as well as potential food sensitivities like gluten and dairy. The focus instead should be on whole, unprocessed, nutrient-dense foods.

    With that in mind, these five principles can optimize the perfect anti-inflammatory eating plan that helps you lose weight and feel better.

     

    New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees blasts Thursday night games, cites numerous injuries

    ESPN NFL, Mike Triplett from

    Quarterback Drew Brees joined the loud chorus of NFL players railing against playing Thursday night games after his New Orleans Saints lost six players to injuries during a 20-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night.

    “It’s 100 percent a product of playing on Thursday night,” Brees said. “Do you understand what guys’ bodies go through in a game? And then to have to turn around four days later and to play? Look at the injury studies: They’re off the charts. They’re off the charts. So is this smart as it pertains to guys’ health and safety? No, absolutely not.”

    For years, players around the league have been critical about playing with just three days of rest between games. Last month, Seattle Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin said Thursday night football should be “illegal” after his team suffered a barrage of injuries, including cornerback Richard Sherman’s torn Achilles.

     

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