spine – SEMS-journal

neurology spine

Sportpsychiatric aspects of parasports

The Olympic Games tradition dates back to antiquity. And we learned the quote „mens sana in corpore sano est“ coming from that period. It became a paradigm in the western world, undermining any efforts of psychiatric relevance in high performance sports. With world renowned athletes himself as suffering from depression, things began to move; nowadays, sport psychiatry has moved from a theoretical option to an accepted necessity in elite sports [1].

sports physiotherapy spine

Barbell strength training for non-specific low back pain rehabilitation: a prospective case series

Non-specific low back pain is considered a widespread disease and therefore leads to a high financial burden on the health care system. Among other things, reduced muscle strength of the trunk extensors is discussed as major risk factor. Therefore, the aim of the study was to examine the influence of a barbell training on the strength capacity of the trunk muscles and on the pain-related restrictions in the everyday life of low back pain patients.

sports injury spine preparticipation

Clinical examination in back pain

Back pain has become one of the most frequent sports-related health problems. Up to 80% of the Swiss population experience at least one episode per year up to several times per week. It affects athletes of all age groups and all levels of activity equally. The causes of acute and chronic back pain are plentiful, but can be easily appreciated with a thorough and comprehensive history, concise clinical examination, and adequate imaging.

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Back pain and core strength in elite cycling

Back pain is common among elite cyclists. Experiences of athletes and observations of coaches show that it may influence training quality and sometimes even limit performance during competition. Therefore the following study questions were investigated: 1) How many athletes of the Swiss cycling national teams suffer back pain during training or competition? 2) How good is athletes’ core strength? 3) What correlation exists between back pain and core strength? 4) Does an intensified core strength training reduce back pain? A total of 111 elite cyclists, 45 athletes (38 m, 7f; 19.6 ± 3.5y) of technical disciplines (BMX, Trial, Downhill, 4X) and 66 athletes (39 m, 27f; 19.5 ± 5.8y) of endurance disciplines (road, MTB, Cyclo-cross) all members of Swiss cycling national teams, took part in in the study.

exercise is medicine sports radiology pain spine

Physical activity and chronic low back pain

Non-specific chronic low back pain is a multifactorial pathology with a significant impact on quality of life. Physical activity is a major axis of treatment to improve pain and functional capacity through structured exercises, but also to fight against physical deconditioning. It is therefore advised to perform leisure time physical activity regularly and in an adapted way. There is no contraindication to practice sports activities but they should be performed with special attention not to increase the symptoms. This article aims to evaluate the effects of different types of physical activity in chronic low back pain to help the practitioner to advise at best his patients and prescribe appropriate physical activity, source of pleasure and health benefits.

$Osteoporosis and fracture risk in the elderly athlete: current guidelines$

exercise is medicine sports medicine sports nutrition hip & groin spine

Osteoporosis and fracture risk in the elderly athlete: current guidelines

Eine «Low Energy Fraktur» ist das wichtigste klinische Symptom einer Osteoporose. Der ältere Sportler weist ein geringes Risiko für das Eintreten dieses Ereignisses auf. Die mit der sportlichen Aktivität verbundenen Stösse und Belastungen auf den Knochen wirken einem drohenden Abbau von Knochensubstanz nämlich entgegen. Sollte es im Rahmen der sportlichen Aktivität dennoch zur Fraktur kommen, dann entspricht der Unfallmechanismus in aller Regel nicht den Kriterien einer «Low Energy Fraktur».