preparticipation – SEMS-journal

elite sports sports injury spine sports physiotherapy preparticipation

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.

sports injury hip & groin sports medicine preparticipation

Clinical Examination of Hip Dysplasia/Instability

Clinical examination is one of the main skill that clinicians acquire through training and experience, and its contribution to diagnosis is a key addition to history taking. Mike Reiman is a physical therapist, author of the excellent textbook «Orthopedic clinical examination», who just conpleted his PhD (congrats!) under the supervision of Kristian Thorborg (Denmark), looking at the validity of the most frequently used clinical examination tests around the hip area. We tend to think that “specialized” tests have great significance for the examination of a particular structure of pathology, yet as we have already learned from multiple studies on this very question around the shoulder examination tests, this is deceptive.

sports medicine cardiology preparticipation

Sudden cardiac death in athletes – complete prevention requires evidence

Wenn Sportler vor laufender Kamera bei einem Wettkampf versterben, konfrontieren das die Zuschauer in besonderer Weise mit den Risiken des Sports. Die Todesfälle der Fussballer Marc-Vivien Foé am FIFA Confederations Cup 2003 und Paulo Sérgio Oliveira da Silva «Serginho» in Sao Paulo 2004, oder des kürzlich bei Paris-Roubaix verstorbenen Radrennfahrers Michael Goolaerts haben eine weltweite Welle der Betroffenheit ausgelöst. Für die Sportmedizin resultiert daraus der klare Leistungsauftrag, durch geeignete Vorsorgeuntersuchungen und Massnahmen an Wettkämpfen diese tragischen Ereignisse so gut wie möglich zu verhindern.

sports medicine preparticipation sports science monitoring supplements

Fluctuations in the results of ferritin analysis between six different medical laboratories

Introduction: Iron is an important factor of the energy balance and correlates with serum ferritin. For competitive athletes, ferritin measurements are regularly performed at certified medical laboratories. However, as a laboratory change happened, we questioned the validity of ferritin levels, since unusually high values were measured. The aim of this study is to compare the ferritin values of blood samples in six different laboratories and to evaluate the diagnosis of iron deficiency. Methods: Blood samples from 63 patients with suspected iron deficiency were sent to six laboratories for ferritin measurements.

elite sports performance sports medicine preparticipation sports science

Vitamin D levels and predictors in Swiss elite athletes – recommandation for supplementation

Background: Vitamin D concentrations corresponding to 75 nmol/L of 25(OH)D or more have been related to maintained muscle function, growth and regeneration, to optimal bone health and immunology in athletes. The objective of this study was to investigate prevalence and predictors of insufficient 25(OH)D concentrations in athletes and to come up with recommendations for our Swiss athletes. Methods: 603 competitive Swiss athletes were assessed during their annual pre-participation examination. A standardized questionnaire was used to gather information about potential predictors for 25(OH)D concentrations.

elite sports sports medicine preparticipation sports science monitoring

Iron deficiency in athletes – new guidelines for diagnosis and treatment

Background: Iron deficiency (ID), worldwide a common affection is associated with reduced performance, fatigue and increased risk for infections. Athletes are a risk-population due to a higher prevalence of restrictive diets or exercise-induced inflammation. Particularly in athletes, the diagnosis of ID based on unspecific symptomes or routine laboratory diagnostics with ferritin is not always reliable. The goal of this study was therefore to discover if a new diagnostic approach adding zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP) or soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) in the routine assessment of ID in athletes is helpful or even necessary.

sports and youth growth preparticipation sports medicine preparticipation

Annual preparticipation examination in youth athletes

Ein junger Athlet sollte seine sportliche Tätigkeit über die gesamte Zeit von Wachstum und Entwicklung möglichst erfolgreich und mit Freuden durchführen können. Gerade sind von einem Expertenteam unter dem Hut des IOC lesenswerte Empfehlungen lanciert worden, wie gesunde, belastbare und fähige junge Athleten entstehen und wie diese optimal betreut werden sollen, jeder auf seinem sportlichen Niveau und mit seinen eigenen Erfolgsvorstellungen.