Physical Therapy in Sport - Articles in Press

Does Taekwondo training improve physical fitness? - Corrected Proof

Shirley S.M. Fong, Gabriel Y.F. Ng — 2010-09-01

Abstract: Background: Taekwondo (TKD) is a popular sport practiced by people of all ages in more than 180 countries and it is generally considered as being beneficial to health even though the scientific evidence for this is not conclusive. Despite its popularity, there are very few studies on the health benefits of TKD, therefore this article attempts to pull together the existing strands of relevant research.Aim: This paper aimed to review the effects of TKD training on physical fitness.Methods: A search of literature on both electronic and printed media was performed and 23 papers with relevance to the topic were included and critically reviewed. The main outcomes examined were anaerobic and aerobic fitness, body composition, muscle strength, endurance, power and flexibility.Results: There is no conclusive evidence in the literature that TKD practice can improve anaerobic fitness or muscle strength. However, TKD training may have some benefits in aerobic capacity, body composition (fat loss) and flexibility.Conclusion: Physiotherapists or fitness instructors may consider recommending TKD to their clients as a beneficial form of exercise to promote aerobic fitness and flexibility.

A review of return to sport concerns following injury rehabilitation: Practitioner strategies for enhancing recovery outcomes - Corrected Proof

Leslie Podlog, James Dimmock, John Miller — 2010-08-30

Abstract: Objectives: Evidence suggests that competitive athletes returning to sport following injury rehabilitation may experience a range of psychosocial concerns. The purpose of this paper is to review some of the psychosocial stresses common among returning athletes and to provide practitioner strategies for enhancing recovery outcomes.Evidence Acquisition: Findings are based on a database search of Sport Discus, Psychinfo, and Medline using sport injury, fear of re-injury, return to full activity.Results: Salient apprehensions among athletes’ returning to sport following injury were found to include: anxieties associated with re-injury; concerns about an inability to perform to pre-injury standards; feelings of isolation, a lack of athletic identity and insufficient social support; pressures to return to sport; and finally, self-presentational concerns about the prospect of appearing unfit, or lacking in skill in relation to competitors.Conclusions: The results suggest that athletes returning to sport from injury may experience concerns related to their sense of competence, autonomy and relatedness. Given its focus on competence, autonomy and relatedness issues, self-determination theory (SDT) is offered as a framework for understanding athlete concerns in the return to sport from injury. Practical suggestions for sport medicine practitioners, researchers and applied sport psychology specialists seeking to address athlete issues are provided using an SDT perspective.

A return-to-sport algorithm for acute hamstring injuries - Corrected Proof

Jurdan Mendiguchia, Matt Brughelli — 2010-08-23

Abstract: Acute hamstring injuries are the most prevalent muscle injuries reported in sport. Despite a thorough and concentrated effort to prevent and rehabilitate hamstring injuries, injury occurrence and re-injury rates have not improved over the past 28 years. This failure is most likely due to the following: 1) an over-reliance on treating the symptoms of injury, such as subjective measures of “pain”, with drugs and interventions; 2) the risk factors investigated for hamstring injuries have not been related to the actual movements that cause hamstring injuries i.e. not functional; and, 3) a multi-factorial approach to assessment and treatment has not been utilized. The purpose of this clinical commentary is to introduce a model for progression through a return-to-sport rehabilitation following an acute hamstring injury. This model is developed from objective and quantifiable tests (i.e. clinical and functional tests) that are structured into a step-by-step algorithm. In addition, each step in the algorithm includes a treatment protocol. These protocols are meant to help the athlete to improve through each phase safely so that they can achieve the desired goals and progress through the algorithm and back to their chosen sport. We hope that this algorithm can serve as a foundation for future evidence based research and aid in the development of new objective and quantifiable testing methods.

Between-session reliability of the star excursion balance test - Corrected Proof

Allan G. Munro, Lee C. Herrington — 2010-08-19

Abstract: Objective: To assess the learning effect, test–retest reliability and measurement error associated with the SEBT.Design: Repeated-measures study.Setting: Controlled university laboratory environment.Participants: Twenty-two healthy recreational athletes (11 male age 22.3 ± 3.7 years, 11 female age 22.8 ± 3.1 years).Main Outcome Measures: Repeated-measures ANOVA assessed learning affects. Intraclass correlations coefficients, standard error of measurement and smallest detectable difference values were calculated to assess reliability and measurement error.Results: Results showed that excursion distances stabilised after four trials, therefore trials five to seven were analysed for reliability. Test–retest reliability for all reach directions was high, with intraclass correlation coefficients ranging from 0.84 to 0.92. 95% confidence intervals, standard error of measurement and smallest detectable difference ranged from 77.84 to 94.00, 2.21–2.94% and 6.13–8.15%, respectively.Conclusion: These statistics will allow clinicians to evaluate whether changes in SEBT scores are due to change in an individual’s performance or random error. The findings of this study show that the SEBT is a reliable measure of lower limb function in healthy recreational athletes. Changes in normalised scores of at least 6–8% are needed to feel confident that a real change in SEBT performance has occurred.

Immediate effect of forearm Kinesio taping on maximal grip strength and force sense in healthy collegiate athletes - Corrected Proof

Hsiao-Yun Chang, Kun-Yu Chou, Jau-Jia Lin, Chih-Feng Lin, Chun-Hou Wang — 2010-08-02

Abstract: Objectives: : To determine the immediate effects of applied forearm Kinesio taping on maximal grip strength and force sense of healthy collegiate athletes.Design: : Single group, repeated measures study.Setting: : Clinical sports medicine laboratory at a university hospital.Participants: : Twenty-one healthy collegiate athletes voluntarily participated in this study. All subjects were male (average height: 181.24 ± 7.60 cm; average body weight: 72.86 ± 7.03 kg; average age: 20.86 ± 2.59 years).Main Outcome Measures: : First, maximal grip strength of the dominant hand was assessed by hand-held dynamometer. Then, 50% of maximal grip strength was established as the reference value of force sense. Absolute and related force sense errors and maximal grip strength were measured under three conditions: (1) without taping; (2) with placebo taping; and (3) with Kinesio taping.Results: : Results revealed no significant differences in maximal grip strength between the three conditions (p = 0.936). Both related and absolute force sense errors in grip strength measurements significantly increased the accuracy of the results under the three conditions (related force sense errors: p < 0.05; absolute force sense errors: p < 0.05).Conclusion: : Forearm Kinesio taping may enhance either related or absolute force sense in healthy collegiate athletes. However, Kinesio taping did not result in changes in maximal grip strength in healthy subjects.

Superior labrum anterior to posterior (SLAP) rehabilitation in the overhead athlete - Corrected Proof

Robert Manske, Daniel Prohaska — 2010-07-30

Abstract: Due to the complexity of shoulder pathomechanics in the overhead athlete, injuries located in the superior aspect of the glenoid, known as superior labral anterior to posterior (SLAP) lesions, are often a surgical and rehabilitation challenge. In an effort to determine surgical versus conservative care of SLAP lesions a thorough clinical examination and evaluation are necessary. If surgery is identified as the treatment of choice, post operative rehabilitation will vary pending surgical findings including the extent and location of the SLAP lesion, and other concomitant findings and procedures. This manuscript will provide an overview of the pathology, examination and evaluation of SLAP lesions, surgical management and post operative rehabilitation following various SLAP categories.

On the bilateral asymmetry during running and cycling – A review considering leg preference - Corrected Proof

Felipe P. Carpes, Carlos B. Mota, Irvin E. Faria — 2010-07-26

Abstract: Backround: This review summarizes the effects of bilateral asymmetry on running and cycling performance and risk of injury in healthy subjects and the influence of leg preference. We define the term leg preference derived from lateral preference as representative of the choice for one side of the body to perform a motor action. Useful information is provided for biomechanical and physiological research and coaching with relevance to an understanding regarding the occurrence of lower limb asymmetry.Objectives: To provide a synopsis of what is known about bilateral asymmetry in human running and cycling and its relationship to limb preference, especially in the context of competitive sport performance and risk of injury.Design: Structured narrative review.Methods: The relationship between asymmetry and lower limb preference was reviewed using Medline®, Sciencedirect®, and Scopus® search engines considering studies published in English until June 2009.Summary: The environment characteristics may influence running asymmetries, which are more frequent in angular parameters. Environment characteristics are related to ground irregularities requiring compensatory movements changing the mechanical workload on joints and bones, which may influence asymmetries in biomechanical parameters between lower limbs. The relationship between asymmetry and injury risk should be assessed with caution since running speed may influence asymmetry in injured and non-injured subjects who often show similar asymmetry levels. Symmetry can be improved with increasing running speed. In addition to running speed, coaches and athletes interested in minimizing lateral difference should consider a training regime aimed at correcting asymmetry which may negatively affect running technique by influencing the compensatory movements that an athlete usually performs. During cycling, bilateral differences are frequently found and vary with the competitive situation, pedaling cadence, exercise intensity and exercise duration. Regardless of the variability of asymmetry index between subjects, few suggestions are available to overcome lateral differences. Most of the research suggests that bilateral pedaling asymmetries decrease as the workload increases, however the relationship to injury risk was not clearly addressed. For both running and cycling, few investigations examined the central mechanisms of neuromuscular control, and no study addressed the effect of asymmetry on performance.Conclusions: Collectively, the volume of studies supporting symmetry is small and to a large extent research considered unilateral assessment. Preferred limb performance can differ from the contralateral limb. In the context of biomechanical and physiological investigations, we believe that further studies should address the role of lower limb symmetry on human motor performance and injury risk focusing on the energetic cost, muscle efficiency and the neuromuscular aspects such as muscle activation and motor units firing rate.

Corrected Proof

Stephen Mutch — 2010-06-11

This is a spiral bound hardback textbook of practical measurements which has been subdivided into regions of the body for ease of reference. It forms part of the series ‘The Physiotherapist's Toolbox’, and has been designed with the recently qualified physiotherapist or undergraduate in mind in a manner which is readily understandable, and can be used to assist with the planning and interpretation of commonly used tests in the clinical musculoskeletal setting.