The Relationship Between Daily Snowfall Accumulation and Pattern and Severity of Traumatic Injuries at a U.S. Ski Resort

Throughout the relevant literature, research addressing the impact of a specific environmental factor, such as snowfall, on injury patterns or severity among alpine skiers and snowboarders is sparse. The foundation for inquiry into this relationship was developed based on principles of physics and traumatology coupled with findings in the available literature. Secondary analysis of trauma registry data coupled with daily snowfall measurements from one of the largest ski areas in North America illustrated a negative correlation between daily snowfall amount and injury severity (r = -.08). Concordant findings demonstrated an increased odds of sustaining an injury defined as severe or critical according to Injury Severity Score (ISS) classification when there was less than two inches of fresh snowfall (OR = 3.9; 95% CI[1.06, 16.69]). Additionally, utilizing the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS), a regional anatomical finding illustrated that in the absence of recent snowfall, there was an increased odds of sustaining a thoracic injury defined as severe in this patient population (OR = 10.4; 95% CI[1.62, 66.9]). Secondary research considerations detailed the variances in injury severity resulting from a collision when compared to a fall and the predilection for skiers to sustain increased lower extremity injuries when compared to snowboarders. Findings from this project may lead to positive social change as the increased understanding of predictive factors contributing to injury can be directly applied to further the current understanding of trauma care in this patient population. The benefits from this work may also extend to the public health arena through enhanced educational opportunities for skiers and snowboarders as well as enhanced resort safety initiatives tailored to the ambient conditions

Objective classification and scoring of movement deficiencies in patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Motion analysis systems are widely employed to identify movement deficiencies-e.g. patterns that potentially increase the risk of injury or inhibit performance. However, findings across studies are often conflicting in respect to what a movement deficiency is or the magnitude of association to a specific injury. This study tests the information content within movement data using a data driven framework that was taught to classify movement data into the classes: NORM, ACLOP and ACLNO OP, without the input of expert knowledge. The NORM class was presented by 62 subjects (124 NORM limbs), while 156 subjects with ACL reconstruction represented the ACLOP and ACLNO OP class (156 limbs each class). Movement data from jumping, hopping and change of direction exercises were examined, using a variety of machine learning techniques. A stratified shuffle split cross-validation was used to obtain a measure of expected accuracy for each step within the analysis. Classification accuracies (from best performing classifiers) ranged from 52 to 81%, using up to 5 features. The exercise with the highest classification accuracy was the double leg drop jump (DLDJ; 81%), the highest classification accuracy when considering only the NORM class was observed in the single leg hop (81%), while the DLDJ demonstrated the highest classification accuracy when considering only for the ACLOP and ACLNO OP class (84%). These classification accuracies demonstrate that biomechanical data contains valuable information and that it is possible to differentiate normal from rehabilitating movement patterns. Further, findings highlight that a few features contain most of the information, that it is important to seek to understand what a classification model has learned, that symmetry measures are important, that exercises capture different qualities and that not all subjects within a normative cohort utilise 'true' normative movement patterns (only 27 to 71%)

Muscle activation patterns in shoulder impingement patients

Introduction: Shoulder impingement is one of the most common presentations of shoulder joint problems 1. It appears to be caused by a reduction in the sub-acromial space as the humerus abducts between 60o -120o – the 'painful arc'. Structures between the humeral head and the acromion are thus pinched causing pain and further pathology 2. Shoulder muscle activity can influence this joint space but it is unclear whether this is a cause or effect in impingement patients. This study aimed to observe muscle activation patterns in normal and impingement shoulder patients and determine if there were any significant differences. Method: 19 adult subjects were asked to perform shoulder abduction in their symptomatic arm and non-symptomatic. 10 of these subjects (age 47.9 ± 11.2) were screened for shoulder impingement, and 9 subjects (age 38.9 ± 14.3) had no history of shoulder pathology. Surface EMG was used to collect data for 6 shoulder muscles (Upper, middle and lower trapezius, serratus anterior, infraspinatus, middle deltoids) which was then filtered and fully rectified. Subjects performed 3 smooth unilateral abduction movements at a cadence of 16 beats of a metronome set at 60bpm, and the mean of their results was recorded. T-tests were used to indicate any statistical significance in the data sets. Significance was set at P<0.05. Results: There was a significant difference in muscle activation with serratus anterior in particular showing a very low level of activation throughout the range when compared to normal shoulder activation patterns (<30%). Middle deltoid recruitment was significantly reduced between 60-90o in the impingement group (30:58%).Trends were noted in other muscles with upper trapezius and infraspinatus activating more rapidly and erratically (63:25%; 60:27% respectively), and lower trapezius with less recruitment (13:30%) in the patient group, although these did not quite reach significance. Conclusion: There appears to be some interesting alterations in muscle recruitment patterns in impingement shoulder patients when compared against their own unaffected shoulders and the control group. In particular changes in scapula control (serratus anterior and trapezius) and lateral rotation (infraspinatus), which have direct influence on the sub-acromial space, should be noted. It is still not clear whether these alterations are causative or reactionary, but this finding gives a clear indication to the importance of addressing muscle reeducation as part of a rehabilitation programme in shoulder impingement patients

Exercise for acute respiratory infections

No abstract available

Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Kinanthropology

Proceedings of the 12th Conference of Sport and Quality of Life 2019 gatheres submissions of participants of the conference. Every submission is the result of positive evaluation by reviewers from the corresponding field. Conference is divided into sections – Analysis of human movement; Sport training, nutrition and regeneration; Sport and social sciences; Active ageing and sarcopenia; Strength and conditioning training; section for PhD students

Fear of crime and victimization among the elderly participating in the self-defence course

Purpose. Self-defence training could enhance seniors´ defensive skills and fitness. There is lack of evidence about fear and concerns of seniors participating in the self-defence course. Methods. 18 elderly persons (16 female, 1 male; age 66.2, SD=5.86) participated in the self-defence course lasting 8 training units (each unit 60 minutes). Standardized tool for fear of crime and victimization analysis previously used in Euro-Justis project in the Czech Republic (2011) was used in pretest and posttest. Results. We explored the highest fear of crime by participants in their residence area after dark (mean=2,77; median=3; SD=0,80), lower fear at the night in their homes (mean=2,29; median=2; SD=0,75) and in their residence area at the daytime (mean=2,00; median=2; SD=0,77) at the beginning of the course. We noticed certain decrease of fear of crime after the intervention. Participant were less afraid of crime in their residence area after dark (mean=2,38; median=2; SD=0,77), they felt lower fear of crime at the night in their homes (mean=2,00; median=2; SD=0,48) and in their residence area at the daytime (mean=1,82; median=2; SD=0,63). Conclusions. The approach to self-defence teaching for elderly should be focused not just on the motor development, but also on their emotional state, fear of crime, perception of dangerousness of diverse situations and total wellbeing. Fear of crime analysis can contribute to create tailor made structure of the self-defence course for specific groups of citizens

The frequency of falls in children judo training

Purpose: Falling techniques are inseparable part of youth judo training. Falling techniques are related to avoiding injuries exercises (Nauta et al., 2013). There is not good evidence about the ratio of falling during the training in children. Methods: 26 children (age 8.88±1.88) were video recorded on ten training sessions for further indirect observation and performance analysis. Results: Research protocol consisted from recording falls and falling techniques (Reguli et al., 2015) in warming up, combat games, falling techniques, throwing techniques and free fighting (randori) part of the training session. While children were taught almost exclusively forward slapping roll, backward slapping roll and sideward direct slapping fall, in other parts of training also other types of falling, as forward fall on knees, naturally occurred. Conclusions: Judo coaches should stress also on teaching unorthodox falls adding to standard judo curriculum (Koshida et al., 2014). Various falling games to teach children safe falling in different conditions should be incorporated into judo training. Further research to gain more data from groups of different age in various combat and non-combat sports is needed

Resort vacation activities and recovery experiences: A case of visitors to Thailand

An increase of work demands during workdays and sometime on the weekends can put more stress on individuals and lead to a higher need for recovery. Vacation is a prime candidate of a longer respite that can ensure a more complete recovery process because it allows individuals to temporarily take several days or weeks off without actively engaging in their job. This study thus intends to explore which activities are done upon vacation and how can they influence an individual\u27s recovery experiences. By reviewing the theories related to recovery, vacation activities, and recreation opportunities, the study\u27s conceptual model was developed to observe the association between activities and the recovery process. Resort vacation in Thailand however was chosen as a case for conducting the study because Thailand has been known as a popular tourist destination, featuring various attractive resorts located in different geographical areas and offering wide ranges of activities. Data obtained from 331 resort visitors in Thailand via offline and online platforms were analyzed using descriptive statistic, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), One-way between-groups Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), Multiple Regression Analysis (MLR), Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA), and cluster analysis. Seven activity factors (Physical & Outdoor Activities, Cultural & City Interest, Online Media & Entertainment, Social & Non-exerting, Active Nature Pursuit, Personal Care, and Time for Myself) and four dimensions of recovery experiences (Psychological Detachment, Relaxation, Control, and Mastery) were identified. The positive effects were found among the six activity factors, except Personal Care, on the particular dimensions of vacation recovery experience. Interestingly, Physical & Outdoor, Online Media & Entertainment, and Social & Non-exerting factor appeared to have negative effects on the different dimensions of vacation recovery experience as well. Personal Care activities were surprisingly found to present no significant effect on any dimension of vacation recovery experience. Such profound factors were then classified under Resource-Providing and Resource-Consuming Vacation Activities to differentiate the positive and negative effects that each activity category has on vacation recovery experience. Based on the cluster analysis, three groups of resort visitors (Activity doers, Socializers, and Relaxation seekers) were uncovered regarding to their preferred vacation activities, perceived vacation recovery experience, and demographics. Hence, the key findings bear empirical contributions to research scholars by providing a significant framework for further observation and clarification of the relationship between vacation recovery-related activities and the vacation recovery experience. This current study also offers managerial implications for practitioners in a more mindful approach when designing and developing vacation products in order to ensure an individual\u27s optimal sense of recovery