Movement profile influences systemic stress and biomechanical resilience to high training load exposure

Objectives: Determine the influence of movement profile on systemic stress and mechanical loading before and after high training load exposure. Design: Cross-sectional cohort study. Methods: 43 physically active, college-aged field or court sport female athletes participated in this study. Participants were assigned to a “excellent” (n = 22; age = 20.5 ± 1.9 yrs, height = 1.67 ± 0.67 m, mass = 64.5 ± 7.8 kg) or “poor” (n = 21; age = 20.4 ± 1.3 yrs, height = 1.69 ± 0.67 m, mass = 60.9 ± 6.1 kg) movement group defined by The Landing Error Scoring System. Participants completed five cycles of high training load exercise of 5-min treadmill-running at a speed coincident with 100–120% ventilatory threshold and 10 jump-landings from a 30-cm box. Jump-landing vertical ground reaction force and serum cortisol were evaluated prior to and following exercise. Vertical ground reaction force ensemble averages and 95% confidence interval waveforms were generated for pre-exercise, post-exercise, and pre-post exercise changes. A two-way mixed model ANOVA was used to evaluate the effect of movement profile on systemic stress before and after exercise. Results: There was no significant difference in changes in serum cortisol between the poor and excellent groups (p = 0.69) in response to exercise. Overall, individuals in the poor group exhibited a higher serum cortisol level (p < 0.05, d = 0.85 [0.19,1.48]). The poor group exhibited higher magnitude vertical ground reaction force prior to (d = 1.02–1.26) and after exercise (d = 1.15) during a majority of the stance phase. Conclusions: Individuals with poor movement profiles experience greater mechanical loads compared to individuals with excellent movement profiles. A poor movement profile is associated with greater overall concentrations of circulating cortisol, representative of greater systemic stress

Randomized controlled trial evaluating aerobic training and common sport-related concussion outcomes in healthy participants

Context: Aerobic exercise interventions are increasingly being prescribed for concussion rehabilitation, but whether aerobic training protocols influence clinical concussion diagnosis and management assessments is unknown. Objective: To investigate the effects of a brief aerobic exercise intervention on clinical concussion outcomes in healthy, active participants. Design: Randomized controlled clinical trial. Setting: Laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: Healthy (uninjured) participants (n ¼ 40) who exercised 3 times/week. Intervention(s): Participants were randomized into the acute concussion therapy intervention (ACTIVE) training or nontraining group. All participants completed symptom, cognitive, balance, and vision assessments during 2 test sessions approximately 14 days apart. Participants randomized to ACTIVE training completed six 30-minute exercise sessions that progressed from 60% to 80% of individualized maximal oxygen consumption (Vo2max) across test sessions, while the nontraining group received no intervention. Main Outcome Measure(s): The CNS Vital Signs standardized scores, Vestibular/Ocular Motor Screening near-point convergence distance (cm), and Graded Symptom Checklist, Balance Error Scoring System, and Standardized Assessment of Concussion total scores. Results: An interaction effect was found for total symptom score (P ¼ .01); the intervention group had improved symptom scores between sessions (session 1: 5.1 6 5.8; session 2: 1.9 6 3.6). Cognitive flexibility, executive functioning, reasoning, and total symptom score outcomes were better but composite memory, verbal memory, and near-point convergence distance scores were worse at the second session (all P values, .05). However, few changes exceeded the 80% reliable change indices calculated for this study, and effect sizes were generally small to negligible. Conclusions: A brief aerobic training protocol had few meaningful effects on clinical concussion assessment in healthy participants, suggesting that current concussion-diagnostic and -assessment tools remain clinically stable in response to aerobic exercise training. This provides normative data for future researchers, who should further evaluate the effect of ACTIVE training on clinical outcomes among concussed populations

Anthropometric and performance differences among playing positions between Italian and American high school football players

Height, body weight and body composition are different among American football players and this is due to the different movement demands for each playing position (1). The results of the National Football League (NFL) Combines are different for playing position and they are used by coaches and scouts to assess players’ physical abilities as a determinant of their success in the professional level (2). The purpose of this study was to examine anthropometric and performance differences among young football players of a top Italian team (Rhinos Milan) and to compare these values with the American high school football players. Participants (N=62) were categorized by position in 3 groups based on playing position: Skill players (SP) included wide receivers, cornerbacks, safeties, and running backs; Big skill players (BSP) consisted of fullbacks, linebackers, tight ends, and defensive ends; Lineman (LM) included centers, offensive guards, offensive and defensive tackles. Body weight and percentage of body fat were determined using the TANITA Body Composition Monitor BC-418 and we obtained performance results of the following Nike SPARQ Combine drills: 40-yard dash, vertical jump, 20-yard shuttle and the kneeling power ball toss (KPBT). The one-way ANOVA followed by the Tukey-Kramer post-hoc test showed significant differences for all the variables among the 3 playing categories: LM had higher anthropometric and body composition values than SP (

A randomized controlled trial investigating the feasibility and adherence to an aerobic training program in healthy individuals

Context: Concussion management is moving from passive rest strategies to active interventions, including aerobic exercise therapy. Little information is available regarding the feasibility and adherence of these programs. Objectives: To determine whether an aerobic exercise training program intended for rehabilitation in people with concussion is feasible. Healthy, nonconcussed subjects were studied in this phase 1 trial. Design: Phase 1 parallel-group, randomized controlled trial in a sample of healthy (nonconcussed), recreationally active university students. Setting: Laboratory. Patients: 40 healthy university students. Methods: Participants were equally randomized to acute concussion therapy intervention (ACTIVE) training or nontraining groups. All participants completed maximal cardiopulmonary exercise tests on a stationary cycle ergometer at 2 test sessions approximately 14 days apart. During this 2-week study period, ACTIVE training participants completed six 30-minute cycling sessions, progressing from 60% to 80% of the participant's individualized maximal oxygen consumption. A subset of participants (NACTIVE = 12, Nnontraining = 11) wore physical activity monitors throughout the 2-week study period. Main Outcomes Measures: Study protocol and randomization effectiveness, exercise safety and adherence, and progressive intensity of the ACTIVE training procedures. Results: No adverse events occurred during any exercise sessions. Twelve ACTIVE training participants (60%) completed all training sessions, and every participant completed at least 4 sessions. Heart rate increased throughout the training period (P < .001), but symptom changes and training adherence remained stable despite the progressively increasing workload. ACTIVE training participants completed approximately 30 additional minutes of physical activity on training sessions days, although that was not statistically significant (P = .20). Conclusions: University-aged students were adherent to the ACTIVE training protocol. Future research should investigate the safety and feasibility of aerobic training programs in acutely concussed individuals to determine their appropriateness as a clinical rehabilitation strategy

Il football americano : il modello fisiologico, le differenze tra ruoli ed il confronto tra Italia e USA

Il football Americano \ue8 uno degli sport pi\uf9 popolari e competitivi negli U.S.A. ed in Canada e la partecipazione a questa attivit\ue0 richiede eccezionali abilit\ue0 fisiche ed atletiche. Diversi autori negli ultimi 30 anni hanno cercato di descrivere le caratteristiche fisiche dei giocatori di football (Bosch TA et al., 2014; Dengel DR et al., 2013) ed \ue8 stato documentato che altezza, peso e composizione corporea sono estremamente diversi tra giocatori di football americano di una stessa squadra e questo \ue8 dovuto alla richiesta di differenti abilit\ue0 atletiche specifiche dei diversi ruoli (Kraemer WJ et al., 2005). E\u2019 importante anche sottolineare come, con il passare degli anni ed il conseguente aumento dei programmi di conditioning, i giocatori di football abbiamo incrementato in generale massa corporea, forza, velocit\ue0 e potenza (Robbins DW et al., 2013; Secora CA et al., 2004). Negli USA \ue8 comune che gli strength and conditioning coaches programmino i loro allenamenti raggruppando i giocatori per ruolo in modo da lavorare specificatamente possibile sullo sviluppo delle caratteristiche atletiche richieste. Solitamente i giocatori vengono raggruppati in 3 diversi gruppi: 1) Skill players (SP) che includono i wide receivers, cornebacks, safeties e running backs; 2) Big Skill players (BSP) che comprendono i fullbacks, linebackers, tight ends, and defensive ends; 3) Lineman (LM) che includono i centers, offensive guards e i defensive/offensive tackles (Sierer SP et al., 2008). Negli USA inoltre c\u2019\ue8 una forte selezione di giocatori di football americano ed esiste un evento in cui i giovani giocatori vengono sottoposti ad una serie di test fisici e psicologici in modo che gli scout ed i coaches possano valutare il reale potenziale di questi giocatori, questo sistema prende il nome di \u201cNFL Scouting Combine\u201d. Nelle ultime decadi anche in Europa il football americano ha iniziato ad espandersi ed in Italia il picco di questo sport \ue8 stato raggiunto negli anni \u201980 quando il football ha fatto registrare il maggior numero di tesserati dopo il calcio. Tutt\u2019ora esiste una Federazione Italiana (FIDAF) affiliata agli organi di football europei e l\u2019Italian Football League (IFL) \ue8 il maggior campionato italiano per questo sport. Questo articolo vuole evidenziare le differenze antropometriche ed atletiche riscontrabili tra i diversi ruoli di giocatori di football in America e, soprattutto, confrontare tali caratteristiche con i giocatori italiani per mettere in evidenza il differente livello tra le leghe NFL ed IFL. Informare gli addetti ai lavori del football americano in Italia \ue8 il primo importante step per cercare di trovare soluzioni utili a migliorare le caratteristiche fisiche ad atletiche dei giocatori con lo scopo di ridurre gradualmente il gap attualmente esistente tra Italia ed America

Physical attributes and NFL combine performance tests between Italian National League and American Football Players : a comparative study

The purpose of this study was to examine anthropometric measurements and the results of a battery of performance tests administered during the NFL Combine between American football players who were declared eligible to participate in the NFL Combine and football players of a top Italian team (Rhinos Milan). Participants (N = 50) were categorized by position into 1 of 3 groups based on playing position: Skill players (SP) included wide receivers, cornerbacks, free safeties, strong safeties, and running backs; Big skill players (BSP) consisted of fullbacks, linebackers, tight ends, and defensive ends; Lineman (LM) included centers, offensive guards, offensive tackles, and defensive tackles. A one-way ANOVA followed by the Tukey-Kramer post-hoc test was used for comparisons between Italian players by playing position. 95% confidence intervals were used for comparisons between American and Italian football for the NFL combine performance tests. Significant differences for all the variables between the 3 playing categories were observed among the Italian players; LM had higher anthropometric and body composition values than SP (p<0.001) and BSP (P<0.001) while LM performed significantly worse in the physical tests, except for the 225-lb bench press test when compare to SP (p<0.002). American football players presented significantly higher anthropometric values and test performance scores when compared with Italian players. Administrators of professional football teams in Italy need to improve the player's physical attributes so the gap that currently exists between American and Italian players can be reduced, which could significantly improve the quality of American football in Italy