ACL injury in football: a literature overview of the prevention programs

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Italian consensus conference on guidelines for conservative treatment on lower limb muscle injuries in athlete

Provide the state of the art concerning (1) biology and aetiology, (2) classification, (3) clinical assessment and (4) conservative treatment of lower limb muscle injuries (MI) in athletes. Seventy international experts with different medical backgrounds participated in the consensus conference. They discussed and approved a consensus composed of four sections which are presented in these documents. This paper represents a synthesis of the consensus conference, the following four sections are discussed: (i) The biology and aetiology of MIs. A definition of MI was formulated and some key points concerning physiology and pathogenesis of MIs were discussed. (ii) The MI classification. A classification of MIs was proposed. (iii) The MI clinical assessment, in which were discussed anamnesis, inspection and clinical examination and are provided the relative guidelines. (iv) The MI conservative treatment, in which are provided the guidelines for conservative treatment based on the severity of the lesion. Furthermore, instrumental therapy and pharmacological treatment were discussed. Knowledge of the aetiology and biology of MIs is an essential prerequisite in order to plan and conduct a rehabilitation plan. Another important aspect is the use of a rational MI classification on prognostic values. We propose a classification based on radiological investigations performed by ultrasonography and MRI strongly linked to prognostic factors. Furthermore, the consensus conference results will able to provide fundamental guidelines for diagnostic and rehabilitation practice, also considering instrumental therapy and pharmacological treatment of MI. Expert opinion, level IV

Selezione ed organizzazione delle sedute di forza negli sport di squadra. Riflessioni metodologiche

Si descirvono metodologie e compiti motori per l'allenamento della forza per lo sportivo sano e per lo sportivo in fase di recupero post infortuni

Performance profile in elite Italian football players

In recent decades, technology related to motion tracking in soccer has developed markedly and it is actually used to analyze soccer performance. We investigate a top-level Italian football season during home league matches for the season 2003-04 through a vision based tracking system (Digital Stadium) and data has been subsequently analyzed by the software “Physical Analysis” with the purpose of defining a performance profile in according with the position on the field. All distances covered at different speed by each player have been recorded and analyzed. Our findings confirmed previous researches stating that position on the field is a significant factor in determining performance profile in soccer. No difference among first and second half has been found in distance covered at all speed. Different profiles, in according with position on the field, have been identified: midfielder performance is characterized by high distance covered at low-medium intensity, elevate number of sprint for short distances, recoveries for short period of time; strikers are mainly covering long distances at high speed intensity, trough sprinting for medium-long distances and consistent recovery intervals; defenders model of performance is in between the profiles of strikers and midfielders, with long distance covered at low intensity speed alternate with long sprints and recoveries