THE BENEFITS OF STRETCHING DURING IMMOBILZATION

Stretching may help maintain physiological functions during immobilization. We examined the effects of static stretching on calf girth, and dorsiflexion ROM, and plantarflexor strength after two weeks of immobilization. Thirty-six females aged (19.81±2.48) were randomly assigned to a control group (CG), experimental group (EG), or experimental stretching group (ESG). All groups completed pre-test and a post-test measures of muscle girth, dorsiflexion ROM, and plantarflexion strength. The EG and ESG wore an Aircast FP Walker for two weeks on the left leg, with the ESG participating in a stretching program two times each day. ANCOVA’s and least significant differences procedures (

Confidence in eating disorder knowledge does not predict actual knowledge in collegiate female athletes

Background Eating disorders are serious psychological disorders with long term health impacts. Athletic populations, tend to have higher incidences of eating disorders compared to the general population. Yet there is little known about athletes’ eating disorder knowledge and how it relates to their confidence in their knowledge. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to evaluate collegiate female athletes’ eating disorder (ED) knowledge and confidence in their knowledge. 51 participants were recruited from a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) university in the mid-west and asked to complete a 30-question exam assessing one’s knowledge of five different categories related to eating disorders. Confidence in the correctness of answers was assessed with a 5-point Likert-scale (1 = very unconfident, 5 = very confident). A one-way ANOVA was used to determine differences between scores on different categories and overall scores. A simple regression analysis was used to determine if confidence or age was predictive in knowledge scores. Results The average score of participants was 69.1%, SD = 10.8% with an average confidence of 3.69/5, SD = 0.33. Athletes scored lowest with regards to Identifying Signs and Symptoms of EDs compared to other sub-scores (p < 0.05). There was no relationship between knowledge and confidence scores. Discussion There is limited ED knowledge among collegiate female athletes. This may be problematic as many athletes appear confident in the correctness of their answers despite these low scores. Coaches should be aware of this lack of knowledge and work with clinical practitioners, such as dieticians, team physicians and athletic trainers to educate and monitor their athletes on eating disorders, specifically signs and symptoms

Chronic stretching during two weeks of immobilization decreases loss of girth, peak torque, and dorsiflexion ROM

Context: Chronic plantarflexor (PF) stretching during ankle immobilization helps preserve calf girth, plantarflexion peak torque, and ankle dorsiflexion (DF) motion. Immobilization can lead to decreases in muscle peak torque, muscle size, and joint ROM. Recurrent static stretching during a period of immobilization may reduce the extent of these losses. Objective: To investigate the effects of chronic static stretching on PF peak torque, calf girth, and DF range of motion (ROM) after two weeks of ankle immobilization. Design: Randomized controlled clinical trial. Setting: Athletic training facility. Participants: Thirty-six healthy college-aged (19.81±2.48) females. Interventions: Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: control group, immobilized group (IM), and immobilized plus stretching group (IM+S). Each group participated in a familiarization period, a pre-test, and, two weeks later, a post-test. The IM group and IM+S group wore the Aircast FP Walker for two weeks on the left leg. During this time, the IM+S group participated in a stretching program, which consisted of two 10-minute stretching procedures each day for the 14 days. Main Outcome Measures: One-way ANOVA was used to determine differences in the change of ankle girth, PF peak torque, and DF ROM between groups with an α level of < 0.05. Results: A significant difference was noted between groups in girth (F2,31 =5.64, P=0.009), DF ROM (F2,31 =26.13, P<0.0001), and PF peak torque (F2,31 =7.74, P=0.002). Post-hoc testing also showed a significance difference between change in calf girth of the control group compared to the IM group (P=0.007) and a significant difference in change of peak torque in the IM+S group and the IM group (P=0.001). Also, a significant difference was shown in DF ROM between the control group and IM+S group (P=0.006), the control group and the IM group (P<0.0001), and the IM+S group and the IM group (P<0.0001). Conclusion: Chronic static stretching during two weeks of immobilization may decrease the loss of calf girth, ankle PF peak torque, and ankle DF ROM