Comparing the Timing of Electromyographic Activity of Selected Lumbar-Pelvic Muscles During a Cross-cutting Maneuver in Football Players With Athletic Groin Pain and Healthy Peers

Background and Aims Athletic groin pain (AGP) is one of the most common injuries among athletes. It causes the use of compensatory mechanisms to adjust pain and affects lumbar-pelvic and hip movements, which leads to prolonging the pain healing process. This study aims to compare the timing of electromyographic activity in selected lumbar-pelvic muscles during a cross-cutting maneuver in football players with AGP and healthy peers.Methods In this quasi-experimental study, 28 football players in the second division league of Iran participated in two groups of control (n=14) and AGP (n=14). The timing of electromyography activity in the gluteus medius, adductor longus, rectus abdominis, multifidus, and transverse abdominis/internal oblique during a cross-cutting maneuver was recorded bilaterally with a one-minute interval since the time of foot-ground contact in two groups.Results The time for the onset of activity in the gluteus medius muscle in the dominant foot (P=0.033) and in the multifidus muscle in the opposite foot (P= 0.023) for the AGP group was significantly delayed in compared to the control group; however, the rectus abdominis muscle in the dominant foot was activated significantly earlier and before the heel contact with the ground (P=0.001).Conclusion It seems that AGP changes the timing of electromyographic muscle activity in football players. These changes and compensatory mechanisms may put the athletes at the potential risk of lower limb injuries. It is recommended to find solutions to reduce the effects of AGP and the resulting changes

The Effect of Short-Term Use of Cold Spray on Strength and Ankle Joint Position Sense in Professional Wrestlers

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a short period of cryotherapy on strength and ankle position sense in professional wrestlers. Methods: In this semi experimental study, fourteen Professional wrestlers (age 24/2+3/5 years old, and weight 74/1+19/2 kg), all of whom had at least five years training experience with provincial and national championships participated in this study. Manual Muscle Tester was used to measure the strength of dorsi and plantar flexor muscle before and after cryotherapy that was simultaneously applied on medial-lateral of the ankle, with distance 30 cm. Meanwhile, performance accuracy of the ankle joint was assessed via Electrogoniometer that measures the active and passive regeneration error of ten and twenty angles of dorsi and plantar flexion respectively, before and after cold application. Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check the normality distribution, and a paired samples t- test was run to compare variables with a significant level of (p≤0.05). Results: The results showed that short-term local cooling by using cold spray does not significantly change the strength of dorsi and plantar flexor muscles and ankle joint position sense of professional wrestlers in active and passive form. Conclusion: Based on the results, it seems that applied cryotherapy only affects the skin receptors and it does not affect the body's protective factors, such as muscle spindle and Golgi organelles, and inner receptors that play a main role in the tension and joint position sense

The Effect of Eight Weeks of High Intensive Special Preparation on Selected Biomechanical and Anthropometrical Parameters in Young Elite Wrestlers

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of high intensive exercise on selected biomechanical and anthropometrical variables in elite wrestlers. Methods: Sixteen young wrestlers (age 19.1±1 years and weight 74.9±17.3 kg) attending the national Greco-Roman camps participated in this study. Biomechanical and anthropometrical variables included weight, body fat percentage, body mass index, balance, general body speed and acceleration, active range of motion of the joints, upper and lower extremities power and hand grip strength. These variables were measured before and after 8 weeks (67 sessions) of special exercise training. The normality of data was checked by Kolmogorov- Smirnov normality measure and data were analyzed with Paired- samples t-test to compare variables before and after training program, with a significance level of (P≤0.05). Results: Results showed that there were significant differences between weight, body fat percentage, body mass index, semi-dynamic balance in the medial and anterior-medial directions, upper extremities power, the range of lateral flexion to the right of the neck and hip flexion of pre and post-test. Conclusion: Based on the results, it seems that applied training program had main effect on biomechanical and anthropometrical variables such as weight, body fat percentage, body mass index, power, balance and active range of motion of elite wrestlers that will increase the qualitative athletic performanc

The Effect of Eight -Weeks General Preparation Exercise on Some Selected Biomechanical, Anthropometrical and Physiological Parameters of the Iranian National Females\' Taekwondo Team

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of eight-weeks general preparation exercise on some selected biomechanical, anthropometrical and physiological parameters of the Iranian national Females' Taekwondo team. Methods: Nine elite members of Iranian national females' Taekwondo team (age 23/22±1/98 years old, and weight 61/88±8/44 kg) participated in this study. Biomechanical, anthropometrical and physiological parameters including; speed, agility, visual reaction time, anaerobic power, body composition, body weight, cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance. These variables were measured before and after 8 weeks (72 sessions) general exercise training. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check the normality of distribution, also using a paired sample t-test to compare variables before and after training with a significant level of (p≤0/05). Results: The results showed that the body fat percentage of subjects significantly decreased (P=0.000).The results of body weight, agility, visual reaction time and anaerobic power (ergo jump test) test were slightly lower after training protocol. The results of anaerobic power (vertical jump) (P=0.01), cardiovascular endurance (P=0.000) and muscle endurance (P=0.001) had been significantly increased. Conclusion: According to the result of this study, it seems that applied training program had the main effect on body composition, cardiovascular endurance, muscle endurance and physical performance of elite taekwondo athletes that will increase the qualitative athletic performance

An Investigation of Knee Injury Profiles among Iranian Elite Karatekas: Observations from a Cross-Sectional Study

International audienceKarate training, despite the many positive health benefits, carries a risk of injury for participants. The current cross-sectional study aimed to investigate knee injury profiles among Iranian elite karatekas. Participants who attended the national team qualifiers, which included 390 male Kumite karatekas (age 24 ± 3 years old and weight 63 ± 12 kg), participated in this study. Information on knee injuries (injury history, type of injury mechanisms, and effects of knee symptoms on the ability to perform daily activities and recreational activities) were obtained using the Knee Outcome Survey (KOS). Using Pearson’s correlation coefficient, the study examined the relationships between different variables, including KOS subscales and levels of self-reported knee joint function. Our findings indicated that 287 karatekas (73.6%) experienced knee injuries. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture (6.9%), articular cartilage (5.4%), and meniscus damage (3.8%) were the main typology of injury. In addition, there were no differences in knee injuries between the non-dominant and dominant legs. Most injuries occurred during the preparatory period (n = 162, 50%), especially during training periods. The KOS subscales scores (Mean ± Sd) for activities of daily living (ADL) and sports activity (SAS) were, respectively, 89 ± 11 and 91 ± 9. The self-reported scores for both the ADL and SAS subscales were, respectively, 89 ± 11 and 90 ± 10. Pearson coefficients of ADL and SAS subscales with their self-reported score were r = 0.761 (p < 0.0001) and r = 0.782 and (p < 0.0001), respectively. The profile of knee injuries in the current investigation is similar to previous surveys that reported lower extremity injury patterns. The findings of this study could be adopted to inform practice aimed at planning interventions for the reduction and prevention of knee injuries among karatekas

Effect of Traffic Noise on Salivary Cortisol and Alpha-amylase Concentration while Driving

Background and Objective: Individuals constantly hear different sounds that can affect their work and living place. The present study aimed at investigating the effect of traffic noise on cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase biomarkers. Materials and Methods: The subjects were men aged 18 to 35 who performed driving activities for one hour in the laboratory. The tests were performed in two conditions of background noise (35 dBA) and traffic noise with a level of 75 dBA and saliva samples were collected from the subjects before and after driving. Finally, saliva samples were analyzed with cortisol and alpha-amylase kits and by ELISA method. The statistical method used for data analysis was SPSS software (version 24) and data analysis was performed by Wilcoxon statistical test. Results: The results of this study indicated that the concentrations of both biomarkers cortisol and alpha-amylase in background noise conditions after driving were higher than that before the start, although this increase was not significant (p> 0.05). In the presence of traffic noise with a level of 75 dBA, the concentration of both biomarkers after driving was significantly higher than that before driving. (p<0.05) Conclusion: This study demonstrated that exposure to traffic noise can increase the concentration of salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol biomarkers while driving