The Nordbord usefulness in football: a systematic review of the pros and cons

Since 2016 and the introduction of Nordbord to the world, a variety of sports and disciplines have used the device to inform everyday decision-making, such as post-match recovery, to assess players’ readiness for the next fixture and mitigate the risk of injury. The objective of this paper was to examine the use of Nordbord across all football (soccer) levels and present practical recommendations concerning its application and potential limitations as a tool for measuring eccentric strength of the knee flexors (ESKF) incorporating the critical role of hamstring eccentric strength (HES) in injury prevention and performance enhancement. Twenty-nine studies were identified and met the inclusion criteria. The review shows that although Nordbord has potential as a practical and cost-effective method of measuring HES, the findings on the validity and reliability are conflicting. Furthermore, the study highlights several topics where the Nordbord could be recommended to stakeholders, as a tool to assess post-match recovery, prevention of hamstring injuries, and rehabilitation, as well as used as a performance indicator for balance, sprint, and change of direction performance. However, the review showed that ESKFs could be affected by fatigue and training volume, therefore, there is a need for normative values for different ages, genders, levels, and positions. Furthermore, the need for standardized methods and normalized data gathering, are argued as pivotal points to establish the Nordbord as a valuable alternative to the isokinetic dynamometer

Age effect on bone mineral density changes in breast cancer patients receiving anastrozole: results from the ARBI prospective clinical trial

PURPOSE: We investigated whether age at anastrozole (A) initiation influences the effect of treatment on bone mineral density (BMD). We conducted a post hoc analysis of the dataset of Arimidex Bone Mass Index Oral Bisphosphonates prospective trial, studying the effect of risedronate (R) on BMD of postmenopausal, early breast cancer patients receiving A. METHODS: Patients were stratified into those with normal BMD or mild osteopenia (T > −2) receiving A-only and patients with mild or severe osteopenia (T ≤ −2) or osteoporosis (T < −2.5) receiving A and per os R (A + R). Depending on age on treatment initiation, patients were grouped into two age cohorts, above and below 65 years. BMD change in lumbar spine (LS) and hip (HP) was evaluated at 12 months. An analysis of patients with normal BMD at baseline was additionally performed. RESULTS: Among patients receiving A-only, women ≤65 years were more likely to have a decrease in LS-BMD than older (p = 0.034). HP-BMD decrease at 12 months was not related to age (p = 0.182). In patients with mild or severe osteopenia or osteoporosis, treated with A + R, no age effect was observed for LS or HP (p = 0.099 and p = 0.939, respectively). Among patients with normal BMD at baseline, the age effect on LS-BMD change was more profound (p = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that younger postmenopausal women with normal BMD or mild osteopenia receiving A-only face an increased risk of bone loss in LS. Among patients with mild or severe osteopenia or osteoporosis treated with A + R, 12 months LS or HP BMD variations were configured regardless of age group