Asian Journal of Sports Medicine
Volume:5 Issue: 3, Sep 2014

Context: Motor impairments in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been frequently reported. In this review, we narrow our focus on postural control impairments to summarize current literature for patterns, underlying mechanisms, and determinants of posture in this population. Evidence Acquisition: A literature search was conducted through Medline, ISI web of Knowledge, Scopus and Google Scholar to include studies between 1992 and February 2013. Individuals with ASD have problems in maintaining postural control in infancy that well persists into later years. However, the patterns and underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Examining postural control as an endophenotype or early diagnostic marker of autism is a conceptual premise which should be considered in future investigations. At the end of the review, methodological recommendations on the assessment of postural control have also been provided.

Oral and dental injuries contribute to a major part of sports related injuries in children. Trauma occurring in developing years disrupts normal social functioning and brings about a major impact on quality of life due to their cumulative effect. To assess the prevalence and causes of various sports related traumatic orodental injuries among 8 to 16 year school students along with identifying the associated risk factors in North India. Patients and A cross sectional study consisting of high school students of different organized sports teams aged 8-16 years was carried out in geographical area of north India. The students were selected by multistage cluster sampling methodology. 1105 students from 19 school teams (sports teams) and sports academies participated in study through structured interview and clinical examination in different sports situations. 30.3% (n = 335) of students suffered from orodental injuries. A higher number of girls had injury (32%) than boys (29%), though the difference was not significant. Most of the students suffered from soft tissue injuries 48%) followed by tooth fractures (43%). Maximum numbers of injuries were reported in high velocity (44.1%) and medium intensity sports 46.6%) (P < 0.001) Maximum injuries occurred in basketball (50%) and lowest in the field of badminton (6.1%) (P < 0.05). Amateurs 52%) suffered the most from injuries as per level of coaching. Only 6% of boys and 2% of girls used mouthguards. The result of the present study confirmed that students participating in different organized sports at high school level are at a very high risk of getting orodental injury. Hence knowledge and education regarding prevention of traumatic injuries is of paramount importance.

The respiratory movements are one of the factors influencing standing balance. Although well-trained athletes have better postural performance compared to untrained men, it's not quite clear, if the former's upright posture would be more stable during different ventilation modes, maximal voluntary hyperventilation and inspiratory breath holding. There are no studies on this subject in the available literature. The aim of this study was to investigate an influence of maximal inspiratory breath-holding and maximal voluntary hyperventilation on the standing balance of athletes. Patients and We assessed the amplitude and the velocity of postural sway in the athletes (n = 38) and untrained subjects (n = 28) by the force platform. The frequency characteristics of the center of pressure (CP) oscillation's were also analyzed. The amplitude and the frequency of respiratory movements were estimated by the strain gauge. It was found that during quiet breath velocity and frequency of CP oscillations were lower in the athletes. Breath holding led to an increase of velocity and frequency of CP displacement in both groups, increase of these indices was more pronounced in the athletes. Maximal voluntary hyperventilation caused a significant increase of all stabilographic indices in both groups. Increase of frequency and amplitude of respiratory movements were mainly observed during hyperventilation in athletes and it caused an increase of the velocity of CP displacement. Changes of sway amplitude were the same in both groups. Breath holding led to activation of the postural control, which was more pronounced in the athletes. Hyperventilation caused an impairment of the postural stability. The athlete's postural system compensated the impact of hyperventilation more efficiently versus controls, but it was achieved at the expense of greater effort.

Polymorphisms at the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene (ACE), such as the indel [rs1799752] variant in intron 16, have been shown to be associated with aerobic performance of athletes and non athletes. However, the relationship between ACE indel polymorphism and cardiorespiratory fitness has not been always demonstrated. The relationship between ACE indel polymorphism and cardiorespiratory fitness was investigated in a sample of young Caucasian Brazilian women. Patients and This study investigated 117 healthy women (aged 18 to 30 years) who were grouped as physically active (n = 59) or sedentary (n = 58). All subjects performed an incremental exercise test (ramp protocol) on a cycle-ergometer with 20-25 W/min increments. Blood samples were obtained for DNA extraction and to analyze metabolic and hormonal profiles. ACE indel polymorphism was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and fragment size analysis. The physically active group had higher values of peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak), carbon dioxide output (VCO2), ventilation (VE) and power output than the sedentary group (P < 0.05) at the peak of the exercise test. However, heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) did not differ between groups. There was no relationship between ACE indel polymorphism and cardiorespiratory variables during the test in both the physically active and sedentary groups, even when the dominant (DD vs. D1 + 2) and recessive (2 vs. DI + DD) models of inheritance were tested. These results do not support the concept that the genetic variation at the ACE locus contributes to the cardiorespiratory responses at the peak of exercise test in physically active or sedentary healthy women. This indicates that other factors might mediate these responses, including the physical training level of the women.

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) occurs following unaccustomed or intense bouts of exercise. Previous research has demonstrated that that preconditioning with low load exercise or heat relieves muscle soreness. However, actively warming up the muscles with exercise may be an effective alternative. This study compared preconditioning effect of light load eccentric exercise and heat using microwave diathermy on markers of muscle damage in collegiate males. Patients and Thirty six sedentary collegiate males were randomly assigned into two experimental groups: 10% Eccentric exercise group (10% ECC group) and Microwave diathermy group (MWD group). Both the groups performed 30 repetitions of maximal eccentric exercise (Max-ECC) of the elbow flexors. The 10% ECC group performed light load eccentric exercise (10% ECC), five sets, six repetitions using a dumbbell set at 10% of maximal voluntary isometric contraction strength (MVC), 2 days prior to Max-ECC. The MWD group received heat using microwave diathermy (150 watts, 20 minutes) one day prior to Max-ECC. Changes in MVC, range of motion (ROM), upper arm circumference, soreness, were assessed before and 24-72 hours after whereas serum creatine kinase activity and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity up to 48 hours following the Max-ECC were compared between groups by a mixed model ANOVA. No significant difference (P > 0.05) were found between the groups for changes in all variables post Max-ECC, except for LDH activity showing significant interaction effect (P = 0.04). Preconditioning with light load eccentric exercise and heat using microwave diathermy treatment did not differ in their effects on muscle damage markers after Max-ECC. However, with time their effects on LDH activity were found to be different.

Futsal is a growing sport with lots of fans in many countries including Iran, but there are few papers in the literature which report injuries in top level futsal. The aim of this study is to record and analyze the incidence and characteristics of injuries in Iran futsal national teams from March 2011 to September 2012. Patients and 55 Iranian national futsal players participated in this prospective cohort study. Before entering the study, all players took part in Pre-Competition Medical Assessment (PCMA) in accordance with FIFA protocol. Team physicians recorded the injuries throughout the match and trainings in a special form which was designed for this purpose. Finally, data analysis was done with the SPSS software. The total exposure time for all players was 24326 hours (21138 hours during training and 3188 hours during matches). During the study period, 32 of the 55 national players (58.2%) incurred 54 injuries (incidence rate = 2.22 injuries per 1000 players-hours). The incidence rate of injury in female players was significantly higher than male players (P = 0.001). The majority of injuries (85.2%) were located on the lower extremities. The ankle was the most frequent injury location (40.7%) and sprain was the most frequent type of injury. Injuries are common among futsal players and female players are more prone to injuries than male players. The ankle is the most frequent site and sprain is the most frequent type of injury among futsal players.

Injuries are common in contact sports like Australian football. The Australian Football League (AFL) has developed an extensive injury surveillance database that can be used for epidemiological studies. The purpose of this study is to identify any association between the three most prevalent injuries in the AFL. Patients and From the AFL injury surveillance data 1997-2012 the injury incidence (new injuries per club per season) and the injury prevalence data (missed games per club per season) were analysed to detect the three most common injuries that would cause a player to miss a match in the AFL. The three most prevalent injuries in the AFL are hamstring strains, groin/hip/osteitis pubis injuries and Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) knee injuries. Following this, further study was undertaken to detect the presence of any statistical relationship between injury incidences of the three most prevalent injuries over this sixteen year study period. Statistical analysis demonstrates for any given year that there was an association between having a groin/hip/osteitis pubis injuriy and having a knee ACL injury (P < 0.05) over the entire sixteen years. In other words if the number of groin/hip/osteitis pubis injuries in any given season were higher than average (alternatively lower) then the number of knee ACL injuries were also higher than average (alternatively lower) for that same season. Hamstring injuries had the highest variance of incidence of the three most prevalent injuries. Analysis of the AFL injury data demonstrates an association between incidence of groin/hip/osteitis pubis injuries and incidence of knee ACL injuries for any given playing season. This finding is difficult to explain with further research being required.

To determine the 2D:4D ratio in elite Indian male kabaddi players and compare them with non-athletes. Our study was undertaken to find out a possible relation between digit ratio and sporting ability of male kabaddi players. This study also gives an insight into the possible ethnic differences between Indian sports personnel and other populations. Patients and Both right and left hands of 33 male kabaddi players attending training camp at the Bangalore regional centre of Sports Authority of India were scanned. Lengths of second and fourth digits were measured and their ratio calculated. Age, weight, height and body mass index matched subjects (25 males) who did not participate in any sports formed the control group. A highly significant difference was found in 2D:4D ratios of both the hands with Kabaddi players having a lower ratio compared to their controls. There was no statistically significant difference in 2D:4D (Δ r-l) between Kabaddi players and controls. Kabaddi is an intermediate sport not requiring a high level of endurance but at the same time requires masculine traits because of combating nature of the game. 2D:4D ratios can be used as reliable additional criteria when screening for prospective players to be inducted into the team.

Cryotherapy, in the form of ice massge is used to reduce inflammation after acute musculoskeletal injury or trauma. The potential negative effects of ice massage on proprioception are unknown, despite equivocal evidence supporting its effectiveness The purpose of the study was to test the influence of cooling on weight discrimination ability and hence the performance in footballers. Patients and The study was of same subject experimental design (pretest-posttest design). Thirty male collegiate football players, whose mean age was 21.07 years, participated in the study. The participants were assessed for two functional performance tests, single leg hop test and crossed over hop test and weight discrimination ability before and after ice massage for 5 minutes on hamstrings muscle tendon. Pre cooling scores of Single Leg Hop Test of the dominant leg in the subjects was 166.65 (± 10.16) cm and post cooling scores of the dominant leg was 167.25 (± 11.77) cm. Pre cooling scores of Crossed Over Hop Test of the dominant leg in the subjects was 174.14 (± 8.60) cm and post cooling scores of the dominant leg was 174.45 (± 9.28) cm. Pre cooling scores of Weight Discrimination Differential Threshold of the dominant leg in the subjects was 1.625 ± 1.179 kg compared with post cooling scores of the dominant leg 1.85 (± 1.91) kg. Pre cooling scores of single leg hop and crossed over hop test of the dominant leg in the subjects compared with post cooling scores of the dominant leg showed no significant differences and it was also noted that the weight discrimination ability (weight discrimination differential threshold) didn’t show any significant difference. All the values are reported as mean ± SD. This study provides additional evidence that proprioceptive acuity in the hamstring muscles (biceps femoris) remains largely unaffected after ice application to the hamstrings tendon (biceps femoris).

Non-traumatic knee joint effusion and fullness is a relatively commonpresenting complaint among athletes and nonathletes. Due to its broad differential diagnosis, a comprehensive evaluation beginning with history and physical examination are recommended. Imaging including plain radiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and in some cases ultrasound are preferred modalities. If inflammatory arthritis is suspected, joint aspiration and analysis may help diagnosis. A 37-year-old male soccer player presented with a complaint of left anterior knee pain and fullness for a few months. Physical examination revealed a healthy appearing male with obvious fullness of his left suprapatellar pouch and posterolateral knee. Plain radiographs were unremarkable. MRI demonstrated an effusion infiltrated by multiple, low intensity projections from a fatty mass in the suprapatellar pouch consistent with lipoma arborescens. Lipoma arborescens is a rare synovial disorder characterized by replacement of subsynovial tissue with mature fat cells, most commonly in the knee joint. MRI is the best diagnostic modality to evaluate and confirm the diagnosis as well as rule out other pathologies. More recent single case-reports and clinical series endorse arthroscopic synovectomy as the treatment of choice.