Life Sciences Commons^™

Asymmetries In Ncaa Division I Tennis Players Compared To An Athletic Control Group, Elizabeth Cafferty

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Limb asymmetries are an expected adaptation to years of training for athletes participating in dominant-sided sports. Previous research on this topic lacks an athletic control group. PURPOSE: To determine the magnitude of upper limb asymmetries in dominant-sided athletes (tennis players) compared to nondominant-sided athletes (cross-country runners). METHODS: Male and female NCAA Division I athletes (10 tennis, 11 cross-country) participated. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used to measure bone mineral content (BMC), bone mineral density (BMD), and lean mass (LM) of the whole body, upper extremities, and forearms. Circumference measurements were taken at mid-biceps and the widest part of the forearms. …

Understanding Sport Coaches’ Responses To Injury, Ashanti Robinson

Honors College Theses

Injury is an inevitable part of any sport an athlete decides to take part in. Many things go along with injury, but one of the biggest factors is the one directly responsible for the success of the athlete: the coach. The purpose of this study was, based on a systematic review of the literature, to better understand what part coaches play in the fear of athletic injuries including their responses and the rationale for those responses. The study was conducted by cross-referencing multiple articles across different databases and systematically examining the different studies to further understand the fear of injury …

Negative Social Media And Its Influence On Athlete's Performance, Bernd R. Huber

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study aimed to investigate the potential impact of negative social media content on athletes' cortisol levels and subsequent performance. The study focused on the change in cortisol levels and differences in free throw performance, based on previous research findings. We hypothesized that negative social media postings would increase the stress experienced by student-athletes, resulting in elevated cortisol levels and decreased performance. Additionally, participants (n = 8) completed a questionnaire to examine the interaction between preexisting fear and the biological stress response. Contrary to expectations, there was no significant change in stress response, and negative postings did not have …

Examining Coaching Styles: Understanding How Leadership Style Impacts Athlete's Motivation, Confidence Level, And Satisfaction At The Collegiate Level, Juan Perez

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life. There are a variety of different coaching styles all over the world. Each coaching style has its benefits and drawbacks on the impact it can have on an athlete. The study examined how coaching leadership style impacts an athlete's confidence, motivation, and satisfaction. Current collegiate athletes and former collegiate athletes were emailed a 103-question online survey focused on athlete perception of coaching style and how that impacts motivation, confidence, and satisfaction. The survey used The Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS), Vealey’s Trait Sport-Confidence Inventory (TSCI), Athlete …

The Effect Of A Text-Message Based Hydration Education Intervention On Hydration Knowledge And Behavior Of Division I Female Collegiate Soccer Players, Milaena Ferrarese

Theses and Dissertations

There is increasing evidence of athletes entering their training sessions in an already dehydrated state. It is crucial for athletes to properly replenish fluid and electrolytes lost via sweat in order to optimize their training and recovery. The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of a text-message based hydration education intervention on the knowledge and hydration status of division I female collegiate soccer players.A total of 14 participants completed baseline testing, which included hydration knowledge and behavior questionnaires, and pre- and post-practice weights to calculate % weight change (%WC). The participants also provided a baseline urine sample …

Use Of Supplemental Iron For The Enhancement Of Physical Performance In Competitive Non-Anemic Female Athletes, Annalese M. Lamke

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Iron has been a commonly prescribed supplement for female athletes to take, but there is little evidence to support if iron supplementation can help improve non-anemic female, athlete’s performance. There is still a lack of unity to determine whether iron can be beneficial to a female athlete during their competitive season regardless of their blood iron status. Purpose: The purpose of this literature review is to determine the impact of iron supplementation on physical performance in competitive non-anemic female athletes. Results: Seventeen articles were selected after following evaluation procedures utilizing the PEDro Scale, CASP, and the Critical Appraisal of …

Long-Term Disability Following A Hamstring Injury, Savannah Mclain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

PURPOSE: Injuries to the hamstring complex are one of the most commonly seen lower extremity injuries in athletic populations. It is currently unknown how psychological or sociological factors affect an athlete after the recovery process has ended and if these factors play a role in re-injury rates relating to the hamstring. It is also unknown if athlete confidence level changes while in a fatigued state after an athlete returns to play from a hamstring injury. METHODS: Twenty-six physically active adults with and without a previous hamstring injury were recruited for this study. Participants completed a Qualtrics survey that …

Examination Of Emergency Medical Services Activations For Sport- Related Injuries, Rebecca Marie Hirschhorn

Theses and Dissertations

Research examining emergency medical services (EMS) activations for sport- related injuries has been limited regarding the populations examined, inclusion criteria, and location. The management of sport-related injuries by EMS providers has also not been examined. The purpose of this study was to describe EMS activations for sport- related injuries from a national sample and describe their management by EMS. Data was obtained from the National EMS Information System Database for the years 2017 and 2018. Sport-related injuries were identified using specific ICD-10-CM codes for the incident location type and cause of injury. Cases were limited to 9-1-1 responses for patients …

Female Collegiate Student Athletes And The Perception, Attitudes And Experiences Of Psychological And Mental Health Services, Breonna Bejaran

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study explored eighteen National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II female student athletes’ experiences and opinions of help seeking for mental health concerns. A mixed methodological design was used. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected to gain an understanding of help seeking barriers for the participant and their beliefs about help seeking barriers for their peers. Results from the qualitative data identified several themes that assisted in understanding help seeking behaviors. Data suggest that there was a lack of motivation when it came to seek mental health services as a whole by the female student athlete population. Time, lack …

The Effect Of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness On Jumping Mechanics And Performance, Ryan J. Engels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is an exercise-induced muscle soreness resulting from high-intensity eccentric muscular contractions. DOMS appears to be more prevalent in athletes at the beginning of an athletic season or when new movements or exercise are first introduced. The acute effect of DOMS on jumping mechanics is currently unknown. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of delayed onset muscle soreness on vertical jump performance and jumping mechanics. METHODS: Twenty college aged, recreationally active males participated in this study (age: 21.54 ± 2.61; height: 1.82 ± 0.067; mass: 81.36 ± 9.53). Participants were …

The Experiences Of Athletes, Parents, And Coaches With The Long-Term Athlete Development Model (Ltad) In Youth Soccer Academies, Kody Watson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Long-Term Athlete Development Model (LTAD) has been developed to allow children the best chance of engaging in lifelong sport and physical activity. The LTAD focuses on long-term development, not short-term success, which allows for the best opportunity of sport participation and optimal sport potential throughout life (Balyi, Way, & Higgs, 2013). Research surrounding the LTAD model has stated that there is a lack of empirical evidence of the model being utilized within sport, as some researchers believe that it is more theoretical than practical (Lloyd & Oliver, 2012). However, even with this criticism of the LTAD model, Canadian sport …

Mental Toughness, Grit, And Motivational Differences In Single-Sport And Multi-Sport Athletes, Cole Justin Shewmake

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Whether it is at work, school or sports, mental toughness (MT), grit and motivation are essential to accomplishing goals. Sports can be an integral platform for developing MT, grit, and factors that increase motivation levels, and it is during childhood and adolescence that these characteristics may develop. All of this could prove beneficial into adulthood. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine MT, grit and motivational orientations of single-sport and multi-sport athletes at different levels of competition. Considering MT, a 2 x 2 ANOVA indicated no significant interaction effect between athlete type and competition level, F(1, 387) = …

Alternate Foot Placement: Investigating The Role Of Gait Parameters, Planar Obstacle Complexity, And Athletic Training, Brittany A. Baxter

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

On a daily basis modifications, based upon environmental demands and the capabilities of the individual, are made to the locomotor pattern to enable avoidance of undesirable landing areas (i.e. planar obstacles). Athletes and dancers have been suggested to have superior perception-action coupling compared to non-athletes, allowing them to perform various tasks at a greater speed without a loss of precision (Federici et al., 2005; Gerin-Lajoie et al. (2007). The current study assessed non-athletes, dancers, and field athletes to investigate whether training influences the maintenance of forward progression and stability in relation to alternate foot placement during planar obstacle avoidance. Eleven …

Injuries In Youth Football: A Descriptive Two Year Study Of Local South Carolina Football Leagues, Marie Morrissette

Senior Theses

Objective: To collect and analyze injury data from two leagues in the Midlands area of South Carolina. One of the leagues is an age-weight league, meaning athletes have to be within a certain age range and weight range to play on a specific team. The other league was an age-only league, meaning athletes have to be within a certain range to play on a specific team. Results: For the two seasons that injury data was collected, the age-weight league had 208 injuries and the age-only league had 109. For both leagues, the majority of the injuries sustained were contusions. Each …

A Case Study On The Use Of Athletic Performance Strategies In An Elite Athlete’S Management Of Pancreatic Cancer, Brooke Elisabeth Harris

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In 2007, 11.7 million people in the United States were living with a cancer diagnosis. Specifically, 12 in every 100,000 Americans are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year. The five year survival rate of pancreatic cancer in the United States is only 5.6% (National Cancer Institute, 2007). In addition to traditional pharmacological treatments, physical activity has been increasingly used to help individuals successfully cope with cancer. One area that has not been studied extensively is the use of sport psychology techniques to help athletes cope with cancer. It is possible that these techniques, learned by elite athletes during their careers, …

Dynamic Acromiohumeral Interval Changes During Scapular Plane Arm Motions, Melissa Deen Thompson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This purpose of this dissertation is to explore changes in the acromiohumeral interval during dynamic motion in the scapular plane. All of the experiments were completed in the Football Operations Athletic Training Room at Louisiana State University. The first experiment which investigated dynamic acromiohumeral interval changes in baseball players during a loaded and unloaded scaption exercise from 0°-75°, has been accepted for publication by the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (in press, 2010). The mean acromiohumeral interval (AHI) for unloaded and loaded scaption decreased significantly (p<.001) from the arm at the side until 45° and loaded scaption narrowed AHI at 60° (p=.005) and 75° (p=.003). The second experiment investigates AHI and scapular upward rotation (SUR) changes in baseball and softball players during scaption exercises from 0°-75°. Significant load related narrowing of the AHI at 45°(p=.005), 60°(p=.001), and 75°(p<.001) and a significant load-position interaction (p=.001) at 0° and 75°was observed for all subjects. No gender differences in SUR or AHI were found. AHI and SUR displayed moderate positive correlations at 30° for both the unloaded scaption (r=.648, p=.001) and the loaded scaption (r=.445, p=.038) however, no significant relationships were present at 0°, 45°, 60° or 75°. The third experiment compared dynamic acromiohumeral interval and scapulohumeral rhythm changes in trained and untrained females during scaption exercises from 0°-90°. In general, AHI was maximal with the arm at the side and declined significantly (p<.001) during arm elevation until 60°, but increased significantly (p<.001) between 60° and 90°. Significant load related narrowing of the AHI at all positions (p<.05), a more negative SUR at 0° (p<.001) and a more positive SUR at 90° (p=.009) was observed for all subjects. Female athletes had significantly stronger external rotators (p<.001), larger overall AHI (p=.003) and more SUR (p=.008) than untrained females. Significant positive correlations (p<.05) between AHI and SUR were observed at 0°, 30°, and 60° during both loaded and unloaded scaption.

The Effects Of Neoprene Sleeve Application On Knee Joint Proprioception In Adolescent Female Athletes., George Ballou Barrett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fifteen female subjects ages 13-16 were recruited to determine if differences exist in knee joint proprioception, with and without application of a neoprene knee sleeve (NKS), when performing reproduction of target angle test (RTA), movement sensation test (MS) using a Biodex testing machine, and single leg standing test. Ten subjects had not worn a NKS and five subjects had worn a NKS.

After completing all IRB approved documentation subjects underwent a test trial of each of the three testing methods. Subjects were randomly assigned a number that determined if the subject began the test trial with or without a NKS. …