Sports Sciences Commons^™

Low Back Pain Among College Athletes - A Survey Of Basketball Players, Swimmers, Track And Field Athletes And Nonathletic Controls, Nicholas Bacon

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Study Design. Cross-sectional survey among athletes competing at the collegiate level in basketball, swimming, and track and field, as well as a matched nonathletic control group. Objective. To compare the prevalence of low back pain between sports: basketball, swimming, and track and field, as well as nonathletic control group. Summary of Background Data. With conflicting reports, it is not clear whether athletes are at higher risk for low back pain when compared to nonathletic counterparts. Some literature has found that low back pain was less common in former elite athletes when compared to nonathletes; however, much of the literature supports …

An Assessment Of High School Coaches Knowledge Of Sport-Related Concussion, Erin M. O'Donoghue

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Sport-related concussion is a common occurrence in high-risk sports and can occur during participation in all sports. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge base high school athletic coaches possess about concussion signs and symptoms in regards to recognition, management, and prevention of this condition. A 25 question demographic questionnaire was used to gather background information and a 24 question multiple-choice assessment was used to determine knowledge of recognition, management, and prevention of sport-related concussion. A panel of eight experts in the fields of sport-related concussion and/or survey research reviewed and modified the survey instrument, which were …

The Effect Of Instruction Of Jump-Landing Motion Patterns And Impact Forces, Mary Elizabeth Joos

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The use of visual instruction could be a valuable tool in prevention strategies for anterior cruciate ligament injuries, especially in large group settings, through the alterations of jump-landing motion patterns and impact forces. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of two visual modeling cues in altering jump-landing motion patterns, as measured by the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS), and impact forces, vertical ground reaction force (PVGRF) and peak posterior ground reaction force (PPGRF). Seventy-three physically active individuals (age= 20.89 ± 1.72 years; height = 172 ± 9.87 cm; mass= 68.43 ± 15.97 kg) were baseline tested …

Derivation Of An Age And Weight Handicap For The 5k Run, Paul M. Vanderburgh, Lloyd L. Laubach

Health and Sport Science Faculty Publications

The adverse effect of increasing age and/or body weight on distance run performance has been well documented. Accordingly, nearly all five kilometer (5K) road races employ age categories and, sometimes, a heavier body weight classification. Problems with such conventions include small numbers of runners within older age categories and the advantage given to the lightest runners within each weight category. We developed a 5K Handicap (5KH), a model that calculates an adjusted run time based on the inputs of actual 5K run time, age, and body weight for men and women. This adjusted time, then, can be compared between runners …

High Dietary Fat Intake Is Not Associated With High Levels Of Circulating Lipoproteins Or Total Cholesterol, C. Jayne Brahler, C. Wilson, Janine Baer

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to determine the association between dietary intake of fats, waist to hip ratio (WHR), body mass index (BMI), and blood lipoproteins and total cholesterol (TC) using food frequency data in one group of apparently healthy, urban African American women and their daughters (n = 110). Subjects were fasted when blood was drawn, waist and hip circumferences and body weight and height were measured, and WHR and BMI were calculated.

Average daily total fat intakes were 91.46 g and 77.83 g for mothers and daughters, respectively, but average LDL levels of 104.4 g/L and 103.1 …

Escape And Rescue From Submerged Vehicles, Gerald M. Dworkin

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

No abstract provided.

Handling Immediate Medical Care At Aquatic Facilities: Do We Need Different Levels Of Lifeguard Certification?, Leland Yarger

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

The first-responder and professional-rescuer training materials and training programs consider lifeguards to be first responders in emergencies (Aehlert, 2005; American Red Cross, 2001). This article asks readers to consider whether our agency lifeguard-training programs reflect a philosophy that truly view and prepare lifeguards as first responders. If not, I challenge readers to consider whether we should alter our hiring, staffing, and in-service training procedures at aquatic facilities based on the scope and need for providing adequate emergency care at those facilities.

Energy In-Energy Out: A Balanced Equation?, Kathleen M. Laquale

Movement Arts, Health Promotion and Leisure Studies Faculty Publications

The article reports that many athletes are not ingesting an adequate number of calories from their diets. Fat and lean body mass become the sources for fuel for energy and this leads to lack of tissue growth. Exercise physiologists have calculated energy intake and energy expenditure metrics with recommendations.

Why Look At A Food Label?, Kathleen M. Laquale

Movement Arts, Health Promotion and Leisure Studies Faculty Publications

The article presents information on reading food labels to assist athletes in making better food choices. It discusses the six components required to appear on labels by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including product identity, net contents or number of servings per container, and the ingredient list. The key recommendations of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans are presented. Daily values as an expression of a food's nutrient content are discussed.

Nutritional Concerns For Ethnically Diverse Athletes, Kathleen M. Laquale

Movement Arts, Health Promotion and Leisure Studies Faculty Publications

The article discusses the variety of international nutritional guidelines, comparing the food guide pyramid of the United States to similar constructs such as the Chinese food guide pagoda. Athletic therapists are advised to consider culinary differences between cultures when advising ethnically diverse athletes on nutritional issues.

Red Bull: The Other Energy Drink And Its Effect On Performance, Kathleen M. Laquale

Movement Arts, Health Promotion and Leisure Studies Faculty Publications

The article reports on Red Bull energy drink and its effectiveness. It is created with synthetic ingredients which are stated to be the best quality available from pharmaceutical companies. Caffeine is one of the key ingredients which is normally not found in sports energy drinks. The limited research concludes that taurine and glucuronolactone in Red Bull have not been proven to improve body functions.

Wheelchair Athletes’ Challenges With The 2007 Boston Maratho, Joseph H. Huber, J. L. Mackool

Movement Arts, Health Promotion and Leisure Studies Faculty Publications

The article discusses the performance of wheelchair athletes at the 2007 Boston Marathon. A discussion of concerns about the safety of the participating wheelchair athletes in the marathon which were raised by bad weather at the event is presented. The results of the men's wheelchair division, which was won by Masazumi Soejima of Japan, the women's wheelchair division, which was won by Wakako Tsuchido of Japan, all time men's top ten finish times which were led by Ernst Van Dyk of South Africa, and the all time women's top ten finishers which were led by Jean Driscoll of Illinois are …

Correction Factors For Body Mass In Military Physical Fitness Tests, Paul M. Vanderburgh

Health and Sport Science Faculty Publications

Recent research findings combined with the theoretical laws of biological similarity make the compelling case that all physical fitness test items for the Army, Air Force, and Navy impose a 15-20% physiologic bias against heavier, not fatter, men and women. Using the published findings that actual scores of muscle and aerobic endurance scale by body mass raised to the 1/3 power, correction factor tables were developed. This correction factor can be multiplied by one’s actual score (e.g., push-ups, sit-ups, abdominal crunches, or curl-ups repetitions or distance run time) to yield adjusted scores that are free of body mass bias. These …

Maintenance Of Skilled Performance With Age: A Descriptive Examination Of Professional Golfers, Joseph Baker, Janice Deakin, Sean Horton, G. W. Pearce

Human Kinetics Publications

Demographic studies indicate a remarkable aging trend in North America. An accurate profile of the decline in physical and cognitive capabilities over time is essential to our understanding of the aging process. This study examined the maintenance of skilled performance across the careers of 96 professional golfers. Data were collected on scoring average, driving distance, driving accuracy, greens in regulation, putts per round, and number of competitive rounds played using online data archives. Analyses indicate that performance in this activity can be maintained to a greater extent than in activities relying on biologically constrained abilities. Although the generalizability of these …