Exercise Science Commons^™

Sport-Related Concussion Incidents Across Sports, Surfaces, And Injury Mechanisms: A Retrospective Analysis Of A Digital Concussion Database, Justin Belle, Jay Alberts, Jason Cruickshank, Richard Figler, Kelsey Owen, Sami Rifat

Journal of Sports Medicine and Allied Health Sciences: Official Journal of the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association

OBJECTIVE/CONTEXT Sport-related concussion (SRC) represents a significant injury burden in youth athletics. Advances in digital injury surveillance platforms allow for large-scale clinical databases that may provide insight into injury mechanisms, sport distribution, and management patterns. The purpose of this study was to describe the distribution of concussion-related incidents across sports, playing surfaces, and mechanisms of injury using data from a prospectively maintained clinical concussion database.

Dysautonomia In Adolescent Athletes With Persistent Post‑Concussion Complaints, Jason A. Cruickshank

Journal of Sports Medicine and Allied Health Sciences: Official Journal of the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND Dysautonomia is dysfunction in autonomic nervous system manifesting following concussion, contributing to Persistent Post‑Concussion Complaints (PPCC).^1,5 Patients with dysautonomia may present with dizziness, tachycardia, postural intolerance, headaches, cognitive fog, and activity/exercise intolerance.^1,5 Recognition of autonomic involvement is essential to recovery and preventing prolonged symptoms^.1,5

The Effectiveness Of A Mental Health Literacy Webpage For Parents, Coaches, And Athletic Trainers, Mackenzie Warner, Kimberly Peer, Hannah Harnar, David Dees

Journal of Sports Medicine and Allied Health Sciences: Official Journal of the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association

INTRODUCTION Mental health illnesses continue to emerge as a major public health concern, particularly among adolescents and young adults. Secondary school student-athletes face unique pressures related to academics, athletic performance, time management, injuries, and social expectations, all of which may contribute to anxiety, depression, stress, or other mental health conditions. However, there is limited research that explores secondary school student-athletes and how mental health affects their everyday lives. This could be due to the lack of mental health literacy in the individuals who surround secondary school student-athletes, including parents, coaches, and athletic trainers. Increasing their understanding of mental health literacy …

Understanding Athletic Trainer's Knowledge And Perceptions Of Mental Health Best Practices: A Mixed-Methods Study, Chelsea Pasukinis, Yvette Ingram, Malissa Martin, Robert B. Krueger

Journal of Sports Medicine and Allied Health Sciences: Official Journal of the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association

OBJECTIVE Mental health disorders are increasing in our society. Research on athletic trainers' (AT) knowledge and perception of mental health disorders, and whether policies are developed and used, is limited. The purpose of this study is to investigate AT’s knowledge of mental health illness, current policies and procedures, and the perceptions ATs have of mental health.

A Case Report Of Blunt Renal Trauma In A High School Football Athlete, Mariah Reeder

Journal of Sports Medicine and Allied Health Sciences: Official Journal of the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND Blunt abdominal trauma in football athletes is uncommon but carries significant risk for internal organ injury and hemorrhage. Although sport-related renal injuries are rare, a significant portion of them are high-grade (IV-V) and may require advanced medical intervention if not recognized promptly.¹ Symptoms may initially appear benign, such as “having the wind knocked out,” increasing the risk of delayed diagnosis. Athletic trainers often serve as first responders and play a critical role in early recognition, on-field management, and prompt referral for advanced medical care. This case highlights athletic trainer led clinical decision making and interdisciplinary coordination following blunt …

Assessment Of A Middle School Return To Learn Concussion Protocol, Aaron Yaksich, Laura L. Harris

Journal of Sports Medicine and Allied Health Sciences: Official Journal of the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of a newly implemented return to learn (RTL) concussion protocol in an adolescent athletic population.

Challenging The Standard: A Case Report Of Postpartum Rehabilitation Prior To Return To High-Intensity Functional Training, Aly Matejka

Journal of Sports Medicine and Allied Health Sciences: Official Journal of the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association

OBJECTIVE Postpartum athletes frequently attempt to return to high-intensity training without graded rehabilitation of the deep core and pelvic floor complex, contributing to urinary incontinence, impaired load transfer, unresolved diastasis recti, and decreased performance capacity. Despite increasing participation of postpartum individuals in high-load functional training, there is limited applied literature outlining structured, criterion-based return-to-exercise progressions that address breathing mechanics, pelvic floor function, and force development prior to reintroduction of impact and resistance training. This case report describes the implementation of a 15-week postpartum rehabilitation and return-to-training protocol designed to restore neuromuscular control, muscular endurance and strength, and impact tolerance prior …

A Post-Professional Athletic Training Education Module For Detecting Skin Conditions In Diverse Skin Tones, Lauren Oskam, Laura L. Harris

Journal of Sports Medicine and Allied Health Sciences: Official Journal of the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association

OBJECTIVE To develop and evaluate a learning module designed to improve athletic trainers’ proficiency in identifying skin conditions commonly acquired in the sport of wrestling across diverse skin tones.

Leveraging Mobile Health To Prevent Coronary Artery Disease Through Physical Activity Promotion Among Underserved Youth, Alina Yang, Jessh M. Mavoungou, Matthew C. Miller, Zarmina Amin, Zan Gao

International Journal of Physical Activity and Health

Coronary artery disease (CAD) develops earlier than often recognized, with underserved youth facing disproportionate cardiometabolic risk. Low participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (PA) is a key driver. This viewpoint explores how mobile health (mHealth) technologies can serve as tools to increase PA engagement among underserved youth, guided by a combined Self-Determination Theory and RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) framework. It highlights current barriers to mHealth adoption, limited cultural relevance, engagement challenges, and accessibility gaps, and presents key considerations for designing culturally informed, age-tailored, and youth-centered mHealth interventions. Overall, the paper calls for a more inclusive and targeted approach …

The Mediating Effect Of Physical Activity On Mental Health Among Sexual Minority Adolescents During Covid-19, You Fu, Ryan D. Burns, Hayley Almes, Xiangren Yi, Nora Constantino

International Journal of Physical Activity and Health

Purpose: Adolescents identifying as a sexual minority frequently experience mental health issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Physical activity (PA) has numerous benefits for mental health and emotional development. The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of PA on the association between sexual minority status and mental health among adolescents during COVID-19. Methods: A sample of adolescents (grades 9-12) completed the online Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES; N = 7677; 49.6% male) in 2021. The independent variable in this study was a recorded binary response item asking about sexual orientation. The dependent variable was a …

The Meaning Of Physical Activity In The Context Of Health Sciences: A Concept Analysis, Martín G. Farinola

International Journal of Physical Activity and Health

Physical activity has been defined in numerous ways. Thus, this study aimed to conduct a concept analysis of the existing physical activity definitions in the health sciences literature to evaluate its conceptual precision and assess the need for a revised or novel concept better suited for this domain. The concept analysis was accomplished using tools derived from philosophical semantics. The analysis identified six definitions that explicitly state what physical activity is with sufficient clarity to allow for conceptual examination. The findings indicated that these definitions frequently merge the concept of physical activity with its contextual attributes. To address these semantic …

Injuries In Youth Football: A Two Year Descriptive Study Of Local South Carolina Football Leagues, Marie Morrissette, Dr. Jim Mensch, Dr. Daheia Barr-Anderson

Caravel Undergraduate Research Journal

There has been an increase in the media attention surrounding retired National Football League players and the lasting effects from previous injuries.  With more than 20 million children under the age of 17 participating in competitive sports, the attention in the lasting effects of injuries in professional players has trickled down to the youth level.  Of the approximately 20 million children participating in competitive sports, the largest portion of the participants is playing youth football.  The University of South Carolina Athletic Training Department is partaking in a multisite research study conducted by the Datalys Center to track the injuries of …

Teaching Exercise: A Survey On Educational Aids And Self-Efficacy, Joshua I. Eaton, Lucas Morgan, Matthew Hermes

Honors College Theses

HEPs are an important part of therapeutic treatment because they allow for greater exercise stimulus than can be achieved from supervised exercise alone. 94.7% of physical therapists reported prescribing HEPs to their patients. However, patient adherence to these plans can be as low as 35%. Lack of HEP adherence likely leads to sub-optimal clinical outcomes in physical therapy patients. Self-efficacy is improved in patients by supplementing HEPs with instructional aids, especially in the form of videos instead of pictures or descriptions, because they act as a form of vicarious experience. It is possible that improving self-efficacy through vicarious experience could …

Which Energy Expenditure Equation Is Most Accurate In A Field-Based Setting?, Merrill C. Ward

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Several energy expenditure prediction equations for walking on varied terrain exist; however, these predictions are often theoretical and have not undergone rigorous field testing for accuracy. Field research on this topic is sparse. The aim of this study was to determine if any existing energy expenditure prediction equations are accurate in a field-based setting with load and gradient being taken into account (i.e., under conditions that are most applicable to day hiking). This was done by directly measuring relative VO₂ (ml/kg/min) of study participants and comparing these direct measurements to the values generated from the existing prediction equations. Fifteen …

Effects Of Dietary Nitrate And Caffeine On End Power And Work Above End Power During A 3 Min All-Out Test In Trained Male Cyclists, Anthony M. Hagele, Kyle Sunderland, Petey W. Mumford, Chad Kerksick

Faculty Scholarship

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of acute dietary nitrate (NO3−) and caffeine (CAF) supplementation on end power (EP) and work performed above EP (WEP) in trained male cyclists during a 3 min all-out test (3MT) on a cycle ergometer.

Methods: Fifteen healthy, trained male cyclists (28.5 ± 5.3 years, 79.2 ± 9.1 kg, VO2peak 55.2 ± 5.6 mL·kg−1·min−1) completed four exercise trials in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study design separated by 3–7 days. The four experimental conditions were placebo beverage (nitrate-depleted) + placebo capsule, nitrate-rich beetroot juice + placebo capsule (BR), …

Exploring Exercise Motivation And Mental Well-Being In College Students, Elaine M. Lindesmith, Anqi Deng Dr

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study examined the relationship between physical activity, exercise motivation, and mental well-being among 48 undergraduate students at the University of Arkansas. Guided by Self-Determination Theory, the study used survey data to measure depression, anxiety, physical activity, and open-ended exercise motivation responses. Motivation responses were coded as autonomous or controlled.

Results showed that physical activity was weakly and negatively related to depression and anxiety, but these relationships were not statistically significant. There were also no significant differences in mental health between autonomous and controlled motivation groups, and motivation did not significantly predict mental health outcomes in regression analyses. Overall, the …

The Impact Of High-Cadence Cycling On Overground Running Performance In Recreational Runners, Matthew Ott

Master's Theses

Cycling is a commonly used exercise because it provides a controllable cardiovascular and musculoskeletal demand while imposing relatively low impact on the rider. High-cadence cycling (HCC) has been shown to influence subsequent running performance and gait performance by increasing cadence and reducing work rate when cycling prior to running. However, most of this work has focused on triathletes and older adults. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of HCC on subsequent 800 m running performance and spatiotemporal parameters in adult recreational runners. Thirty recreational runners completed two testing sessions. On Day 1, participants performed …

Domain-Specific Concussion Knowledge And Reporting In United States Major League Rugby Players, Julie Stamm, Katherine Hunzinger, Owen Sheehy, Christine Baugh

Department of Exercise Science Faculty Papers

Previous research indicates high concussion knowledge is not associated with better concussion reporting, with research examining the relationship between reporting and global concussion knowledge. Concussion knowledge has not yet been investigated in United States Major League Rugby (MLR) players. This study evaluated domain-specific concussion knowledge, concussion history, and reporting behaviors among active MLR players. In a cross-sectional design, 207 MLR athletes (age 26.6 ± 3.4 years) completed a survey assessing concussion history, knowledge, and nondisclosure reasons. While in the MLR, 24% reported an undisclosed concussion, with nondisclosure reasons related to a lack of concussion knowledge, a desire to continue playing, …

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (Acl) Injuries In Female Athletes: Implications For Prevention And Rehabilitation, Natalie Amm

Honors Theses

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are among the most common lower limb injuries and pose significant physical, psychological, and long-term functional challenges for athletes. Additionally, research has suggested that females are up to eight times more likely to experience an ACL injury than their male counterparts. This increased risk is multifactorial with risks including anatomical structure, neuromuscular control, strength deficits, and hormonal fluctuations. However, the elevated risk of ACL injuries in female athletes may not solely be caused by biological differences, but also due to training programs and sports being designed around male athletes. This pushes us to change the …

Effects Of Menstrual Cycle Phases On Muscular Strength And Ligament Laxity, Nicole Waldo Johnson

2026 Student Academic Showcase

Female participation in sport continues to increase, yet women remain largely underrepresented in research. Due to hormonal differences, additional research is needed to understand how menstrual cycle (MC) phases influence performance and injury risk. Females experience higher incidences of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, which may be influenced by hormonal fluctuations. The purpose of this study is to examine how MC phases and changes affect muscular strength and ligament laxity at the knee. Muscular strength and ligament laxity will be tested twice during the MC: once during the early follicular phase (EFP) and the second set are to be collected …