Background and Objectives: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are common injuries in the athletic population, and accordingly, ACL reconstruction (ACLR) is among the most common orthopedic surgical procedures performed in sports medicine. This study aims to compare the semitendinosus/gracilis (ST/G) and ACL hamstring grafts fixed using adjustable cortical suspension in both the femur and tibia (MAI) ACLR techniques. We aimed to compare the results of single-leg hop tests (SLHT) applied in different directions and limb symmetry indices (LSI) in athletes with a 6-month post-operative ACLR history. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort of 39 athletes from various sports branches who underwent MAI (n = 16) and ST/G (n = 23) ACLR techniques by the same surgeon were evaluated. The knee strength of the participants on the operated and non-operated sides was evaluated with five different SLHTs. The SLHT included the single hop for distance (SH), triple hop for distance (TH), crossover triple hop for distance (CH), medial side triple hop for distance (MSTH), and medial rotation (90°) hop for distance (MRH). Results: There was a significant improvement in the mean Lysholm, Tegner, and IKDC scores in the post-operative leg for both techniques (p < 0.05) compared to the pre-operative levels. When there was a difference between the SH of the operative and the non-operative legs in the ST/G technique (p < 0.05), there was no significant difference in the other hop distance for both ST/G and MAI (p > 0.05). There was no difference between the techniques regarding the LSI scores. Conclusions: The fact that our research revealed similar LSI rates of the SLHTs applied in different directions in the ST/G and MAI techniques assumes that the MAI technique can be an ACLR technique which can be functionally used in athletes.

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Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine self-confidence levels of extreme sports athletes in terms of variables such as gender, sport experience and sports level. Methods: A total of 1660 athletes in skiing, snowboarding, mountaineering, motor-car and motor-bike racing participated in the study. “Self-confidence scale” developed by Akın (2007) was used to find out athletes’ characteristics of self-belief, being able to control emotions and taking risks. Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis test were used for data analysis. Results: Skiers and motor-car racers were found to have the highest self-confidence values, while snowboarders had the lowest values. Although there were less women in the study, significance was found only in external self-confidence in favour of women (p<0.05). Significant association was found between self-confidence values in terms of sport experience and sports level (p<0.05). Conclusions: Extreme sports should be generalized, supported and introduced to raise successful and self-confident individuals. This will contribute to the fast development of these sports which are known as dangerous sports throughout the world.

Background and Objectives: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common injuries with a high incidence among people with high physical activity levels. Therefore, ACL reconstruction (ACLR) is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in sports medicine. This study aims to compare the pre- and 6-month post-operative isokinetic knee strengths in healthy (HK) and ACL knees of patients who underwent semitendinous/gracilis (ST/G) ACLR. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort of 21 recreational athletes who underwent ST/G ACLR by the same surgeon were evaluated. The pre- and 6-month post-operative isokinetic knee extension (Ex) and flexion (Flx) strengths of the HK and ACLR patients were evaluated in a series consisting of three different angular velocities (60, 180 and 240°/s). Of all the findings, peak torque (PT) and hamstring/quadriceps (H/Q) parameters were evaluated. Results: There was a significant improvement in post-operative Lysholm, Tegner and IKDC scores compared to pre-operative scores (p < 0.05). There were significant differences in pre-operative and post-operative knee Ex and Flx strengths at angular velocities of 60°, 180° and 240°/s in both the ACLR and HK groups (p < 0.001). There was no significance at 240°/s Flx for ACLR (p > 0.05). As for H/Q ratios, there was a significant difference between pre- and post-operative values only at 60°/s angular velocity in both ACLR and HC (p < 0.005). Conclusions: The pre-operative and 6-month post-operative results of the ST/G ACLR showed that there was a high level of recovery, particularly in quadriceps strength, while the increase in strength was less in the hamstring. The significance observed at 60°/s in H/Q ratios was within normal ranges. It can be argued that the ST/G ACLR method is feasible for people with high physical activity levels and for athletes.

<p>This study aimed to analyze preferred leg (PLs) and non-preferred leg (NPLs) isokinetic knee strength, lateral asymmetry ratios and to examine their correlation with static balance. Sixteen female taekwondo (TKD) athletes voluntarily participated in the study. Knee isokinetic extension (Ex) and flexion (Flx) strength were measured in concentric / concentric (Con / Con) contractions at angular velocities of 60°/s, 180°/s, and 240°/s. Ipsilateral hamstring / quadriceps (H/Q) and bilateral (H/H and Q /Q) ratios were calculated. Static balances were determined by taking the center of body pressure in X (COPX) and Y (COPY) axis. Paired sample <em>t</em>-test and Pearson correlation tests were used in statistical analysis. When the isokinetic knee strength was examined, it was found that 60°/s angular velocity parameter was significantly different in Flx phase while 180°/s and 240°/s angular velocities were found to be significantly different in Ex phase in favor of PLs. There was no significance in bilateral and ipsilateral strength ratios of all angular velocities. There was a significant correlation between 240°/s HQ and COPX in terms of ipsilateral asymmetry ratios whereas a significant correlation was found between 60°/s HH and COPX in terms of bilateral asymmetry ratios. It was found that there were differences in strength between PL and NPLs, but no asymmetry was observed. There was no high level of correlation between lateral asymmetry ratios and balance in female TKD practitioners.</p>

Breathing patterns play a crucial role in shooting performance; however, little is known about the respiratory muscle strength and pulmonary capacities that control these patterns. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between shooting performance, respiratory muscle strength, and pulmonary function and to determine differences in respiratory capacities according to the shooting performance categories in police cadets. One hundred sixty-seven police cadets were recruited to assess respiratory muscle strength, pulmonary function, and shooting performance in a well-controlled environment. Measurements included maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), slow vital capacity (SVC), maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV), and pistol shooting scores. The shooting score had a moderate positive correlation with MIP (ρ = 0.33) and MEP (ρ = 0.45). FVC (ρ = 0.25), FEV1 (ρ = 0.26), SVC (ρ = 0.26) (p < 0.001) and MVV (ρ = 0.21) (p < 0.05) were slightly correlated with shooting score. There were differences between shooting performance categories in MIP, MEP, FVC, FEV1, SVC, and MVV (p < 0.001, p < 0.05). The results imply that both strong respiratory muscles and optimal pulmonary function may be one of the necessary prerequisites for superior shooting performance in police.

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Öz: Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, tekvandocuların ve dansçıların özgüven düzeylerini karşılaştırmaktır. Yöntem: Bu çalışmaya Samsun, İstanbul ve Muğla illerinde bulunan dans ve tekvando kulüplerinde lisanslı olarak bu sporları yapan tekvandocu (n=106) ve dansçı (n=125) toplam 231 sporcu gönüllü olarak katılmıştır. Veriler, anketlerin web üzerinden doldurulması yoluyla elde edilmiştir. Araştırmada veri toplama aracı olarak araştırmacılar tarafından geliştirilen "Demografik Bilgi Formu" ve sporcuların özgüven düzeylerini tespit etmek için Akın (2007) tarafından geliştirilen ''Öz-güven Ölçeği" kullanılmıştır. Verilerin analizi SPSS 21 paket programı ile yapılmıştır. Bulgular: Sporcuların özgüven düzeyi toplam puan ortalamaları branş, cinsiyet, meslek, gelir durumu değişkenlerine göre karşılaştırılmıştır. Hem tekvando hem de dans sporcularının yüksek düzeyde özgüvene sahip olduğu saptanmış ancak dansçıların özgüven düzeyi puan ortalamalarının tekvandocuların puanından anlamlı düzeyde yüksek olduğu tespit edilmiştir (p<0.05). Her iki branşta da cinsiyet değişkeninin özgüven düzeyi puanlarını farklılaştırmadığı tespit edilmiştir (p>0.05). Gelir durumunun dansçılarda özgüven düzeyi puanını farklılaştırdığı tespit edilmiştir (p<0.05). Spor yapma yılının sporcuların özgüven düzeylerini farklılaştırmadığı tespit edilmiştir (p>0.01). Her iki branş sporcularının Uluslararası yarışmalara katılma durumlarına göre incelendiğinde uluslararası yarışmalara katılan sporcuların özgüven düzeyi puan ortalamalarının yarışmalara katılmayan sporcuların puanından anlamlı düzeyde yüksek olduğu tespit edilmiştir (p<0.05). Sonuç: Çalışmamızda tekvandocuların ve dansçıların yüksek düzeyde öz-güvene sahip olduğu görülmüştür. Ayrıca dansçıların özgüvenlerinin tekvandoculardan daha yüksek olduğu görülmüştür. Cinsiyetin öz-güven düzeyini farklılaştırmadığı ve her iki branşta da uluslararası yarışmalara katılma durumunun sporcuların öz-güven düzeyini etkilediği sonucuna varılmıştır. Dansçıların sosyal çevre ile daha çok iletişim içinde olması ve dansın bedenini keşfetme olanağını sunması özgüvenlerinin yüksek olmasında etken olduğu söylenebilir.