Purpose The aim this study was to provide an epidemiological injury analysis of the National Basketball Association, detailing aspects such as frequency rate, characteristics and impact on performance (missed games), including COVID-19 related and non-related injuries. Methods A retrospective study was conducted from the 2017–18 to 2020–2021 season. Publicly available records from the official website of the National Basketball Association were collected, including player’s profiling data, minutes played per game until the injury occurred, unique injuries and injury description [location (body area), diagnosis (or mechanism)], and missed games due to injury. Results A total of 625 players and 3543 unique injuries were registered during the period analyzed. There was an increased incidence of missed games and unique injuries ratios, from 2017–18 until 2020–21, even when excluding COVID-19 related cases. The main body areas of injuries corresponded to lower body injuries, specifically knee, ankle and foot. The tendon/ligament group, for both games missed and unique injuries, showed the higher ratios (1.16 and 0.21, respectively), followed by muscle (0.69 and 0.16, respectively) and bones (0.30 and 0.03, respectively). Irrespective of season, the higher percentage of unique injuries occurred in the group of players playing in the 26–35 minutes, followed by the 16–25 minutes played. Guards showed the highest injury ratios compared to other playing positions. Most injuries and missed games due to injury occurred from mid-season to the end of the regular season. The majority of both injuries and missed games were concentrated in the two central experience groups (from 6 to 15 years). Conclusions Despite previous efforts to better understand injury risk factors, there has been an increase in unique injuries and missed games. The distribution by body area, type of injury, when they occurred, minutes played and outcomes by play position, age a or years of experience vary between season and franchises.

An experimental model for local administration of neuronotrophic substances at the site of peripheral nerve lesion is presented. The model consists of a subcutaneously located silicone reservoir and a connecting tube with its distal end fixed in the proximity of the severed and repaired nerve. The results of the preliminary tests of the model are presented. Sixty Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups: control (saline-treated) (n = 30) and NGF-treated (n = 30). After axotomy of the sciatic nerve, an epineurial repair is performed. NGF or saline is injected daily into the subcutaneous reservoir during the first 3 weeks after axotomy and a single dose in the fourth week. The regenerated nerve observed in the NGF-treated group after four weeks of treatment presents a greater percentage of myelinated axons, thicker myeline sheaths, and more mature endoneurial layers. This experimental model provides a reliable and quantitative way to deliver neuronotrophic substances in site and at different administration rates.

Abstract

Background: Periodization implies the systematic planning of training and competition with the goal of reaching the best possible performance in the most important competition. In team sports, this consists of finding a flight-and-practice schedule that maximizes the opportunities to perform the periodized contents (e.g., trips, practices, games, and days off). This process is conducted whilst considering known constraints (e.g., competitive schedule, roster availability, weather, especial events, holidays, or emotional effect of days away). The way a scheduling decision support system (DSS) leads users to make a decision should allow for flexibility, whilst minimizing users' confusion and facilitating the understanding of the recommendation given by the scheduling decision support system. Traditional approaches to solving scheduling problems use either simulation models, analytical models, heuristic approaches or a combination of these methods. When it comes to evaluate how the scheduling DSS is performing, three overarching aspects need to be reviewed: context satisfaction, process efficiency, and output quality. Appropriate training periodization and scheduling of trips and training sessions are critical for teams to optimize training and recovery processes in order to maximize health and performance. This article presents a methodological framework for designing decision-support systems for scheduling in professional team sports.

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