OBJECTIVES To understand the condition of athletes engaged in daily sports activities, it is important to investigate the pain that many such athletes can experience as well as the pain that can be an initial symptom of injury. Although handball is a contact sport associated with frequent injuries, the actual nature of pain symptoms that develop has not been sufficiently studied, and the relationship between pain occurrence and athletes' daily changing physical load remains unclear. This study aimed to clarify the nature of pain symptoms in handball players and examine the relationship between pain occurrence and physical load. METHODS This study involved a 12-month daily assessment of pain symptoms and physical load involving 11 university female handball players. Pain was examined in terms of body region and a pain severity score using a pain questionnaire, and physical load on handball was assessed based on playing hours, types of matches and training recorded by a video camera. RESULTS The total number of pains was 1698, and the pain incidence rate was 288.1 pains per 1000 player hours. In terms of body regions, the ankle (18.3%) was the most common, followed by the lower back (13.3%), foot (12.8%), Achilles tendon (9.2%), and thigh (8.9%). With regard to the relationship between pain and physical load, significant moderate or weak correlations were observed between handball (r s =0.657), training (r s =0.626), and on-court training (r s =0.591) and overall pain occurrences. In terms of body regions, the ankle and thigh, significant moderate or weak correlations were observed with respect to all categories in on-court training. CONCLUSIONS We found that pain occur frequently and athletes continue to compete in games despite experiencing pain. In addition, pain occurrence was related to physical load, indicating that the type of physical load depends on the body region.
Abstract:This study aimed to elucidate the key risk factors for shoulder pain in Japanese middle school-, high school-, and university-level badminton players and use a regression formula to predict the probability of shoulder pain onset based on risk factor combinations. Based on a self-report questionnaire survey, we included 461 individuals (102 middle school students, 134 high school students, and 225 university students) with a history of shoulder pain in the previous year and 541 individuals with no shoulder pain in the previous year. Then, we performed logistic regression analysis of individual characteristics and history of shoulder pain to analyze the factors associated with shoulder pain onset. Analysis of patients excluding those currently experiencing shoulder pain indicated that a history of shoulder pain (> 1 year previously) predicted shoulder pain onset. Analysis of patients excluding those with a history of shoulder pain indicated that undergoing care, being of university age, having a long history of competing, and short cool-down times were associated with recurrent pain. However, results were different for each age group. The fact that half the Japanese middle school, high school, and university badminton players had a history of shoulder pain suggests that they will experience recurrent shoulder pain. The results also suggest that different factors are important in each age group. Thus, it is critical to establish evidence-based countermeasures to prevent shoulder pain that interferes with play.
ContextAbout 10% of Japanese female athletes are afflicted by menstrually-related edema, mainly in the lower limbs, and, with few studies on this problem, the effect on performance remains unclear.ObjectiveTo quantitatively evaluate fluid retention in the calf in female students over their menstrual cycle using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to determine the relationship of MRI changes and athletic performance.DesignThe menstrual cycle was divided into 5 phases: menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, early luteal, and late luteal with sampling done in either morning (AM) or afternoon (PM) sessions. At each phase, MRI of the calf (7:00–8:00, 14:00–16:00), body composition and hormones (7:00–8:00), and athletic performance (14:00–16:00) were evaluated.Participants13 adult healthy Japanese female students with eumenorrhea.ResultsEstradiol levels decreased significantly in the menstrual phase and the follicular phase compared to the early luteal phase (P = 0.001, P = 0.024 respectively). Menstrual phase estradiol levels were significantly lower compared to the ovulatory phase (P = 0.015), and the late luteal phase (P = 0.003). Progesterone levels decreased significantly in the menstrual phase and the follicular phase compared to the ovulatory phase (P = 0.012, P = 0.009 respectively), the early luteal phase (both P = 0.007), and the late luteal phase (P = 0.028, P = 0.029 respectively), and it along with a significant decrease in the ovulatory phase compared to the early luteal phase (P = 0.010). AM T2 signals were significantly lower in the menstrual phase compared to the ovulatory phase (P = 0.043) but not other phases. PM T2 signals increased significantly in the menstrual phase compared to the follicular phase (P = 0.003), ovulatory phase (P = 0.009), and the late luteal phase (P = 0.032), and the difference between the AM and PM values increased significantly in the menstrual phase compared to the other 4 phases (P<0.01). A negative correlation between fluid retention and agility was observed.ConclusionIn female students fluid retention during the menstrual phase could be a factor that influences athletic agility.
IntroductionMenstrual dysfunction, musculoskeletal injury, and poor nutrition combine to form the female athlete triad (FAT), which results in serious health consequences for affected athletes. To this point, the risk factors of this phenomenon have not been fully explored in Japanese female college athletes. Additionally, the effect of competitive level on FAT risk factors has also not been reported. Therefore, we aimed to examine FAT risk factors in Japanese female athletes of various sports as well as examine the impact of competitive level on FAT.MethodsA Japanese-language survey was completed by 531 athletes and 20 nonathletes at two Japanese universities and answers with regard to menstrual status, musculoskeletal injury, nutrition, and other variables were analyzed based on classification of the sports into nine distinct groups based on activity type. Sport intensity, training volume, and competitive levels were used to further classify each sport. One-way ANOVA and the Bonferroni post hoc test using SPSS were carried out to analyze significance for relationships between sport intensity and FAT risk factors. Additionally, the relationship between competitive level and FAT risk factors was analyzed by ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests.ResultsSport intensity was positively correlated with a delay in menarche as well as dysmenorrhea and poor nutrition while musculoskeletal injury was correlated with repetitive, high-training volume sports. Lower competitive levels increased dysmenorrhea but did not impact injury status or nutrition.ConclusionSport intensity and training volume, but not competitive level, are the critical factors affecting FAT risk in Japanese female college athletes.
Chronic menstrual dysfunction and low female sex hormones adversely affect muscular performance in women but studies in college athletes are scarce. A cohort of 18 Japanese, female college athletes at the University of Tsukuba, Japan, were recruited and studied over 3 weeks under 2 conditions. One group had normal menstrual cycling (CYC, 9 athletes) while the other had irregular cycles (DYS, 9 athletes). Hormones and creatine kinase (CK) were measured from blood under both rest (RE) and exercise (EX) conditions. Biceps femoris tendon stiffness was measured by myometry. No differences in age, height, weight, menarche age, or one-repetition maximum weight existed between the groups. The DYS group had persistently low levels of estrogen and progesterone. In the CYC group, the CK level significantly increased at each point immediately post-exercise and 24 h post-exercise compared to pre-exercise in Weeks 1 and 2, and significantly increased at 24 h post-exercise compared to pre-exercise status in Week 3. The DYS group was significantly different only between pre-exercise and 24 h post-exercise over all 3 weeks. The DYS group also suffered from higher biceps femoris tendon stiffness at 24 h post-exercise. Chronic menstrual irregularities in Japanese college athletes increase muscle damage markers in the bloodstream and muscle stiffness after acute strength training.
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