Asian Journal of Sports Medicine
Volume:11 Issue: 3, Sep 2020

One of the most common forms of entrapment neuropathy is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). There are various treatment options for CTS. However, there are no clear and structured guidelines. This review classified the existing treatments and developed an algorithm to help physicians to choose the best option for their patients. Treatment options were summarized in three sections: non-surgical management of CTS, post-operative management of CTS, and practical open carpal tunnel release post-op protocol. The physicians can prescribe multiple treatment options to CTS patients. Corticosteroid in oral or injectable form has strong evidence in pain control and functional improvement in the short term. Shockwave therapy and nocturnal wrist splints display moderate therapeutic effects. Post carpal tunnel release rehabilitation can be started a few days after the operation.

Sport has become increasingly competitive, prompting the need to determine, as far as possible, any likely performance advantage. While the focus of athletic research, testing, and training is on the physiological and physical characteristics of the sport, visual abilities not only affect sport performance directly, but also affect the acquisition of motor skills. Vision, and visual-spatial intelligence (VSI), are a relatively new and underexplored area of athletic performance. As with physiological and physical parameters, a range of factors affect vision and VSI in sporting activities. This review of the literature is a first attempt to summarize and compile an overview of the factors affecting vision and VSI in athletes, covering those previously connected with sport, as well as those hitherto not associated with athletic activities, but that could also play a part in sports performance. The evidence from this review suggests that while current research still tends to focus on single factors affecting vision and VSI, a large number of such factors have been identified that could affect vision and VSI. This offers new opportunities for researchers to investigate the effects of a combination of factors, and for conditioning and/or sports vision specialists to explore further possibilities for competitive advantage.

Kaempfera (K.) parviflora (i.e., Thai ginseng) is believed to have medicinal properties associated with good health (e.g., increased vitality, metabolism booster) because it expands blood vessels, which allows for increased blood flow. These effects might extend into the realm of improving physical performance, specifically that of the cardiovascular system.

A randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel design study was conducted to determine the effects of 12 weeks of K. parviflora supplementation on the cardiovascular endurance of healthy male adults.

Participants included 57 Thai air force cadets who were undergoing physical training for sports competition. Participants were randomly divided into either the treatment group (n = 30) (Age = 20.30 + 0.65 yrs.) or control group (n = 27) (Age = 20.37 + 0.68 yrs.). Treatment group participants received 360 mg of K. parviflora extract in capsule form, and those in the control group received a placebo capsule. Measurements included lactate threshold and heart rate recovery, assessed at baseline and weeks 6 and 12. Group differences were assessed using a 2 (group) × 3 (time) repeated-measures ANOVA.

No main or interaction effects were observed for the lactate threshold (all P > 0.05). No group differences were observed for heart rate recovery (P > 0.05); however, a significant time effect was observed for heart rate recovery at weeks 6 and 12 (P < 0.05), which also marked the beginning of an interaction effect showing that those in the experimental group improved more than those in the control group (P > 0.05).

In this set of observations, 12-weeks of K. parviflora supplementation had no effect on the lactate threshold; however, it does appear that it might have improved heart rate recovery

Postural stability is quite mandatory when practicing high-performance sports. Investigations of postural stability and related variables in judokas with visual impairment can lead to new training plans targeting the improvement of postural stability and ultimately to enhanced performance.

To investigate postural stability and its relationship with anthropometric measurements, body composition, and experience in judokas with visual impairment.

Seventeen judokas (70.6% men) with visual impairment participated in this cross-sectional study. The athletes were grouped based on the functional classification of partial (B2/B3, n = 10) and total visual impairment (B1, n = 7). Postural stability was assessed using the elliptical area of the 95% confidence interval (Area) and the average displacement velocity (Vavg) while remaining in a bipedal stance with eyes closed and blindfolded. Body mass, height, circumferences, skinfold thickness and diameters were measured and used to estimate body composition. Between-group comparisons were evaluated using the Mann-Whitney test. Bivariate correlations were determined with Spearman’s correlation coefficient with bootstrap analysis and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) from 500 resamplings.

No significant difference was observed between the B1 and B2/B3 groups in relation to postural stability (Area; P = 1.00; Vavg; P = 0.85). Postural stability (Area but not Vavg) correlated positively and moderately (P < 0.05) with anthropometric measurements and negatively with judo experience (practice time).

The postural stability of judokas was unrelated to the degree of visual impairment. Postural instability was correlated with anthropometric measurements, mainly body fat and height, and judo experience.

Aerobic exercise has been shown to decrease the functional disorders related to multiple sclerosis (MS). Nevertheless, the effect of aerobic exercise training on the cytokines and neuroprotective mediators associated with the disease activity has remained relatively unknown.

The present research was conducted to evaluate the responses of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) to single-bout and six-week aerobic exercise training in the patients with MS.

Totally, 20 subjects ((n = 10) patients with MS and (n = 10) controls) who were matched in terms of gender, weight, body mass, and age were included in the study. Participants received aerobic exercise training at approximately 60% of VO2max in 30-min sessions 3 times a week for six weeks. Serum concentrations of the VEGF and TNF-α were analyzed pre- and post-exercise training (in the first session and after 18 sessions of the study).

Serum concentration of the TNF-α decreased significantly after a single bout and 6-week aerobic exercise training (P = 0.002 and P = 0.005) in the intervention group. Serum concentration of the VEGF increased significantly only after exercise in the first and 18th sessions in the intervention group (P = 0.017 and P = 0.022).

Our results revealed that exercise may influence the VEGF regulation in patients with MS. Although, further research is needed to determine the effect of exercise on the immune variables in patients with MS.

Student-athletes who are still experiencing physical and psychological growth and developmentally immature are prone to getting sports injuries. Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) is a screening tool to assess the risk of injury to determine the movement error of jumping and landing.

The purpose of this study was to find the scientific evidence regarding the role of LESS concerning lower extremity injuries.

This cross-sectional study involving eighty-seven participants from six sports divisions at the Pusat Pelatihan Olahraga Pelajar (PPOP) DKI Jakarta. The participants performed history taking, physical examination, and jump-landing tasks using LESS analysis. Participants will be monitored for three months to determine the lower extremity injuries event. In addition to the results of LESS, gender, history of previous injuries in the last six months, and body posture alignment will also be analyzed in conjunction with lower extremity injuries using SPSS v.20.0 software.

The average of 16-year-old participants with boys more than girls (60.9%). LESS result, gender and body posture alignment did not show a significant association with lower extremity injuries (P > 0.05). History of previous injuries in the last six months and duration of training less than five years had a significant relationship with lower extremity injuries (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05).

The application of the LESS test for assessing the risk of lower extremity injuries in athletes of PPOP needs further research. Because lower extremity injuries may be due to other risk factors such as a history of previous injuries and the duration of the training, the more in-depth pre-participation examination of athletes for injury risk factor screening is needed.

Considering the well-established benefits of physical activity in the health domain, the economy, and environment, physical activity programs should be considered as an important agenda in public health policymaking.

The objective of this qualitative study was to identify “Why the prevalence of physical inactivity has increased during the past decade in Iran, despite having various national physical activity documents? "using a Delphi technique.

The “Delphi technique” process in this study consisted of literature review, selecting the research question, selection and recruitment of panel members, pilot study and conduction of round one (using an open question), round 2 (using a 5-point Likert scale), and round three (final ranking).

Statements with the highest scores in round three were recognized as the most important causes of the decreased level of physical activity based on the experts’ responses in Iran.

The absence of executive support, coordination mechanisms, and appropriate infrastructure for conducting physical activity were the top challenges in improving the physical activity level in Iran.

Although regular exercise is beneficially acknowledged in promoting general health status, the cardiovascular risk of sudden cardiac death in highly training athletes has been reported. Unfortunately, the primary key factor in inducing cardiac problems in athletic populations is still questioned.

In the present study, we aim to determine factors that could affect the relationship between physical activity level and cardiac autonomic function in the Thai population.

Forty participants were recruited and classified into three groups based on their physical activity level and sport profession, including sedentary men, elite handball players, and professional futsal players. In all participants, we measured predicted maximal oxygen consumption, time- and frequency- domain heart rate variability (HRV) variables at rest.

Results demonstrated a positive correlation between time-domain HRV and estimated maximal oxygen consumption, but not with frequency-domain HRV, in which athletes aged lower than 25 years old (18 - 25 years old) had a significantly higher in the standard deviation of normal RR intervals (SDNN) and root mean square of the successive differences (RMSSD) than that in agematched sedentary subjects. Interestingly, athletes aged above 25 years old (25 - 32 years old) had lower SDNN and RMSSD with higher low frequency/high-frequency ratio than those athletes aged under 25. Since all athletes aged above 25 years old were worldclass national futsal players, stress due to the competitive level might be another factor influencing cardiac autonomic activity in athletes.

In conclusion, the study suggested the importance of age and stress exposure on cardiac autonomic regulation in elite athletes. The observed correlation also reinforced HRV as a potential marker in detecting abnormal changes in cardiac health even in an athletic population.