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PurposeTo characterise hydration, cooling, body mass loss, and core (Tcore) and skin (Tsk) temperatures during World Athletics Championships in hot-humid conditions.MethodsMarathon and race-walk (20 km and 50 km) athletes (n=83, 36 women) completed a pre-race questionnaire. Pre-race and post-race body weight (n=74), Tcore (n=56) and Tsk (n=49; thermography) were measured.ResultsMost athletes (93%) had a pre-planned drinking strategy (electrolytes (83%), carbohydrates (81%)) while ice slurry was less common (11%; pcore was lower in athletes using ice vests (37.5°C±0.4°C vs 37.8°C±0.3°C, p=0.024). Tcore (pre-race 37.7°C±0.3°C, post-race 39.6°C±0.6°C) was independent of event, ranking or performance (p≥0.225). Pre-race Tsk was correlated with faster race completion (r=0.32, p=0.046) and was higher in non-finishers (did not finish (DNF); 33.8°C±0.9°C vs 32.6°C±1.4°C, p=0.017). Body mass loss was higher in men than women (−2.8±1.5% vs −1.3±1.6%, pConclusionMost athletes’ hydration strategies were pre-planned based on personal experience. Ice vests were the most adopted pre-cooling strategy and the only one minimising Tcore, suggesting that event organisers should be cognisant of logistics (ie, freezers). Dehydration was moderate and unrelated to performance. Pre-race Tsk was related to performance and DNF, suggesting that Tsk modulation should be incorporated into pre-race strategies.

ObjectivesTo describe the injury characteristics of male youth athletes exposed to year-round athletics programmes.MethodsInjury surveillance data were prospectively collected by medical staff in a cohort of youth athletics athletes participating in a full-time sports academy from 2014–2015 to 2018–2019. Time-loss injuries (>1 day) were recorded following consensus procedures for athletics. Athletes were clustered into five event groups (sprints, jumps, endurance, throws and non-specialised) and the number of completed training and competition sessions (athletics exposures (AE)) were calculated for each athlete per completed season (one athlete season). Injury characteristics were reported overall and by event groups as injury incidence (injuries per 1000 AE) and injury burden (days lost per 1000 AE).ResultsOne-hundred and seventy-eight boys (14.9±1.8 years old) completed 391 athlete seasons, sustaining 290 injuries. The overall incidence was 4.0 injuries per 1000 AE and the overall burden was 79.1 days lost per 1000 AE. The thigh was the most common injury location (19%). Muscle strains (0.7 injuries per 1000 AE) and bone stress injuries (0.5 injuries per 1000 AE) presented the highest incidence and stress fractures the highest burden (17.6 days lost per 1000 AE). The most burdensome injury types by event group were: bone stress injuries for endurance, hamstring strains for sprints, stress fractures for jumps, lesion of meniscus/cartilage for throws and growth plate injuries for non-specialised athletes.ConclusionAcute muscle strains, stress fractures and bone stress injuries were identified as the main injury concerns in this cohort of young male athletics athletes. The injury characteristics differed between event groups.

Whole-body vibration (WBV) has been recently suggested as an alternative form of exercise. In this study, the acute effects of a single session of WBV exercise on anabolic hormones in aged individuals were analysed.A randomised cross-over trial design was used.Geriatrics Department, Woodend Hospital.20 individuals (9 men and 11 women; median age 70 years (range 66 to 85 years) volunteered in the experiment. Interventions Isometric squat on a platform with vibration or no vibration (control) conditions.Plasma cortisol, testosterone, growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) were measured before, immediately after, and 1 and 2 h after the interventions.A significant difference between treatments (p0.001) and a time x treatment interaction (p0.05) was found in IGF-1 levels. Cortisol levels were shown not to be significantly different between treatments (p = 0.43), but a difference over time (p0.001) and a time6 treatment interaction (p0.05) were identified. No significant differences were identified in GH and testosterone levels.As shown by the results of the study, 5 min of WBV exercise characterised by static squat with a frequency of 30 Hz can be performed by older individuals without apparent signs of stress and/or fatigue. Furthermore, WBV produced an acute increase in the circulating levels IGF-1 and cortisol greater than that observed following the same exercise protocol conducted without vibration.

Whole body vibration has been recently proposed as an exercise intervention because of its potential for increasing force generating capacity in the lower limbs. Its recent popularity is due to the combined effects on the neuromuscular and neuroendocrine systems. Preliminary results seem to recommend vibration exercise as a therapeutic approach for sarcopenia and possibly osteoporosis. This review analyses state of the art whole body vibration exercise techniques, suggesting reasons why vibration may be an effective stimulus for human muscles and providing the rationale for future studies.

Background Handball is a contact sport with a high prevalence of acute injuries. Injuries often occur during high-speed movements involving several players, making it difficult to describe the exact mechanism of injury. Objective Describe the mechanisms of injury in elite male handball. Design Prospective video analysis. Setting During the men´s handball world championship 2015, 132 injuries were reported through on-site injury surveillance by team medical staff. Based on the injury reports, two operators accessed the videos of each game and identified the specific injury situations using video analysis software (ProzoneHANDBALL v.1.0.0.14, ProzoneSports, Leeds, UK). Video analysis A total of 97 injury videos were identified; 42 were excluded, as the injury situation was not visible. Five handball experts performed an individual analysis of the 55 included videos based on a specific form developed to describe the injury situations and causes, followed by a consensus meeting. Main Outcome Measurements The form included variables related to the playing situation, landing situation, action of attacker and defender at time of injury and localization of tackle/hit. Results The most common injury location was the head and face (n=17, 31%), followed by the ankle (n=6, 11%). The most frequent injury cause was opponent contact (n=27, 49%), followed by landing trauma subsequent to opponent contact (n=8, 15%). The injuries were equally distributed between attackers (n=29, 53%) and defenders (n=26, 47%), but time-loss injuries (49%) were more common among attackers (68%). The most frequent playing action performed by injured attackers was a jump shot (n=9, 31%); tackles were most often to their throwing arm (n=7, 30%). Conclusions Acute injuries in elite male handball are equally distributed between attackers and defenders. However, attackers sustain more severe injuries. The most frequent injury causes are direct opponent contact and landing trauma after opponent contact.