Montenegrin Journal of Sports Science and Medicine

5-37

Authors: Dusko Bjelica, Stevo Popovic, Selçuk Akpınar

N/A

5-12

Authors: Omer Ozkan, Serife Seyma Torgutalp, Levend Karacoban, Gurhan Donmez, Feza Korkusuz

Longstanding groin pain is a non-infectious and inflammatory chronic condition that causes inguinal pain in athletes. We compared dextrose prolotherapy (15% dextrose solution) and platelet-rich plasma (autologous platelet gel, plasma rich in growth factors, platelet concentrate) injections in male soccer players with longstanding groin pain. Forty elite male soccer players, ages between 13 and 33, with longstanding groin pain were treated. Patients were randomly divided into the dextrose prolotherapy (n= 9) and platelet-rich plasma injection (n= 6) groups. Following three injections, all patients were enrolled in the 12-week progressive home exercise protocol. Pain and function were assessed using the visual analogue (VAS) and Nirschl Pain Phase Scale (NPPS) scores before, one month after, and six months after the injection, respectively. VAS and NPPS scores decreased in both of the dextrose prolotherapy and the platelet-rich plasma injection groups. A decrease in pain and improvement in function were evident at a month after injection, and they remained favourable at the end of six months (VAS overall, p <0.001 and p= 0.003, respectively) (NPPS overall, p <0.001 and p= 0.007, respectively). A difference between the dextrose prolotherapy and the platelet-rich plasma injection groups was not observed at both time points (VAS, p= 0.3, p= 0.7, and p= 0.6 respectively) (NPPS, p= 0.6, p= 0.9, and p= 0.9 respectively). Dextrose prolotherapy and platelet-rich plasma injections decreased pain and improved function in longstanding groin pain treatment of male soccer players. These treatments should be considered in patients who are not responding to conservative treatment modalities.

21-26

Authors: Walaa M. Elsais, Walaa S. Mohammad

Although normalizing the EMG signals is necessary for physiological interpretation and comparison between muscles and between subjects, no EMG study has investigated the standardized position to achieve maximal contraction for the adductor magnus muscle. Accordingly, it is necessary to employ a maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) position that elicits the highest activation to increase the validity of EMG studies and provide accurate comparisons between studies. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the peak electromyography (EMG) of the most commonly used positions in the literature (i.e., the fully extended hip and knee, hip-flexed 45°, and knee at 90°) to a novel position: prone hip extension with 90° knee flexion. An ultrasound imaging system was used to guide the surface EMG electrode placement on the adductor magnus (AM) muscle, for a group of ninety-four recreational runners. AM demonstrated the greatest MVIC activity in both prone and hip-flexed 45° positions with no significant differences between them (p < 0.05). However, significant differences were displayed between the AM activities while performing the fully extended hip position and the other two positions. Based on these results, it is recommended that the prone and hip-flexed 45° positions can be used to measure the MVIC of the AM interchangeably. Furthermore, the prone position can be considered to be a position of the greatest MVIC of AM, particularly when the position of hip-flexed 45° is limited as well as it can be used to quantify MVIC for both AM and hip extensor muscles simultaneously.

35-41

Authors: Mohammad Fayiz AbuMoh'd, Samir Qasim, Nesreen Bataineh, Loay Salman

This study aimed to investigate whether cabergoline therapy alone for six months or in combination with a light exercise programme for an additional three months can attenuate hyperprolactinemia in 13 male patients (range: 22 to 45 yrs.) through measuring pituitary-gonadal hormones including prolactin, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and total testosterone. The exercise programme consisted of walking, brisk walking, jogging, and running for three months, during which the intensity and duration of exercise were gradually increased. All the patients performed the exercise programme at 6.30 AM to exclude the effects of the circadian rhythm. The exercise programme was performed at an intensity below 160 beats per min to ensure filling of the heart with blood during ventricular diastole. Blood samples were collected from each patient on three occasions: before treatment, at the end of cabergoline therapy, and after the combination of light exercise and cabergoline. At the end of cabergoline therapy, descriptive data revealed that serum prolactin levels were decreased while the other hormones were increased but without returning to the normal range, except for one patient. However, at the end of the combination procedure, most hormones, namely prolactin and testosterone, were returned to the normal range in most patients. In conclusion, light exercise combined with cabergoline therapy for additional 3 months after 6 months of cabergoline therapy alone returned hormones in most patients to normal range probably due to improved mood and decreased hostility as a result of tuberoinfundibular pathway activity.

51-58

Authors: Gonca Ozyurt, Kursat Ozcan, Cagla Dinsever Elikucuk, Ugur Odek, Selçuk Akpınar

Equine-assisted activities (EAA) have emerged as a new method of treatment for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in recent years. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of EAA in the areas of social functioning, autistic behaviours, family functioning, and clinical severity for children diagnosed with ASD. The participants were 24 children (4-12 years old) diagnosed with ASD and their mothers. Subjects were randomized into two groups, and the programme consisted of eight sessions of EAA. A social communication questionnaire and clinical global impression scale were used to evaluate the severity of autistic behaviours, and family assessment device was used for family functioning, while the Beck Depression Inventory was used to evaluate the severity of maternal depression. The results suggested that the severity of ASD decreases and improvements in maternal mental health and family functioning were observed in the experimental group, while no significant results were observed in the control group. This study provided preliminary evidence that an eight-week EAA can provide significant improvements in terms of both family and child functioning for children diagnosed with ASD. Further studies in larger samples are needed to investigate these effects.

65-71

Authors: Michele Lastella, Zozan Onay, Aaron T. Scanlan, Nathan Elsworthy, Nathan W. Pitchford, Grace E. Vincent

Although sports officials are essential in the adjudication of rules during competitions, research into officiating populations is preliminary. This review explores existing research on the effects of sleep loss on decision-making in athlete populations, to gain relevant insight into sports officials and the growing decision- making demands of their role. Specifically, cognitive factors that influence decision-making are identified, and the potential relationship between sleep/wake behaviours and decision-making in sports officials were examined. Particular focus was granted to sleep, specifically sleep restriction in athlete populations, and the hypothesized relationship between sleep/wake behaviours and decision-making in sports officials. Impaired sleep duration and quality has been shown to impair cognitive performance. In the context of sport, impairments to sleep can negatively impact motivation, physical strength, reaction time, and decision-making, all of which are imperative to the role of the sports official. Despite numerous studies demonstrating that sleep loss reduces cognitive performance in athletes, this review revealed that similar research in sports officials has surprisingly yet to be conducted. Since sports officials require a high level of cognitive and physical skills to make correct decisions, an inquiry into the influence of sleep on cognitive performance may encourage research that facilitates improved performance training methods for decision-making in officials. Such findings are important to maintain the standard of officiating and allow for the development of guidelines and strategies to manage sleep and optimize decision-making across various sporting codes.

5-10

Authors: Zi Yan, Kevin Finn, Kayla Breton

The present study examined whether physical activity participation between Pokémon GO users was different from that of non-users. Participants’ perceptions of the game in terms of promoting physical activity were also evaluated. A total of 393 college students (Female=175, age M=19.03, SD=2.04) took an online survey that measured user activity, perceptions on the game, and recalled physical activity participation. The participants were classified as non-users (n=227, 79.1%), non-active users (i.e., playing less than 30 min a day, n=24, 8.4%), and active-users (i.e., playing more than 30 min a day, n=36, 12.5%). Most users agreed that playing the game had a positive impact on their physical activity level. However, the non-active users and the active-users walked significantly less than the non-users did, and the non-users also had higher overall physical activity participation levels. Most Pokémon GO players perceived that the app made them more physically active, although they still walked less than non-players did. There may be pre-existing differences in the physical activity patterns between the users and the non-users. Health promotion professionals may encourage sedentary individuals to use this game to promote physical activity.

19-25

Authors: Yzan Saavedra, Jose M. Saavedra

The objectives of this study were (i) to determine whether there is a relationship between the relative age effect (RAE) and the final classification of the teams, player’s positions, number of goals scored, and shooting effectiveness, and (ii) to determine whether there are differences in the number of goals scored and shooting effectiveness depending on the final classification and player’s positions. The study subjects were 380 players who took part in the 2018 Women’s Youth World Handball Championship. The independent variables were the relative age effect and the number of goals and shooting effectiveness of each type of shot. The dependent variables were the player’s position and the team’s final classification. To investigate the relationship between the RAE and the team’s final classification, player’s position, goals scored, and shooting effectiveness, contingency tables were drawn up and subjected to a chi-squared test. The dependence of the differences in goals and shooting effectiveness on the team’s final classification and the player’s position was studied by means of an ANOVA with a Tukey post hoc test. For the sample overall, there was no RAE, only an association between the classification and the year of birth, with more players born in the senior year in the teams ranked from 1st to 8th place than in those classified from 9th to 24th place. The teams classified from 1st to 4th had more significant numbers of several variables. There were differences in goals and shooting effectiveness, depending on the player’s position.

33-40

Authors: Luis Branquinho, Ricardo Ferraz, Pedro Duarte Mendes, João Petricia, João Serrano, Mário C. Marques

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of an eight-week plyometric training and resistance programme, on different motor abilities, kicking speeds, and individual techniques in competitive junior soccer players. A training programme was applied for eight weeks and was composed of countermovement jump, countermovement onto a box, sprints, and sprints with change of direction. The players were evaluated in three moments: before the start of the training programme, after the application of the training programme, and after four weeks of detraining. The applied tests were: countermovement jump, speed dribbling, 30-meter sprint, kicking speed, and a Yo-Yo recovery intermittent recovery test Level 2 (Yo-Yo IE2). The results showed statistically significant differences (p<0.05) in sprint performance, countermovement jump, Yo-yo IE 2, and speed dribbling. The maximum velocity of the ball did not present statistically significant differences (p > 0.05). In addition, these results indicate that general performance may not be sensitive to four weeks of detraining in the trained soccer players. These results demonstrate that the combination of soccer drills and specific power training with no additional training time in-season optimizes some general and soccer-specific performance.

49-55

Authors: Omer Ozkan, Serife Seyma Torgutalp, Omer Serkan Kara, Gurhan Donmez, Haydar Demire, Yigitcan Karanfil, Melda Pelin Yargic, Feza Korkusuz

The use of prohibited substances in the world of sport, in and out of competition, is a major global problem. A number of similar studies have been conducted in other parts of the world that investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of athletes about doping. The results of those studies cannot entirely be extrapolated to elite Turkish athletes. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate elite athletes’ current knowledge of appropriate drug use, doping and use of supplements, and to explore the need for further education on these topics. A total of 202 Turkish athletes participated in this descriptive cross-sectional study. The data were collected through a questionnaire. A five-point Likert scale was used for questions. The most commonly used over-the-counter medications by athletes were painkillers (78.2%). A remarkable proportion of athletes considered painkillers (41.1%), protein powder (43.1%), and caffeine (41.1%) to be prohibited drugs. According to the athletes, physicians (84.6%) and coaches (78.6%) were the two most frequently used sources of information, and 87.6% of the athletes found the physician to be the most reliable source of information. Elite athletes have poor knowledge about doping in Turkey. There is an urgent need for educational anti-doping programmes to address the knowledge gaps observed amongst athletes in this study.

67-72

Authors: Mohammadreza Rezaeipour

The effects of water-based exercises on body composition continue to be controversial. The present study was proposed to assess the impact of pool workouts on weight, body composition, resting energy expenditure (REE), and the quality of life of sedentary obese older women without dietary intervention. Fifty-five sedentary obese women (mean age 69.5 ± 4.3 years) were selected in this prospective experimental study (2018). Participants were divided randomly into two groups: moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) and high-intensity intermittent training (HIIT). Both pool workouts models included a similar energy expenditure (1500 kcal/week), which were performed three times a week for 60 minutes each time and lasted for three months. The following measurements were carried out pre- and post-study: anthropometry, body composition, REE, and quality of life. The Wilcoxon nonparametric test was applied to compare between groups and times (pre- and post-study). The comparison of pre- and post-study showed significant decreases of body weight (-0.7 kg), BMI (-0.5 kg/m²), fat mass (FM, -0.7 kg), and REE (-81 kcal/day) for the MICT (p ˂ 0.05), and a significant decrease of the only FM (-0.7 kg) for the HIIT (p ˂ 0.05). Regarding the quality of life, decreased pain, social and vitality improvements were significant in the MICT group, but improved vitality and health status in the group of HIIT were significant. Pool workouts without the dietary control revealed a modest influence on the body composition of sedentary obese older women, with better results for MICT. However, the improvement in the quality of life cannot be ignored.