Musculoskeletal pains among amateur and professional athletes of five disciplines in Senegal: a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal pains (MSPs) in sport are cause of poor performances and loss of competition in athletes. The present study aimed at determining the prevalence of MSPs with regard to sport disciplines and athletic status. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 320 Senegalese professional and amateur athletes practicing football, basketball, rugby, tennis, athletics, and wrestling. Rates of MSPs in the past year (MSPs-12) and week (MSPs-7d) were assessed using standard questionnaires. RESULTS: Overall proportions of MSPs-12 and MSPs-7d were 70 and 74.2%, respectively. MSPs-12 were more frequently reported on shoulders (40.6%), neck (37.1%) and hips/thigh (34.4%), while MSPs-7d were predominant on hips/thigh (29.5%), shoulders (25.7%), and upper back (17.2%). Proportions of MSPs-12 and MSPs-7d varied significantly by sport disciplines, with highest values among basketball players. Again, highest MSPs-12 proportions on shoulders (29.7%, P = 0.02), wrists/hands (34.6%, P = 0.001), (40.2%, P = 0.0002), and knees (38.8%, P = 0.002) were seen among basketball players. High proportions of MSPs-7d were seen on shoulders (29.6%, P = 0.04) for tennis players, wrists/hands (29.4%, P = 0.03) for basketball and football players, and hips/thigh (38.8%, P < 0.00001) for basketball players. Football players had reduced risk of MSPs-12 by 75% on lower back (OR = 0.25; 95% CI. 0.10-0.63; P = 0.003) and by 72% on knees (OR = 0.28; 95% CI. 0.08-0. 95; P = 0.04). In contrast, tennis players were more at risk of MSPs-12 on shoulders (OR = 3.14; 95% CI. 1.14-8.68; P = 0.02), wrists/hands (OR = 5.18; 95% CI.1.40-11.13; P = 0.01), and hips/thigh (OR = 2.90; 95% CI. 1.1-8.38; P = 0.04). Professionals were protected from MSPs-12 on neck pain with a significant reduction of risk by 61% (OR = 0.39, 95% CI. 0.21-0.75, P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: MSPs are a reality among athletes and their risk is modulated by sport disciplines, athletic status and gender.

Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among taxi drivers in Yaoundé, Cameroon: preventive effect of physical activity.

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) are very common conditions in the workplace. Among professional drivers, there would be an increased risk of developing these disorders. Identifying the associated factors would allow us to better devise effective prevention strategies. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of MSDs among taxi drivers in the city of Yaoundé and to search for associated factors, mainly the level of physical activity. METHODS: We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study of 151 adult male professional taxi drivers. We used a non-probabilistic consecutive and non-exhaustive sampling method. Sociodemographic, anthropometric and occupational data were collected. MSDs over the past 12 months were assessed using the Nordic Questionnaire and physical activity level was determined by the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). Univariate logistic regression models, followed by a multivariate logistic regression, were used to determine factors associated with the presence of MSDs. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of MSDs was 86.8% (95% CI 80.8 - 91.4); the most affected areas were mainly the lower back (72.8%) the neck (42.4%), and the knees (29.1%). Job dissatisfaction was associated with MSDs (OR = 2.1 95%CI = 1.1-3.9). Most taxi drivers (62.9%) had a low physical activity level and no association was found between the physical activity level and MSDs. CONCLUSIONS: MSDs are common ailments among taxi drivers in Yaoundé (Cameroon). There is a need to think about how to address job dissatisfaction and better identify other associated factors in order to define good prevention strategies.

Poor quality of sleep and musculoskeletal pains among highly trained and elite athletes in Senegal.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies reported that poor sleep quality (PSQ) was associated with musculoskeletal pains (MSP) and poor physical performance in athletes. OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed at determining PSQ and its associations with MSP in some sub-Saharan athletes. METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted among 205 highly trained and 115 elite athletes (aged: 25 ± 2 years, Body mass index: 22.8 ± 0.9 kg/m2) in Dakar, Senegal, during a competitive season in a variety of sport disciplines including athletics, basketball, football, rugby, wrestling, tennis. Quality of sleep and MSP were assessed using the French version Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and French version of Nordic questionnaire respectively. Pain on body joints during a week was defined as seven-day MSP (MSP-7d) and PSQ for a PSQI > 5. RESULTS: 27.8% (95%CI: 23.2-32.9) of the overall sample suffered PSQ, with 33.7% (95%CI: 24.7-44.0) in basketball and 24.7% (95%CI: 16.9-34.6) in football. According to athletic status and gender, PSQ was more prevalent among highly trained (66.3; 95%CI: 55.9-75.3) and men (69.7%; 95%CI: 59.5-78.7). Among athletes with PSQ 43.8% (95%CI: 33.9-54.2) suffered MSP-7d, with 36.6%; highly trained (95%CI: 23.7-42.9) and 28.1% female. Considering body region, hips/thigh (14.6%; 95% CI: 8.74-23.4) and upper back (13.5%; 95%CI: 7.88 -21, 1) were more affected. Basketball players were more affected from MSP (MSP-7d = 38.5%; 95%CI: 24. 9-54.1) on high on wrists/hands (MSP-7d = 44.4%; 95%CI: 18.9 -73.3; P = 0.04). Based on athletic status, MSP-7d were higher on highly trained necks (100%; 95%CI: 56.1-100; p = 0.04). PSQ was associated with basketball (OR: 3.062, 95%CI: 1.130-8.300, p = 0.02) compared to Athletic. PSQ and MSP-7d were associated on Wrist/hands (OR: 3.352, 95%CI: 1.235-9.099, p = 0.01), and at the upper back (OR: 5.820, 95%CI: 2.096-16.161, p = 0.0007). CONCLUSION: These results indicate that PSQ is considerable among Senegalese athletes and is associated with MSP during a week. Hence, we recommend to look for strategies optimizing good quality of sleep in order to reduce pains, to improve health.

Post-exercise heart rate variability recovery after 800-m endurance run load among Cameroonian adolescent's males.

The 800-m (m) run is part of Physical Education classes in Cameroon, after which arrhythmias may occur during recovery. Hence, this study aimed at determining relationship between 800-m run loads on cardiac autonomic recovery among school adolescents. Forty-two male adolescents (aged [17 â€‹± â€‹1] years) performed 800-m. Post-exercise heart rate variability (HRV) was recorded during 5-min (min) (HRV5-min) and 15-min (HRV15-min) in time: Standard deviation of normal to normal (SDNN); Root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) and frequency domain (LH: Low frequency, HF: High frequency, TP: Total power). Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and blood lactate concentration (BLa) were measured after exercise. In HRV5-min, RPE was associated with SDNN (r â€‹= â€‹-0.44, p â€‹< â€‹0.01) and RMSSD (r â€‹= â€‹-0.38, p â€‹< â€‹0.05). BLa was correlated with SDNN (r â€‹= â€‹-0.38, p â€‹< â€‹0.05) and RMSSD (r â€‹= â€‹-0.56, p â€‹< â€‹0.001) in the time-domain, LF (r â€‹= â€‹-0.64, p â€‹< â€‹0.001), HF (r â€‹= â€‹-0.58, p â€‹< â€‹0.001) and TP (r â€‹= â€‹-0.61, p â€‹< â€‹0.001) in frequency-domain. Moreover, RPE was correlated with LF (r â€‹= â€‹-0.44, p â€‹< â€‹0.01), TP (r â€‹= â€‹-0.49, p â€‹< â€‹0.01) while exercise duration with HF (r â€‹= â€‹-0.38, p â€‹< â€‹0.05). In HRV15-min, BLa was correlated with RMSSD (r â€‹= â€‹-0.53, p â€‹< â€‹0.001) and SDNN (r â€‹= â€‹-0.68, p â€‹< â€‹0.001). RPE was negatively correlated SDNN (r â€‹= â€‹-0.53, p â€‹< â€‹0.01) and RMSSD (r â€‹= â€‹-0.44, p â€‹< â€‹0.01). BLa was associated with HF (r â€‹= â€‹-0.55, p â€‹< â€‹0.001), TP (r â€‹= â€‹-0.50, p â€‹< â€‹0.01) and RPE with LF (r â€‹= â€‹-0.51, p â€‹< â€‹0.01), HF (r â€‹= â€‹-0.50, p â€‹< â€‹0.01), TP (r â€‹= â€‹-0.49, p â€‹< â€‹0.01). In addition, exercise duration was negatively linked to HF (r â€‹= â€‹-0.36, p â€‹< â€‹0.05). This study outlined that in untrained adolescents an increase of 800-m loads is associated with a slow vagal indexes of HRV during the recovery.

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and components in rural, semi-urban and urban areas in the littoral region in Cameroon: impact of physical activity.

BACKGROUND: Living areas in developing countries impact seriously lifestyle by modifying energy consumption and energy expenditure. Thus, urbanization is associated with less practice of physical activity (PA), a leading cause of metabolic syndrome (MetS) which prevalence vary in African countries. The present study aimed to assess the effect of PA on MetS according to urbanization level in the littoral region, Cameroon. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in three geographical settings (urban, semi-urban, and rural) in the littoral region in Cameroon. A total of 879 participants were included (urban: 372, semi-urban: 195 and rural: 312). MetS was defined according to the International Federation of Diabetes 2009. The level of PA was assessed using the Global Physical Activity questionnaire. RESULTS: Low level of PA was (P < 0.0001) reported in urban (54.5%), semi-urban (28.7%) and rural (16.9%) and high level in rural area (77.9%). The prevalence of MetS was higher in urban areas (37.2%), then rural (36.8%) and finally semi-urban (25.9%). Hyperglycemia (p = 0.0110), low HDL-c (p < 0.0001) and high triglyceridemia (p = 0.0068) were most prevalent in urban residents. Participants with low level of PA were at risk of MetS (OR: 1.751, 95% CI 1.335-2.731, p = 0.001), hyperglycemia (OR: 1.909, 95% CI 1.335-2.731, p = 0.0004) abdominal obesity(OR: 2.007, 95% CI 1.389-2.900, p = 0.0002), low HDL-c (OR: 1.539, 95% CI 1.088-2.179, p = 0.014) and those with moderate level of PA were protected against high blood pressure(OR: 0.452, 95% CI 0.298-0.686, p = 0.0002) and compared to those with high level of PA. Urban dwellers were at the risk of MetS compared to rural residents (OR: 1.708, 95% CI. 1.277-2.285, p = 0.003) and protected against high blood pressure (OR:0.314, 95% CI 0.212-0.466, p < 0.0001), abdominal obesity (OR: 0.570, 95% CI 0.409-0.794, p = 0.0009), and low HDL-c (OR: 0.725, 95% CI 0.534-0.983, p = 0.038) compared to rural residents. CONCLUSIONS: MetS was more prevalent in urban dwellers and was associated with a low level of PA.

Musculoskeletal disorders among secondary school teachers in Douala, Cameroon: The effect of the practice of physical activities.

Introduction: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) represent an important threat to public health in both developed and developing countries, and are present in many occupational sectors including education. Regular practice of physical activity (PA) is known elicit preventive effects on the occurrence of MSDs. Objective: This study aimed at determining the prevalence of MSDs and the preventive impact of PA on their occurrence among secondary school teachers. Participants and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 179 teachers in five government secondary schools in Douala, Cameroon. The Nordic and Ricci-Gagnon questionnaires were used to determine MSDs and to assess the level of PA, respectively. Results: The 12-month and 7-day prevalence of MSD (PMSD-12m and PMSD-7d) were 84.3% and 69.3%, respectively. The most affected body regions by MSDs were neck (PMSD-12m = 54.2%, PMSD-7d = 33.5%), lower back (PMSD-12m = 43%, PMSD-7d = 33%), and shoulders (PMSD-12m = 35%, PMSD-7d = 22.9%). Compared to female, males were protected against MSDs during the last 12 months (OR = 0.37; 95% CI 0.16-0.93; p = 0.04). The risk of MSDs during the last seven days was higher in teachers aged 30-40 years (OR = 2.86; 95% CI 1.14-7.14; p = 0.02) and 40-50 years (OR = 4.28; 95% CI 1.49-16.29; p = 0.008) than those under 30 years. This risk was tripled in inactive teachers (OR = 3.07; 95% CI 1.40-6.78; p = 0.005), compared to their active counterparts. Conclusion: MSDs are prevalent among secondary school teachers and associated with aging, gender, and lower level of PA.

Epidemiology of Musculoskeletal Disorders among the Teaching Staff of the University of Douala, Cameroon: Association with Physical Activity Practice.

The aim of this study was to assess the epidemiology of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among the teaching staff of the University of Douala and determine their association with physical activity (PA) practice. The Nordic questionnaire was used to assess MSDs. Ricci-Gagnon questionnaire was used to determine the level of PA. We recruited 104 participants mean-aged 42 ± 8 years, 80% male. Previous 7 days and 12 months prevalence were 56.7% and 80.8%, respectively. The most affected body regions were neck, shoulders and lower back. No significant association was found between MSDs and PA. Celibacy was significantly associated with previous 7-days MSDs (p = 0.048) while age ≥ 45 years and job seniority ≥ 10 years were significantly associated with a reduced risk of previous 12-months MSDs (p = 0.039 and p = 0.016, respectively). The prevalence of MSDs among university of Douala teaching staff showed no significant effect with the practice of PA.

Pre- and post-exercise electrocardiogram pattern modifications in apparently healthy school adolescents in Cameroon.

Background Physical Education and Sport (PES) is compulsory in Cameroonian education system. Cardiac accidents and sudden cardiac deaths (SCD) have been reported during PES examinations. This study aimed to contribute in the prevention of these cardiac accidents by studying pre- and post-exercise electrocardiogram (ECG) pattern modifications in apparently healthy school adolescents. Methods One hundred school adolescents without apparent heart disease [aged 18 ± 2 years; body mass index (BMI): 21.9 ± 2.3] were included. Participants performed two intermittent sprint-endurance tests. The test consisted in walking 2000 m as warm-up, followed by sprint and endurance races. A 12-leads ECG was performed before and in 5 min after the tests. ECG patterns changes were studied with particular attention to abnormalities that could be associated with risk of SCD. Results At rest, ECG patterns variants consisted of bradycardia (30%), sinus arrhythmia (9%), posterior hemi post-block (2%), and early repolarization (3%). which disappeared after exercise in all participants. QTc (ms) and heart rate (HR) increased after exercise (p < 0.001); and RR (ms) decreased post-exercise (p < 0.001). Other changes includes the appearance of the T-waves reversed in precordial leads (V2-V4) (p < 0.001), ventricular (6%), atrial and other supraventricular premature beats (2%) in the post-exercise ECG. Left ventricular hypertrophy (2%), right auricular enlargement (2%), short PR (2%) appeared at the end of the tests. Conclusion This study suggests that an intermittent exercise can induce cardiac abnormalities able to provoke cardiac accidents and SCD in apparently healthy school adolescents.