Sports Injuries in Basketball Players: A Systematic Review.

(1) Background: The objective of this systematic review was to collect relevant data in the available contemporary studies about sports injuries of basketball players and explain differences in sports injuries relative to gender, location, sport, and position on the court; (2) Methods: The papers were searched digitally using PubMed, MEDLINE, ERIC, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect databases, from 1990 to 2024; (3) Results: The most frequent severe injuries for both genders are knee and ankle injuries and the most frequent forms of injury are ankle sprain and ligament strain. The most frequent injuries occur during running and after contact with the ball. Shooting guards sustain the highest injury rate followed by centers and point guards, while guards have the highest rate of adductor muscle injury; and (4) Conclusions: Studies indicate that ankle and knee injuries are prevalent among basketball players, with ankle sprains being particularly prevalent. Knee injuries are more common in female basketball players, including ACL injuries. Various factors contribute to injuries, including the biomechanics of jumping, landing, sudden changes in direction, and the physical demands placed on the body during the game.

Muscle Contractile Properties Measured by the Tensiomyography (TMG) Method in Top-Level Football Players of Different Playing Positions: The Case of Serbian Super League.

The aim of this study is to investigate the differences in muscle contractile properties measured by the TMG method between top-level football players of different playing positions. The sample consisted of 57 football players from the Serbian Super League, divided into three groups: defenders-DF, midfielders-MF, and forwards-FW. Muscles included in the study were the Rectus Femoris (RF), Vastus Medialis (VM), Vastus Lateralis (VL), Biceps Femoris (BF), and Semitendinosus (ST) of the right (R) and left (L) leg. The TMG parameters used in this study were contraction time (Tc), delay time (Td), relaxation time (Tr), maximal displacement (Dm), and sustain time (Ts). The ANOVA results showed that differences in TMG parameters between top-level football players of different playing positions are small and exist only in the Tr of RF (F = 4.658, p = 0.014), BF (F = 4.433, p = 0.016), and ST muscle (F = 3.808, p = 0.028), and the Tc (F = 3.214, p = 0.048) and Td (F = 3.705, p = 0.031) of the VM muscle. All differences were detected between DF and FW players, and all differences were in the left (non-dominant) leg. The results obtained in this study indicate that the training and selection process in football, from the aspect of functional and mechanical muscle properties, should be similar for all players, regardless of playing position. It has been shown that TMG has relatively low sensitive strength for detecting differences between football players of different playing positions.

Effects of melatonin on oxidative stress parameters and pathohistological changes in rat skeletal muscle tissue following carbon tetrachloride application.

Animal models demonstrating skeletal muscle (SM) disorders are rarely investigated, although these disorders accompany liver disorders and can occur during prolonged exercise/training. In cases of SM disorders exogenous antioxidants, such as melatonin, could help by generally improving tissues antioxidant capacities. We aimed to analyze the potential of melatonin in preventing biochemical and structural changes in rat biceps muscle (BM) occurring after an acute exposure to carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Biceps muscles obtained from male Wistar rats belonging to different experimental groups were biochemically (determination of tissue MDA, total antioxidant capacity, GSH, CAT, SOD and GPx activities) and pathologically analyzed. Also, serum levels of potassium, LHD and CK were analyzed in all experimental animals. The obtained results were statically compared with those from vehicle-treated control group. The applied melatonin prevented potassium and intracellular enzyme leakage (CK and LDH) that was induced by CCl4, as well as an increase in tissue MDA. From a panel of determined oxidative stress parameters melatonin was able to statistically significantly prevent changes in total antioxidative capacity and in CAT, SOD and GPx activities induced by CCl4. Microscopic analysis of BM from the animals exposed to CCl4 revealed significant muscle fiber disorganization and massive inflammatory cell infiltration. All these changes were significantly ameliorated in the group that received melatonin prior to CCl4. Changes in serum and tissue biochemical parameters accompanied the observed pathological changes, which demonstrated a significant influence of melatonin in preventing skeletal muscle damage induced by CCl4.

Application of a more advanced procedure in defining morphological types / Aplicación de un procedimiento más avanzado en la definición de tipos morfológicos

It is well known that the most evident differences in humans are those related to anthropometric characteristics, and that during continuous monitoring the relation between human behavior and human abilities concerning their anthropometric characteristics was observed. The aim of this study was to detect and define the morphological types with the use of slightly different and more advanced methodologies. The sample included 149 male subjects, first-year students of the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education in Novi Sad, using an anthropometric measurement technique. A total of 12 anthropometric measures, defined according to the four-dimensional morphological model was used. For all variables, basic descriptive statistics were calculated while student grouping was performed using taxonomic neural network ­ Intruder. Initial taxonomic classification of artificial entities by neural network Intruder accepted four clusters: endomorph or pyknic, ectomorph or leptosomic, astenomorph and gracile type. The results indicate that the identification and definition of morphological types with the use of a slightly different and more advanced procedure leads to better and earlier perception of certain characteristics which are necessary, both for the selection of specific sports, and in the prevention of various diseases and abnormalities in behavior and functioning.

Es bien sabido que las diferencias más evidentes en los seres humanos son aquellas relacionadas con las características antropométricas, lo cual fue observado durante el monitoreo continuo de la relación entre el comportamiento humano y las capacidades humanas. El objetivo de este estudio fue detectar y definir los tipos morfológicos con el uso de metodologías diferentes y más avanzadas. La muestra incluyó 149 sujetos hombres, estudiantes de primer año de la Facultad de Educación Física y Deportiva en Novi Sad, utilizando una técnica de medición antropométrica. Utilizamos un total de 12 medidas antropométricas, que se definieron de acuerdo con el modelo morfológico de cuatro dimensiones. Para todas las variables se calcularon los estadísticos descriptivos básicos, mientras que la agrupación estudiantil se realizó a través de red neuronal - Intruder. Para la clasificación taxonómica inicial de entidades artificiales por red neuronal Intruder se aceptaron cuatro grupos: endomorfo o pícnico, ectomorfo o leptosomo, astenomorfo y tipo grácil. Los resultados indican que la identificación y definición de los tipos morfológicos con el uso de un procedimiento algo diferente y más avanzado conduce a una mejor percepción de ciertas características que son necesarias, tanto para la selección de deportes específicos, como para la prevención de diversas enfermedades y alteraciones en el comportamiento y funcionamiento.