Unilateral seated shot-put test, muscle strength, and range of motion on recreational athletes with chronic shoulder pain: Cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To correlate the functional performance assessed by means of the Unilateral Seated Shot-Put Test (SSPT) with shoulder muscle strength, range of motion (ROM), and handgrip strength in recreational athletes with chronic shoulder pain. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The sample was composed of recreational athletes with nonspecific pain in the dominant shoulder ≥3 months, both sexes, aged between 18 and 45 years. We diagnosed shoulder pain by reporting pain intensity ≥3 points on the Numerical Rating Pain Scale and used the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index, Pain-Related Catastrophizing Thoughts Scale, and Baecke Questionnaire. Moreover, shoulder muscle strength, handgrip strength, ROM, and functional performance using the SSPT were evaluated. We used the Spearman correlation coefficient to investigate the correlation between the variables. RESULTS: Nineteen participants were included. Most of the sample consisted of adult women with adequate body mass and pain predominantly in the right shoulder. We observed higher correlation magnitudes of the SSPT with handgrip strength (rho = 0.818 to 0.833, p < 0.05). Correlations of the SPPT with shoulder musculature strength were of low to moderate magnitude (rho = 0.461 to 0.672, p < 0.05). The only significant correlation (p < 0.05) found was between the SSPT and ROM (horizontal adduction), however, with a weak magnitude (rho <0.50). CONCLUSION: SSPT correlates strongly with handgrip strength and moderately with shoulder muscle strength in recreational athletes with chronic shoulder pain.

Relationship between infrared thermography and muscle damage markers in physically active men after plyometric exercise.

Plyometric training has been used in several sports and fitness programs to improve jumping ability and explosive strength, both in individual and team sports. Eccentric muscle actions, such as those performed during plyometric jumps, induce muscle damage and consequently a rise in skin temperature (Tsk). Thus, the purpose of this study is to assess the response of infrared thermography measurement as an indirect marker of muscle damage after a protocol of plyometric jumps in physically active subjects. Therefore, for the aim of this study ten male subjects with no previous experience in plyometric training participated in the research (age 22.5 ± 3.3 years, weight 71.7 ± 11.0 kg, height 171.1 ± 5.3 cm, and fat mass 15.5 ± 4.7%). To assess the muscle damage, countermovement jump (CMJ), creatine kinase (CK), delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and infrared thermography (IRT) were measured at 24, 48, and 72 h after plyometric exercise. The acute exercise protocol of plyometric jumps induced muscle damage, as shown by the CK and DOMS (24 and 48 h, p < 0.05) but no statistical difference was shown between the moments analyzed in Tsk (warm zone). Nevertheless, when comparing baseline to 48h, a moderate effect was found in the Tsk (warm zone) for anterior right thigh (ES = 1.1) and posterior left thigh (ES = 0.9) and large effect was found for anterior left thigh (ES = 1.4) and posterior right thigh (ES = 1.3). A moderate effect in the Tsk (warm zone) was found for posterior right and left thigh (ES = 0.9 and ES = 1.1, respectively) when comparing baseline to 72h of IRT. These results suggest that a plyometric jumping session alters CK and DOMS, as well as the thigh's skin temperature in an evident way, bringing up a possible relation with markers of muscle damage.

Distance and Intensity Profiles in Division I Women's Soccer Matches across a Competitive Season.

Women's participation in soccer has increased rapidly. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physiological demands imposed on women's NCAA Division I soccer players across a season according to speed, total distance traveled, and numbers of sprints measured via GPS (Polar Team Pro®). Eighteen athletes (19.2 ± 1.1 years, 50.5 ± 6.5 mL/kg/min and 23.4 ± 3.6% fat) participated in this study. The analysis was obtained through 13 official matches. Speed zones were defined as Zone 1 (1.0 to 5.99 km·h-1), Zone 2 (6.0 to 10.99 km·h-1), Zone 3 (11.0 to 15.49 km·h-1), Zone 4 (15.5 to 19.9 km·h-1) and Zone 5 (sprint > 20 km·h-1), with Zones 4-5 considered as high intensity running. Individual differences in playing time and total distance were highly variable due to substitutions. Average distance traveled per game in quartiles was 3.9 km, 5.6 km and 7.4 km in the 25th, 50th, and 75th quartiles, respectively. Relative to playing time, players travelled an average of 113.64 ± 17.12 m/min (range: 93.7 to 143.5 m/min) and ran one sprint every 4.12 ± 2.06 min. When distance was summated and analyzed for the entire team, significant difference between halves was found for speed Zones 2, 3 and 4, with greater values found in the first half. Total distance, high intensity running and sprint distance were significantly less than previously recorded in professional players. These findings suggest that coaches should consider the unique physiological demands and recovery opportunities present in NCAA play when constructing practices and conditioning programs.

Thermoregulatory and metabolic responses to a half-marathon run in hot, humid conditions.

This study describes the thermoregulatory and metabolic responses during a simulated half-marathon (21 km) run performed outdoors in a hot, humid environment. Ten male runners were recruited for the study, The run was carried out individually under solar radiation on a predetermined path in the following environmental conditions (ambient temperature: 27.96 ± 1.70 °C, globe temperature: 28.52 ± 2.51 °C, relative humidity: 76.88 ± 7.49%, wet bulb globe temperature: 25.80 ± 1.18 °C). Core temperature, skin temperature, head temperature, heat storage, heart rate, expired gases, rating of perceived exertion, and speed were measured or calculated before the start, every 3 km, and immediately following the run. Comparisons were made for each dependent variable using one-way repeated measures analysis of variance tests, and a Bonferroni test. Average run time and pace were 101:00 ± 9:52 min and 4:48 ± 00:16 min km-1, respectively. Participants significantly reduced their running speed, oxygen consumption, and heat storage at 9 km (p < 0.05). While core temperature was significantly increased at 6 km (p < 0.05) before plateauing for the remainder of the run. The key finding was that most of the runners reduced their pace when a Tcore of 39 °C was reached which occurred between 6 and 9 km of the run, yet runners were able to increase their speed demonstrating an "end-spurt" near the end of the run.