Scoping review and quality of studies on the epidemiology of pickleball injuries

Pickleball is a sport that combines several elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis. It is played on a court similar to the badminton court and the objective of the game is to hit the ball over a net similar to the tennis net. During these years, its popularity has grown substantially in the United States of America and it has been a sport played by people of different ages. It is important to know the different injuries that can occur in this sport in order to prevent and treat them. The aim is to perform a scoping review following the PRISMA-SCR guidelines to identify the main health problems and injury characteristics suffered in pickleball athletes. A total of 4 articles from different databases were found based on the keywords and boolean operators: ("Pickleball") AND ("injury" OR "injuries" OR "pathology*" OR "illness*" OR " disease*"). The most common injuries that occur are sprains and strains, and they tend to belong to the old age. However, more epidemiological studies about pickleball injuries are needed. Few studies have been found where the data sources show limitations to subsequently be able to carry out epidemiological studies with more precision. Even so, the scientific evidence is limited to provide applicable and conclusive results and more studies are needed on this topic in pickleball. (AU)

Análisis De La Efectividad Del Golpeo en Pádel en Función Del Género, Duración Del Punto Y Tipo De Punto / Analysis of the Effectiveness of Hitting in Paddle Depending on Gender, Duration of the Point and Type of Point

This study aims to analyse the winners and errors shot in professional padel according to gender, type of point and the point duration, observing the differences between winners and losers. For this 1927 points of 14 matches (7 male and 7 female category) from the World Padel Tour Master Final 2021 were analyzed, where participated 32 padel players (16 men players and 16 women players), using an ad-hoc instrument obtaining an inter-observer reliability above 0.9. The results show that the effectiveness depending on the gender (p = .001), where the male padel players perform 12% more winners than females padel players. Attending to the importance of the point, winning pairs perform 10% more winner shots than lossers, both in the male category (p=.002) and female (p= .004) in no key points. No differences exist in key points. Point duration affects to the shot effectiveness, specifically in medium duration points in male category (p=.026), and short duration points in female category (p=.007), with a higher winner shot produced by winning pairs. These results have a great practical application for coaches, providing information for the design of training programs similar to competitions situations. In addition, especific strategies can be develop during the matches according to the gender and the score.(AU)

Injury Incidence in Youth, High School, and NCAA Men's Lacrosse.

BACKGROUND: We compared injury incidence and mechanisms among youth, high school (HS), and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) boys' and men's lacrosse athletes for the 2014-2015 to 2016-2017 lacrosse seasons. METHODS: Multiple injury surveillance systems were used to capture 21 youth boys', 22 HS boys', and 20 NCAA men's lacrosse team-seasons of data during the 2014-2015 to 2016-2017 seasons. Athletic trainers reported game and practice injuries and athlete exposures (AEs). Injuries included those occurring during a game and/or practice and requiring evaluation from an athletic trainer and/or physician. Injury counts, rates per 1000 AEs, and injury rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. RESULTS: The injury rate in youth was higher than those reported in HS (10.3 vs 5.3 per 1000 AEs; IRR = 2.0; 95% CI: 1.6-2.4) and the NCAA (10.3 vs 4.7 per 1000 AEs; IRR = 2.2; 95% CI: 1.9-2.5). When considering time loss injuries only (restricted participation of ≥24 hours), the injury rate in youth was lower than those reported in HS (2.0 vs 2.9 per 1000 AEs; IRR = 0.7; 95% CI: 0.5-0.95) and the NCAA (2.0 vs 3.3 per 1000 AEs; IRR = 0.6; 95% CI: 0.4-0.8). The concussion rate in youth was higher than those in HS (0.7 vs 0.3 per 1000 AEs; IRR = 2.4, 95% CI: 1.1-5.2) and the NCAA (0.7 vs 0.3 per 1000 AEs; IRR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.2-3.7). Injuries at the youth, HS, and NCAA levels were most commonly associated with stick contact, inflammatory conditions (including bursitis, tendonitis, and other unspecified inflammation), and noncontact mechanisms, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Although the time loss injury rate was lowest in youth boys' lacrosse, the concussion rate was the highest. Injury prevention approaches should be specific to the mechanisms associated with each level of play (eg, equipment skill development in youth).

Validade e reprodutibilidade de receptores para o GPS em relação à distância percorrida / Validez y reproducibilidad de receptores GPS en relación de la distancia recorrida

Objetivo. El presente estudio evaluó la validez y reproducibilidad de dos modelos de receptores para el Global Positioning System (GPS). La validez fue evaluada comparando la distancia registrada por los receptores con la distancia conocida de estos trayectos. Método. Seis jóvenes tenistas (177,6 ± 6,2 cm; 76,6 ± 3,2 kg) recorrieron tres trayectos: 1) 100 m en la pista de atletismo (número de "disparos" = 120); 2) 400 m en la pista de atletismo (número de "disparos" = 60) y 3) 100 m con cambios de dirección (número de "disparos" = 120), utilizando los equipos Garmin© Forerunner 405 y Polar© RS800. Resultados. En los trayectos sin cambios de dirección (100 y 400 m), a través de la ANOVA two way (distancia y velocidad) no se detectaron diferencias entre la distancia conocida y las distancias registradas por los receptores analizados (p > 0,05). En el trayecto de 100 m con cambios de dirección, se observaron diferencias entre la distancia conocida y las registradas tanto por el Polar© RS800 como por el Garmin© Forerunner 405 (p < 0,05). También se verificó la diferencia en las distancias registradas por el Polar® RS800 y por el Garmin© Forerunner 405 para el trayecto realizado con cambios de dirección (p < 0,05). Conclusión. A través de los datos, se puede afirmar que los receptores para GPS evaluados presentaron un nivel aceptable de precisión para distancias recorridas sin cambios de dirección, sin embargo, la precisión de estos equipos en trayectos con cambios de dirección fue limitada (AU)

Objective. The present study evaluated the reproducibility and validity of two models of receivers for the Global Positioning System (GPS). Validity was assessed by comparing the distance recorded by the GPS receivers with the known distance. Method. Six young players (177.6 ± 6.2 cm; 76.6 ± 3.2 kg) performed three routes with different characteristics: 1) 100 m in the athletics track (number of "sprints" = 120); 2) 400 m in the athletics track (number of "sprints" = 60) and 3) 100 m with changes of direction (number of "sprints" = 120), using equipment Garmin© Forerunner 405 and Polar© RS800. Results. Regarding linear routes (100 and 400 m), no differences were detected using ANOVA two-way (distance and speed) between the known distance and distance recorded by GPS receivers analyzed (p > 0.05). Regarding non-linear route of, significant differences were observed between the known distance and recorded distance by the GPS receivers (p < 0.05). There was also a significant difference between the distance recorded by Polar© RS800 and Garmin© Forerunner 405 for the non-linear route (p < 0.05). Analysis of the limits of agreement reinforces the limitation of equipment in relation to accuracy for the non-linear route. Conclusion. These data suggest that the GPS receivers evaluated showed acceptable level of accuracy for linear routes, however, the accuracy of such devices on non-linear routes was limited (AU)

Have the attitudes of Australian squash players towards protective eyewear changed over the past decade?

OBJECTIVE: To assess indicative trends in the use of protective eyewear by Australian squash players and their attitudes towards its use since 1989. METHODS: Data were extracted from three Australian surveys of squash players conducted in 1989, 1995, and 2000. Responses to directly similar attitudinal questions relating to protective eyewear use from each survey were compared. The proportion of players giving each response was calculated for each survey, along with 95% confidence intervals for the differences between the 2000 survey and those from the earlier surveys. RESULTS: Self reported use of protective eyewear ranged from 10.0% in 1989, to 8.6% in 1995, and 18.8% in 2000. However, only 8.9% of the players surveyed in 2000 actually wore appropriate standards approved/polycarbonate lens eyewear. This can be compared with 8.0% and 2.0% of players who reported wearing appropriate polycarbonate lens eyewear in the 1989 and 1995 surveys respectively. Compared with the 1995 survey, significantly more players in 2000 believed that more players should wear protective eyewear (95% confidence interval (CI) for difference 1 to 18). A significantly higher proportion of players also supported the compulsory use of protective eyewear by juniors in 2000 than in both 1989 (95% CI for difference 6 to 24) and 1995 (95% CI for difference 5 to 22). No other attitudes had significantly changed over the decade. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that self reported use of protective eyewear has probably increased over the past decade. However, many players report wearing inappropriate eyewear. A transition from positive attitudes to appropriate eyewear behaviours is required before mandatory protective eyewear use can be effectively introduced.

The biomechanics of fast bowling in men's cricket: a review.

This review concentrates on synthesizing and analysing the biomechanical research which has been carried out on fast bowling in men's cricket. Specifically, it relates to those elements of the bowling technique which contribute towards a fast ball release, the aerodynamics and technique of swing bowling, and the association between fast bowling and lower back injury. With regard to bowling technique, no firm conclusions are drawn on the relationships between elements of the fast bowling technique and ball release speed. Recommendations for future research in this area include intra-player studies to establish the bowler-specific factors which contribute to fast ball release and features of body segment dynamics. There is general agreement that the phenomenon of differential boundary layer separation is the reason for normal and reverse cricket ball swing. Systematic research to establish the essential aspects of the bowling technique which contribute to successful swing bowling is recommended, along with studies of the behaviour of the ball in games to ascertain the effects of ball asymmetries on ball swing. There is sufficient evidence in the literature to establish a strong link between injury to the lower back and the use of the mixed technique. Recommendations are made for screening and intervention to reduce the use of the mixed technique, and for research into other aspects of injury. Fundamental research to develop biomechanical models of the lower back in fast bowling is strongly recommended.

In search of invariant athletic behaviour in sport: an example from championship squash match-play.

Analysis of competitive sport performance from a priori observation is frequently used to prepare an athlete for a future contest. This practice necessarily assumes that the observed athletic behaviours are invariant, in that the data from an earlier contest apply to the next. We report different analyses of championship squash matches from 1987 and 1988 in search of such invariance and thus a general signature of athletic behaviour. The results show that once the preceding condition to an athletic response (shot) becomes more detailed, by either accounting for where on court the previous shot was played to, or by pairing the previous shot with its own antecedent, the corresponding response becomes more predictable (P > 0.25). This is especially the case for a squash champion when the forehand and backhand characteristics of his shot response are accounted for. The finding that the champion is more consistent if his forehand and backhand shot responses to a preceding shot are analysed separately, shows that the level of analytic detail is an important consideration if the derived information from sport analysis is to prepare an athlete reliably for future sport competition. Finally, we consider sport competition from an ecological perspective with regard to the natural organization and stability of non-linear systems in an attempt to explain the empirical data.