Correlation of Pre-Race Anxiety Using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-Item Scale.

An estimated 40 million adults in the United States have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, making it the most common psychiatric disorder in the country. Although the data are conflicting and limited, engaging in or increasing exercise has been proposed for the management of anxiety and other mental health disorders. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a correlation between pre-race anxiety and running experience, sex, body mass index, age, and mental health history using the validated Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-Item screening tool for anxiety. This study was a prospective trial of 403 adult runners who were scheduled to participate in a 5 K, 10 K, half marathon, or full marathon race. Each participant completed a survey consisting of epidemiologic variables and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-Item screening tool. Results revealed that the runners with more experience and increased mileage demonstrated a decrease in reported worrying on a daily to near-daily basis; whether this finding correlates with a decreased risk of developing an anxiety disorder has yet to be determined. Based on our findings, exercise as a prescription for the treatment and possibly prevention of anxiety should be considered.

Limbus Vertebra.

Athletes in their teenage years can present to clinics with back pain, without any history of trauma. Many sports require repetitive spinal extension, which may be pertinent to the evaluation of back pain as a chief complaint. Musculoskeletal and neurologic examinations are crucial in the evaluation of athletes presenting with back pain. Most back pain cases are caused by benign conditions that resolve with conservative treatment. However, radiographic imaging may be appropriate to look for possible spondylolysis in teenage athletes who perform repetitive extension in their sports, and who present with a positive stork test on examination. Limbus vertebra is a condition that can be seen in asymptomatic patients but can also be associated with back pain. Nevertheless, a conservative approach is still appropriate in these cases, with escalation to further testing or imaging only considered for recalcitrant pain. Limbus vertebra is not well known by clinicians and can be misdiagnosed. Therefore, early recognition is crucial to potentially prevent an unnecessary cascade of increasing expenses related to time, effort, medications, and resources to find the diagnosis when conservative treatment is preferred.