Injury Occurrence in Male Handball Players and its Impact on Physical Constitution.

In male handball, limited knowledge exists about the body posture and postural control in correlation to their injury occurrence and their impact on physical constitution. 91 male handball players participated and were asked about playing position and years, NSAIDs intake, sustained injuries and therapy duration. A three-dimensional back scanner and a pressure measuring plate were used. Shoulder injuries cause a differing scapular height and increase the vertebrae rotation in correlation to playing years. Lower limb injuries lead to a decrease on the Centre of Pressure (CoP) with growing game experience. Wing players show the lowest injury risk. Lower limb and shoulder girdle are mostly affected regarding the incidence of injuries. Pivot players suffer most injuries in the lower limb area (59%), whereas wing players mostly have shoulder injuries (19%). Being injured, 21% of the players continue playing, 79% pause for a minimum of six months (25%). No correlation can be determined between level of profession, use of NSAIDs and body posture or postural control. Playing position, employment situation or NSAIDs have no influence on type of injury, body posture or postural control. While shoulder injuries can be recognized in the vertebrae area, lower limb injuries can affect the CoP.

Pain in female dancers and dance teachers: Perception, assessment, and related behavior.

BACKGROUND: Pain experiences are almost unavoidable in dance and involve a health hazard potential. In dance, certain self-endangering attitudes and behavior patterns toward pain are emerging. Especially for female dancers (Ds) and dance teachers (DTs) of the non-professional levels, pain is still insufficiently recorded. The aim of this study was to compare the subjective perception of pain, its assessment, and the pain behavior of female dancers and dance teachers of the non-professional dance level. METHODS: The data were collected by a quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire in n = 205 Ds and n = 151 DTs. The dance-associated pain characteristics were analyzed in n = 171 Ds (83.4%) and n = 130 DTs (86.1%). RESULTS: The sensory and affective perception of pain was more pronounced in DTs than in Ds. Unlike Ds, DTs rather evaluated pain as signal of a (potential) injury. The majority of the subjects continued their dancing activity to its full extent or under a gentle change of behavior patterns. As to pain treatment, preference was given to self- or medical and therapeutic treatment. Strategies of physical tension regulation were often used in pain management. CONCLUSIONS: Even in pain, the majority of female dancers and dance teachers of the non-professional level continued their dancing activity. However, there seemed to be a health-conscious coping with pain, especially in the DTs. Medical and therapeutic treatment was frequently used.

[Subjective Gait Stability in the Elderly]. / Subjektive Gangsicherheit im Alter.

BACKGROUND: It can be assumed that the feeling of gait stability or gait instability in the elderly may be independent of a possible fear of falling or a history of falling when walking. Up to now, there has been a lack of spatiotemporal gait parameters for older people who subjectively feel secure when walking. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to analyse the distribution of various gait parameters for older people who subjectively feel secure when walking. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, the gait parameters stride time, step time, stride length, step length, double support, single support, and walking speed were measured using a Vicon three-dimensional motion capture system (Plug-In Gait Lower-Body Marker Set) in 31 healthy people aged 65 years and older (mean age 72 ± 3.54 years) who subjectively feel secure when walking. RESULTS: There was a homogeneous distribution in the gait parameters examined, with no abnormalities. The mean values have a low variance with narrow confidence intervals. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that people who subjectively feel secure when walking demonstrate similarly objective gait parameters..

[Musculoskeletal Pain in Dance: Prevalence, Localisation and Development Over Time in Amateur Dancers and Professional Dance Teachers]. / Muskuloskelettale Schmerzen im Tanz: Prävalenz, Lokalisationen und zeitlicher Verlauf bei Tänzerinnen mit Amateurstatus und ihren hauptberuflich tätigen Lehrkräften.

BACKGROUND: Pain in sport occurs both as a result of acute injuries and in the form of chronic pain due to overuse or misuse. Pain often occurs in dance and is associated with the high specific strain on the musculoskeletal system caused by dance techniques. There is a lack of data on pain-relevant aspects in semi-professional and ambitious popular sports. This applies to dancers and (professional) dance teachers alike. This study aimed to determine pain with regard to prevalence, localisation and development over time in female dancers (T) and dance teachers (TP) engaged in non-professional dance. METHODS: This descriptive quantitative cross-sectional observational study was conducted with semi-professional dancers (n = 153) and professional dance teachers (n = 149) in the context of a fully structured anonymous online survey. RESULTS: More than 70 % of the respondents reported pain in the musculoskeletal system occurring in the context of dancing both within the last 3 and 12 months, with the lower back and knee joints being most frequently and strongly affected. Regarding the development over time, both T and TP predominantly suffered from pain that lasted for more than six months and occurred frequently. In TP, the pain lasted longer, was more likely to occur at rest and was more often associated with limited mobility and resilience compared with the T group. DISCUSSION: Regarding prevalence and localisation of pain, the available results are comparable with previous study results from the professional field, both in the TP and T areas. Health risks and (professional) restrictions associated with them are mainly caused by chronic pain development in TP. Therefore, the treatment and management of chronic pain conditions in the healthcare of TP can be very important with regard to their professional participation.

Assessment of musculoskeletal pain in dance focusing on dance-style related differences.

Objectives: Pain in dance may be related to the high specific load on the musculoskeletal system caused by dance techniques. Up to the present, data on pain-relevant aspects considering the dance style as a contributing factor to pain occurrence in dance are still pending. The aim of this study was to analyze and compare dance-style specific pain with regard to prevalence, localization, subjective pain perception, duration, frequency, temporary dynamics and pain evaluation in dancers of the two popular dance styles (ballet and contemporary dance).Methods: The quantitative cross-sectional observation study with descriptive focus was carried out in n = 64 classical (ballet) dancers (B) and n = 81 jazz/modern/contemporary dancers (JMC). All participants were non-professional dancers. The data were collected by using an online questionnaire consisting of existing pain assessments adapted for dance.Results: Above all, differences were found in the comparison of the dancers' body regions. While the lower extremity was particularly affected in ballet dancers (B) (right calf, p = 0.04; forefoot and toes, p < 0.01), dancers of the JMC were more frequently affected by pain in the head and trunk (neck, p < 0.01; upper back, p < 0.01) and the upper extremity (shoulders, p < 0.01; wrists, p < 0.01; left elbow, p = 0.03). More than 65% of the dancers (B and JMC) reported pain in the context of dancing within the recent 3 and 12 months. Further parallels in the two dance styles could be observed in the subjective sensation of pain, the temporal course and the evaluation of pain.Conclusion: In the overall view of pain aspects, the parallels between the investigated dance styles prevail, which dominate in the aspects of pain prevalence, subjective perception, temporal progression, and pain evaluation. This allows the careful conclusion that the dance style performed is of limited importance for the pain aspects mentioned. The differences must be taken into account in future prevention measures.

Prevalence, localization, perception and management of pain in dance: an overview.

Background and aims Pain is a highly complex bio-psychosocial phenomenon that may present a (potential) health risk and either occurs as a warning sign or a symptom of injury. It cannot be ruled out that these rising or changing requirements in dance of all styles, are reflected in health-related outcomes such as pain. The aim of this narrative review article is to outline an overview of prevalence and localization, concepts of performance pain and injury pain, pain perception and pain management in dance. At that consequences of pain and influencing factors focusing on different dance styles or forms of professionalism are discussed. Methods The databases CINAHL, Cochrane, Google Scholar, Medline, MeSH and Web of Science were screened for relevant articles. Results Pain prevalence in dance is very high. Pain localizations can be related to high dance-specific mechanical stress on the musculoskeletal system. Depending on the pain characteristics, dancers perceive pain as "positive" (performance pain) or "negative" (injury pain). Concerning pain attitudes and management, dancers show an increasing pain tolerance. Pain seems to be accepted as a necessity, often ignored and dancing is continued despite pain. Conclusions The findings of this article suggest that occurrence of pain, pain perception, coping with pain and pain history appear to be connected to dance-specific mechanical stress as well as to socialization in dance culture. In dance, effects of pain on health seem to be associated with characteristics of pain and pain behavior. Implications The results highlight the high relevance of pain in dance and the need to take into account preventive as well as rehabilitative measures.

The office work and stretch training (OST) study: an individualized and standardized approach for reducing musculoskeletal disorders in office workers.

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are a common health problem in office workers. In Germany, MSD (mainly back pain related) are the main cause of workdays lost to incapacity. This is not only bothersome for the employees, but also causes higher costs for the health system and employers. Workplace health promotion programmes (WHPP) can help to reduce this as they reach large target groups and are easily accessible. In this context, stretch training exercises have already proven to be effective. In the present study, a new approach focusing on trunk extension is to be investigated. METHODS: To evaluate the training device "five-Business", 250 office workers will train two times a week for 3 months. The control group will consist of 100 office employees. The device "five-Business" enables five different full body exercises. The intervention will be evaluated before week one and after week twelve via three assessments: a) the Short Form-36 (SF-36) to record the general health status and health-related quality of life, taking into account physical, psychological and social factors, b) the Nordic Questionnaire to evaluate complaints of the musculoskeletal system, c) Range of Motion (ROM) measurements using a digital inclinometer and a measuring tape respectively. CONCLUSION: The "five-Business" combines elements of yoga and the McKenzie fundamentals, taking into account the Myers myofascial pathways in a highly torso-oriented, standardized stretching program. Due to the given exercise execution on the device and the individual adjustment possibilities of the stretching position (body size and range of motion) by the abutment, all exercises are individualized and standardized at the same time. In comparison to existing stretching interventions, this is a new approach in the framework of reducing musculoskeletal disorders and improving the quality of life in workplace health promotion.