No description available.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a common clinical condition affecting physically active individuals. It is characterised by pain behind or around the patella during loading of the lower limb. It is recognised that there are multiple factors that contribute to PFPS; however these factors are not well understood. There is equivocal evidence for differences in lower limb kinematics in participants with PFPS, particularly during the running gait cycle. The aim of this study was to investigate lower extremity kinematics during running in individuals with a history of PFPS compared to those without symptoms. Specific objectives: (a) To describe lower extremity kinematics during running for individuals with PFPS. (b) To determine whether there are differences in pelvis, hip, knee and ankle kinematics during running in participants with and without PFPS. (c) To determine whether there were any kinematic variables at the pelvis, hip and knee joint during stance phase of running that may be associated with an increased risk of developing PFPS. Methods: This study had a descriptive cross-sectional study design. Thirty one physically active individuals, who participated in at least two hours of physical activity per week for at least three months prior to testing, were recruited for the study. Fifteen participants presented with PFPS, and 16 participants without PFPS formed the control group. Participants were also required to have a Q-angle within the normal range for males (8.2º-14.2º) and females (11.4º-20.3º) respectively. Participants in the PFPS group were required to have a history of unilateral anterior or retro-patellar pain of non-traumatic origin that did not exceed a six-month period prior to testing. The participants’ PFPS also needed to be elicited during one or more symptom provocation tests, namely: resisted terminal knee extension, stair descent, or a unilateral partial squat. The PFPS participants had to be able to run without pain for a minimum period of 10 minutes, which allowed the running test to be completed without reproducing symptoms of PFPS. All participants gave written informed consent before taking part in the study. Participants were familiarised with all testing procedures. Participants completed medical and training questionnaires, and body composition measurements were performed. Sixteen retro-reflective markers were placed on anatomical landmarks of the lower limbs according to the modified Helen Hayes marker set. Participants were then required to perform a running test, which consisted of 10 sets of running at a self-selected speed on a 10 m pathway. Kinematic data of the pelvis, hip, knee and ankle were recorded by an eight-camera motion analysis system during each repetition of the test. The specific data extracted included range of motion at heel strike and toe off, peak range of motion during swing phase and stance phase. In addition, the range of motion travelled during stance and swing phases and the percentage of stance phase a participant took to reach the peak range of motion during stance phase were calculated.

Word processed copy. Bibliography: leaf 42.

Bibliography: leaves 77-94. / Patellofemoral disorders are amongst the most common clinical conditions encountered in the sporting and general population [8, 33, 68]. Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is usually described as diffuse, peripatellar, anterior knee pain [8, 61].

Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Includes bibliographical references. / Several studies on European players at the elite or professional level have shown a high risk of injury. However, the studies used different data collection methods, making it difficult to compare results. This suggested a need to standardise the definition of an injury and method of data collection. There are no data on injuries associated with football in South Africa, which makes it difficult to develop an evidence-based strategy to manage injuries associated with football. Therefore, in an attempt to address the deficiency on soccer related injuries in South Africa, a Professional Soccer League (PSL) team (AJAX CT) was monitored throughout the season by the medical support staff of the team using the F-MARC data collection system devised by FIFA. The main objective of this study was to undertake a retrospective epidemiological study documenting the incidence of injury in this team and the exposure time (practice and match) of the players over a full season.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / Mature adults are at risk of an accelerated age-related reduction in physical function. Declines in aerobic power, functional strength, motor abilities, flexibility and health-related quality of life are thought to be primarily due to reduced physical activity levels with increasing age. Leisure time physical activity (LTPA) has been extensively investigated and is widely advocated for the preservation of function with ageing. However there is a lack of evidence regarding the relationship between LTPA and the individual components of health-related fitness, particularly motor abilities. It is therefore unclear what types of LTPA (endurance, neuromuscular LTPA or games) should be prescribed by health professionals for the development of health-related fitness parameters. Aim: To examine the relationship between LTPA and components of health-related fitness in healthy mature adults. Specific Objectives: (a) To describe the preferred mode(s) and weekly duration of recent LTPA in currently active male and female participants. (b) To describe the preferred mode(s) and years of participation in long term LTPA, in currently active and inactive male and female participants. (c) To determine if there were significant differences in anthropometry and selected health-related fitness components, in currently active and inactive male and female participants. (d) To determine the relationships between recent participation in different types of LTPA (endurance, neuromuscular or games) and total weekly duration of LTPA; and anthropometry and selected components of health related fitness in currently active male and female participants. (e) To determine the relationships between former participation in different types of LTPA (endurance, neuromuscular or games) and years of LTPA participation; and anthropometry and selected components of health-related fitness in currently active and inactive male and female participants. Methods: This study had a descriptive, correlational design. Healthy adults aged between 40 and 60 who either participated in regular LTPA or no LTPA, were recruited for the study. Participants were excluded if they had any acute or chronic injuries; or used any medication that altered heart rate or physical function. Fifty six healthy mature adults between the ages of 40 and 58 years participated in this study. Twenty nine had participated in at least 30 minutes of LTPA, three times per week in the last three months (active group); and twenty seven had not participated in LTPA in the last three months (inactive group). Data were collected in two sessions. In session one, participants gave written informed consent; completed a physical activity readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q) to screen for safe exercise participation; and completed health-related quality of life and LTPA questionnaires. Body composition measurements were also performed. In session two, participants completed a battery of physical tests conducted by a blinded assessor, including: cardiorespiratory fitness (2 km walk test); static and dynamic balance (standing on one leg, tandem walking backwards); agility (Illinois agility test); co-ordination (timed bouncing of a ball along a wall from a fixed distance); upper limb function (modified push-up test); lower limb function (vertical jump test); back muscle endurance (static back extension test); and flexibility (sit-and-reach test).Results: Recently active participants had significantly reduced body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.04), body fat percentage (p = 0.003) and sum of seven skinfold (p = 0.004) measurements, compared to inactive participants. In addition, active participants scored significantly better in the tests for cardiorespiratory fitness (p = 0.0004) and upper limb function (p = 0.01) than inactive participants. Active females had significantly improved cardiorespiratory fitness (p = 0.0002) and agility (p = 0.0004) compared to inactive females. Of the health-related fitness components, only cardiorespiratory fitness and back muscle endurance were related to recent LTPA participation. Motor abilities such as agility and dynamic balance, upper- and lower limb function were associated with long term rather than recent LTPA, particularly with long term endurance, games and years of long term LTPA participation. Discussion and conclusion: Active participants had significantly improved body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness and upper limb function compared to inactive participants in this study. These results support previous research suggesting that regular participation in LTPA may help to slow the age-associated decline in physical function. However no significant differences were found in motor abilities between recently active and inactive participants, and no significant relationships were found between recent LTPA participation and motor abilities. Based on the findings in this study, long term LTPA and participation in games are advised for the development of motor abilities and functional strength, in healthy mature adults. As this study sample reported mainly endurance LTPA recently and on the long term, future research should aim to explore the independent contributions of different types of LTPA (endurance, neuromuscular or games) on aspects of health related fitness. Such information may be very useful clinically to improve the accuracy of exercise prescription. There is also a need to further evaluate the relationship between long-term LTPA and health-related fitness in a larger sample of mature adults.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 98-105). / Aim: To determine the relationship between the paddle grip: handgrip size ratio and associated factors contributing to the development of lateral elbow tendinosis and DeQuervains tenosynovitis in K1 marathon paddlers.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of lower back pain (LBP) in the running population and any initiating or aggravating factors. The aetiology of low back pain in runners was also investigated. A random sample population of 225 roadrunners were interviewed following the completion of six local road races. A further subgroup (n = 52) (LBP group as well as control group) of these runners was evaluated to determine if there were any biomechanical; muscle strength, flexibility and stability measures; as well as any training protocols which were more commonly associated in those runners who complained of LBP. Questionnaires were completed by 225 runners and a detailed clinical evaluation was performed to identify the incidence and aetiology of running-related lower back pain. Attention was focussed on the lumbar-pelvic muscles in terms of their flexibility, strength and coordinating ability as well as static biomechanical measures of the lower limb. LBP in runners was found to be common with an injury risk of 1.42 injuries per 1000 running hours. This running-related LBP seldom forced the athlete to stop running yet did affect running performance. It was associated with any increase in the running load. Hip flexor inflexibility on the left (p = 0.07); short hip adductor muscle length (p = 0.055), hamstring inflexibility (p = 0.09) and iliotibial band inflexibility (p = 0.036) on the right were found to be more common in the LBP group. The abdominal muscles were weaker in the LBP group when assessed in the trunk curl-up test (p = 0.0085) and the stabilising ability (p = 0.032) for this group was judged to be poor. Biomechanically, only a marginal difference was found between those with and without LBP (p = 0.077) with regard to the hindfoot and forefoot postures which were valgus and varus respectively for the lower back pain group. Lumbar intervertebral joints were mostly hypomobile (p = 0.004) in the LBP group. Adherence to a poor training regime (excessive running distances and frequencies) was associated with the LBP group. Attention to correct training patterns and adequate muscle control (strength, coordination and flexibility) is suggested to protect from this running-related LBP. Further research into a comparison of rehabilitation protocols is required to validate these findings.

Bibliography: leaves 86-99.