Thesis (M.S.)--Eastern Illinois University. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 37-38).

This thesis is the culmination of a program of research which initially began in 1995. It reflects a major professional interest in the imaging of sports injuries which developed gradually over the 10 year period between 1992 to 2001, based upon previous clinical experience and expertise in the management of musculoskeletal injuries and their anatomical and pathomechanical origins. The central theme of study relates to the use of cross-sectional imaging techniques to investigate the pathoanatomical basis for groin pain in althletes with particular reference to professional soccer players with chronic groin pain. The current thesis is based around two key postulates. Firstly, that most of the commonly diagnosed causes of groin pain in professional athletes are anatomically and functionally linked and, secondly, that modern cross-sectional imaging can demonstrate both the correct diagnosis and the underlying biomechanical causes. The program of study consists of three different but linked project themes. The first investigates the scope of the problem, i.e. the differential diagnosis and prevalence of groin pain in professional soccer players. The second investigates the precise "normal" anatomy, i.e. the gross topographical anatomy of the pubic symphysis and parasymphyseal regions as actually exists rather than the regional anatomy that appears in classical anatomical texts. The third builds upon the first two projects and, investigates the underlying pathomechanical processes using magnetic resonance imaging. The study results suggest that a unifying mechanism of injury exists which partly explains the diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties that occur in athletes with groin pain. It also demonstrates that better understanding of the true pubic symphyseal anatomy allows a more accurate diagnosis to be made and that magnetic resonance imaging can demonstrate the relevant underlying pathoanatomy. The thesis adds significantly to the body of scientific knowledge related to this important sports-related, clinical condition.

No description available.

Background: There is currently a lack of investigation of injuries in junior sport, compared to that of adult cohorts. Consequently, very few published studies have demonstrated the incidence of injuries among young participants of Australian football. The aim of this study was to determine the current rate of injury in junior Australian football, and describe the patterns and severity of these injuries across all levels of play, compared to those of McMahon et al. [1]. Methods: The Junior Australian Football Safety Study was completed during 2004 using teams from New South Wales and Victoria across nine levels of play (U9 to U18). Participation and injury data were collected prospectively from all games and training sessions by Primary Data Collectors. The region, nature and cause of injury were collected on injuries that were defined in accordance with a previous 1993 study. Injury severity was identified by the action of players immediately after the injury event. Results: Overall, 40,208 hours of exposure were recorded with an injury rate of 18.0 injuries per 1,000 player hours (95% CI=16.6-19.3). Hand/finger injuries were common among all players. The main causes of injury were body contact (67%), other contact (12%) and game movement (10%). There was an increase in the frequency of sprains and strains, and injury severity with level of play. Of the injuries where the player left the field of play, 63% were able to return to participation. The rates of injury for players who did not continue participation or were advised to seek further medical aid were low. Only 28% of all injured players were advised to seek medical treatment with few injuries taken to hospital (5%). Conclusion: An observed reduction of injury rate in the U15 level of play compared to a similar 1993 study (McMahon et al.), suggests that safe game development at the junior level is likely to have been effective over the past decade. Implications for future skill development include the introduction of incidental body contact skills with further ball-handling skill development in young players, and the introduction of proprioception exercises for players at higher levels of play.

There is no abstract available for this dissertation.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of HBO2 therapy on exercise-induced muscle damage. Subjects (n = 16 university student volunteers) were randomly divided into an experimental group that received HBO2 therapy and a control group that did not receive any treatments. HBO2 treatments consisted of 5 sessions of breathing 95% oxygen at 2.5 atm abs for 100 min. Temporary muscle soreness was created using a single-leg eccentric exercise task involving the quadriceps femoris. Over the next 14 days, measurements were obtained on muscle soreness, leg circumference, quadriceps peak torque, quadriceps average power, fatigue and plasma creative kinase. After eccentric exercise, plasma CK levels and perceived muscle soreness were elevated but were not different between HBO2 and control groups. HBO2 therapy did not alter leg circumference, quadriceps peak torque, average power or fatigue compared to the control group. The data indicated that five HBO2 treatments did not speed recovery following eccentric exercise that induced temporary muscle damage.

Thigh muscle strength and endurance were measured following partial arthroscopic meniscectomy of the knee in 24 patients divided into group 1 (age < 20 yr), group 2 (age 24-40 yr), and group 3 (age > 50 yr). Subjects were studied during and after release from isokinetic rehabilitation. Isokinetic testing was performed at 1.04, 2.09, 3.14, 4.19, and 5.24 radians/second, with release from rehabilitation when quadriceps strength achieved 85% recovery of the non-surgical leg.No significant difference existed among the 3 groups in days from the time of surgery to the start of the first test or for the weeks to release from rehabilitation. Approximately 50% quadricep muscle strength loss was observed at the time of the initial isokinetic test. Quadriceps torque (mean + SE) measured in newton-meters for group 1 at the 1.04 rad/sec speed showed the surgical leg significantly weaker (P<0.001) than the non-surgical leg when tested at the initial test (101.6 +18.2 vs. 189.6 +17.2) and at release from rehabilitation (157.4 +13.3 vs. 176.3 +15.2). Torque measured at the other 4 speeds reached non-significance by the second or third week of rehabilitation. Isokinetic testing for groups 2 and 3 showed surgical leg strength significantly weaker (P<0.05) at the initial test and at week 1 of rehabilitation for the 5 testing speeds, with 85% return of strength by weeks 2 or 3. Strength recovery for all 3 groups showed no significant weakness between legs for hamstring torque after the initial or after the first week of rehabilitation. Percent of knee extensor torque achieved by the knee flexor muscles of the surgical leg for the 3 groups showed significantly greater (P<0.001) values only for the initial test at speeds 1.04 and 2.09 rad/sec. Measures of total work, average power, and endurance calculated from work tests showed little change in muscle endurance between legs.These data indicate that quadricep muscle function is negatively affected following arthroscopic meniscectomy. Release from rehabilitation when surgical to non-surgical leg strength is between 85% to 90X appears to be a valid measure for most patients, which indicates age alone does not appear to be a limiting factor in regaining strength.

Serum lactic dehydrogenase, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, and lactic dehydrogenase isoenzyme (LDH5) levels were studied on fifteen Ball State University athletes who sustained contusions, hematomas, and muscle strains.Each individual's injury was classified as mild, moderate, or severe. There were seven subjects sustaining injuries classified as mild, seven receiving moderate injuries, and one individual with a severe injury.Serum enzyme levels of all subjects were elevated above controls after injury and then proceeded to decline unless re-injury occurred.The enzyme levels for the moderate group, as demonstrated by the graphs, revealed more marked elevations for LDH and GOT than did the ones in the mild group.A significant statistical difference was found to exist between the mild and moderate groups involving the total LDH. There were no statistical differences between these groups Sand the GOT or LDH5 isoenzyme levels.

Thesis (M.S.)--Georgia Southern University, 2007. / "A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education." Under the direction of Daniel R. Czech. ETD. Electronic version approved: May 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 59-62) and appendices.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Victoria University (Melbourne, Vic.), 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.