Analysis of the Christiania stop in professional roller hockey players with and without previous groin pain: a prospective case series study

Time-loss Injuries among Female and Male Spanish Rink Hockey Players

The present study describes the time-loss injuries among female and male athletes of the Spanish rink hockey league during the 2021/22 season.We performed a retrospective cohort study on time-loss injuries, whereby the athlete is prevented from participating in a training session or game because of the injury.A total of 463 athletes were included, with 326 (70.4%) senior male and 137 (29.6%) female. Two hundred and eighty-two time-loss injuries were recorded, the most common form being muscle injuries (112 episodes, 39.7%), especially those affecting the hip adductor muscles (52 episodes, 46.4% of muscle injuries). Most injuries were classified as mild (1-7 days of time-loss) and the median return-to-play was 9.5 days (range 1-180).Injury patterns were compared according to gender, position and moment: the results showed significant differences between senior males and females, between field players and goalkeepers, as well as between training and game, in terms of injury nature and type. The injury incidence proportion was significantly higher for field players compared to goalkeepers), and senior males had a significantly higher risk than senior females.The present study provides a starting point for studying and preventing injuries in rink hockey athletes.

FAAH rs324420 Polymorphism: Biological Pathways, Impact on Elite Athletic Performance and Insights for Sport Medicine

Gene variation linked to physiological functions is recognised to affect elite athletic performance by modulating training and competition-enabling behaviour. The fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) has been investigated as a good candidate for drug targeting, and recently, its single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs324420 was reported to be associated with athletic performance. Given the implications, the biological pathways of this genetic polymorphism linked to elite athletic performance, considering sport type, psychological traits and sports injuries, need to be dissected. Thus, a narrative review of the literature concerning the biological mechanisms of this SNP was undertaken. In addition to its role in athletic performance, FAAH rs324420 is also involved in important mechanisms underlying human psychopathologies, including substance abuse and neural dysfunctions. However, cumulative evidence concerning the C385A variant is inconsistent. Therefore, validation studies considering homogeneous sports modalities are required to better define the role of this SNP in elite athletic performance and its impact on stress coping, pain regulation and inflammation control.

Analysis of injuries during the 2019 Rink Hockey World Championship

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study is to describe the incidence and characteristics of injuries at the 2019 Rink Hockey World Championship.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was performed among rink hockey athletes from three National Teams (Argentina, Portugal, and Spain). All injuries were reported by the medical staff of each National Team during the preparation period and the competition in the 2019 World Championship (Barcelona, Spain). Injury rate was calculated as the number of injuries per 1000 hours of player-hours of exposure.

RESULTS

A total of 91 players (n = 61, 67% male; and n = 30, 33% female) participated in the study: 31 Senior Male (34%), 30 Senior Female (33%), and 30 Under-19 Male (33%). A total of 54 games were played by 9 teams from 3 countries, comprising of 4562 and 4380 hours of total athletic game and training exposure recorded, respectively. Fifty-one injuries (20 injuries with time-loss and 31 medical attention -injuries with no time-loss) were reported. The overall injury incidence rate was 11.2/1000 hours (95% CI, 8.5-14.7). The injury incidence during games (27.5; 95% CI, 11.6-65.2) was higher than the injury incidence during training sessions (3.4; 95% CI, 2-5.7). The incidence rate for game for the entire study period was 8.19 times higher (95% CI, 2.61-21.36) than that for training. The global injury burden was 45.4 days/1000 hours for a total exposure time. Acute was the most frequently documented onset and the non-contact was the most common mechanism. The most frequently reported injuries were head contusion (n = 5, 25%), followed by thigh injuries (n = 3, 15%).

CONCLUSIONS

The injury incidence reported in a Rink Hockey international competition was 11.2/1000 hours. The risk of injury was higher during games than during training. Prevention strategies for injuries in these kinds of championships may be worth discussing. The craniofacial injuries were the most frequently reported.

FAAH rs324420 Polymorphism Is Associated with Performance in Elite Rink-Hockey Players

Genetic factors are among the major contributors to athletic performance. Although more than 150 genetic variants have been correlated with elite athlete status, genetic foundations of competition-facilitating behavior influencing elite performances are still scarce. This is the first study designed to examine the distribution of genetic determinants in the athletic performance of elite rink-hockey players. A total of 116 of the world’s top best rink-hockey players (28.2 ± 8.7 years old; more than 50% are cumulatively from the best four world teams and the best five Portuguese teams), who participated at the elite level in the National Rink-Hockey Championship in Portugal, were evaluated in anthropometric indicators/measurements, training conditions, sport experience and sport injuries history. Seven genetic polymorphisms were analyzed. Polymorphism genotyping was performed using the TaqMan® Allelic Discrimination Methodology. Rink-hockey players demonstrated significantly different characteristics according to sex, namely anthropometrics, training habits, sports injuries and genetic variants, such as Vitamin D Receptor (VDR) rs731236 (p < 0.05). The Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH) rs324420 A allele was significantly associated with improved athletic performance (AA/AC vs. CC, OR = 2.80; 95% Cl, 1.23−6.35; p = 0.014; p = 0.008 after Bootstrap) and confirmed as an independent predictor among elite rink-hockey players (adjusted OR = 2.88; 95% Cl, 1.06−7.80; p = 0.038). Our results open an interesting link from FAAH-related biology to athletic performance.

Direct superior approach versus posterolateral approach in total hip arthroplasty: a randomized controlled trial on early outcomes on gait, risk of fall, clinical and self-reported measurements

Background and purpose - Several surgical approaches are used in primary total hip arthroplasty (THA). In this randomized controlled trial we compared gait, risk of fall, self-reported and clinical measurements between subjects after direct superior approach (DSA) versus posterolateral approach (PL) for THA.Patients and methods - Participants with DSA (n = 22; age 74 [SD 8.9]) and PL (n = 23; age 72 [7.7]) underwent gait analysis, risk of fall assessment and Timed Up and Go Test (TUG) before (PRE), 1 month (T1) and 3 months after (T3) surgery. Data on bleeding and surgical time was collected.Results - DSA resulted in longer surgical times (90 [14] vs. 77 [20] min) but lower blood loss (149 [66] vs. 225 [125] mL) than PL. DSA had lower risk of fall at T3 compared with T1 and higher TUG scores at T3 compared with T1 and PRE. PL improved balance at T3 compared with T1 and PRE. Spatiotemporal gait parameters improved over time for both DSA and PL with no inter-group differences, whereas DSA, regarding hip rotation range of motion, showed lower values at T3 and T1 compared with PRE and, furthermore, this group had lower values at T1 and T3 compared with PL. All foregoing comparisons are statistically signficant (p < 0.05)Interpretation - DSA showed longer surgical time and lower blood loss compared with PL and early improvements in TUG, spatiotemporal, and kinematic gait parameters, highlighting rapid muscle strength recovery.

A Review of Players' Characterization and Game Performance on Male Rink-Hockey

The aim of this study was to review the evolutionary tendencies of research regarding to the study of male Rink-Hockey players´ and game performance. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Knowledge and Scopus databases according to PRISMA method. The initial search identified 815 titles, resulting in 19 articles being included within the review. Original papers (English language) contained relevant data regarding rink hockey players' performance or morphological/physiological demands, anthropometry/body composition characteristics were eligible. Studies were classified into categories: (1) Physiological Demands, (2) Anthropometry and Body Composition, (3) Game Characterization/Patterns, (4) Injuries. Results indicated that Rink hockey requires high intensity effort which demands both short and long duration efforts requirements from players. Body composition analysis shows to be an important monitoring tool which complements the understanding of the athlete's cardiac adaptation. Game patterns shows a combination of specific game momentums with different outcomes according to the game zone. The intense short-term movements, collision and contact between players, in addition to the weight and speed of the hard ball and the stick, can considerably increase the risk of moderate and severe injuries. Lack of literature in Rink-Hockey is remarkable, and research is mainly focused on children and adolescents' players. Furthermore, the existing research with adult elite athletes was assessed with a small sample size.