Comparison of some intrinsic risk factors of shoulder injury in three phases of menstrual cycle in collegiate female athletes

Ethical Risks of Systematic Menstrual Tracking in Sport

In this article it will be concluded that systematic menstrual tracking in women's sport has the potential to cause harm to athletes. Since the ruling of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022) in the United States, concerns regarding menstrual health tracking have arisen. Research suggests that the menstrual tracking of female athletes presents potential risks to "women's autonomy, privacy, and safety in sport" (Casto 2022, 1725). At present, the repercussions of systematic menstrual tracking are particularly under-scrutinized, and this paper seeks to combine novel research in the sport sciences with present ethical debates in the philosophy of sports. Utilizing Beauvoir's feminist philosophy (2011), this paper argues that systematic menstrual tracking may contribute to the wider system of women's oppression by exploiting female athletes, as well as enabling the internalization of submissive behaviour in cultures where athletes are expected to comply unquestioningly. Five policy recommendations are made concerning autonomy, informed consent, education, safeguarding and data access. The overall findings of this paper propose that a more in-depth understanding of the links between data, privacy, and the menstrual cycle are required by sports organizations and governing bodies if athletes are to be protected in a future where systematic menstrual tracking is inevitable.

The Influence of Menstrual Cycle Phases on Maximal Strength Performance in Healthy Female Adults: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Maximal strength is a significant factor in achieving peak performance and injury prevention in athletes. In individualization strategies for the efficient development of athletes, it is necessary to consider the respective components separately. The purpose of this study was to systematically examine the effects of the different cycle phases on isometric, isokinetic, and dynamic maximum strength. A systematic literature review was conducted; databases were searched from January 1960 to September 2023. The included studies focused on the expression of maximal strength in the earlier follicular phase as well as at least one comparative phase. Of the initial 707 articles identified, 22 met the selection criteria and were included. The studies considered a total of 433 subjects. Our results revealed medium effects (weighted mean standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.60; seven studies) for isometric maximal strength in favor of the late follicular phase, small effects (weighted mean SMD = 0.39; five studies) for isokinetic maximal strength in favor of the ovulation phase, and small effects (weighted mean SMD = 0.14; three studies) for dynamic maximal strength in favor of the late follicular phase. The results indicate that the early follicular phase is unfavorable for all strength classes. Peak performance in isometric strength is seen in the late follicular phase, whereas isokinetic strength peaks during ovulation. Dynamic strength is optimal in the late follicular phase.

Are Whiplash-Associated Disorders and Temporomandibular Disorders in a Trauma Related Cause and Effect Relationship? A Review

Background: Whiplash is associated with a wide variety of clinical manifestations, including headache, neck pain, cervical rigidity, shoulder and back pain, paresthesia, vertigo, and temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). Previous studies reported that TMDs are more common in individuals with chronic whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) than in the general population; however, the pathophysiology and mechanism of this relationship are still not well understood. Methods: A PubMed and Ovid EMBASE review was performed to identify all studies addressing the trauma related cause and effect relationship between WAD and TMDs from January 2003 to March 2023. Results: After screening for eligibility and inclusion criteria, a total of 16 articles met the selection criteria. The various included studies discussed different aspects of the association between WDA and TMDs, including changes in the coordination and amplitude of jaw opening, the severity of the associated symptoms/signs in cases of WAD, the degree of fatigue and psychological stress, difficulty in feeding, cervical and myofascial pain, changes in the MRI signal at various muscle points, muscle tenderness, and quality of life. Conclusions: In this review, we summarized the clinical evidence of any trauma related cause and effect relationship between whiplash and TMDs. An accurate screening of the previous literature showed that, in conclusion, the relationship between whiplash and TMDs is still unclear.

Menstrual Cycle and Sport Injuries: A Systematic Review

The presence of female athletes has only increased in recent years, as has the incidence of injuries in female sports activities. These injuries are conditioned by multiple factors, including hormonal agents. It is estimated that the menstrual cycle may be related to the predisposition to suffer an injury. However, a causal relationship has not yet been established. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between the menstrual cycle and injuries in female sports practice. A systematic search of the scientific literature available in PubMed, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and Sport Discus was carried out in January 2022. With 138 articles, only eight studies were found that met the selection criteria for this study. Peak estradiol is associated with increased laxity, strength, and poor use of neuromuscular control. Thus, the ovulatory phase is associated with an increased risk of injury. In conclusion, it seems that hormonal fluctuations throughout the menstrual cycle alter values such as laxity, strength, body temperature, and neuromuscular control, among others. This fact causes women to constantly adapt to hormonal variations, which exposes them to a higher risk of injury.

Time course recovery of cerebral blood velocity metrics post aerobic exercise: A systematic review

Currently, the standard approach for restricting exercise prior to cerebrovascular data collection varies widely between 6-24 hours. This universally employed practice is a conservative approach to safeguard physiological alterations that could potentially confound one's study design. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review was to amalgamate the literature that examines the extent and duration cerebrovascular function is impacted following aerobic exercise measured via transcranial Doppler ultrasound. Further, an exploratory aim was to scrutinize and discuss common biases/limitations in the previous studies to help guide future investigations. Search strategies were developed and imported into PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and Medline databases. A total of 595 records were screened and 35 articles met the inclusion criteria in this review, which included assessments of basic cerebrovascular metrics (n=35), dynamic cerebral autoregulation (dCA; n=9), neurovascular coupling (NVC; n=2); and/or cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR-CO₂; n=1) following acute bouts of aerobic exercise. Across all studies, it was found NVC was impacted for 1-hour, basic cerebrovascular parameters and CVR-CO₂ parameters 2-hours, and dCA metrics 6-hours post-exercise. Therefore, future studies can provide participants with these evidence-based time restrictions, regarding the minimum time to abstain from exercise prior to data collection. However, it should be noted, other physiological mechanisms could still be altered (e.g., metabolic, hormonal, and/or autonomic influences), despite cerebrovascular function returning to baseline levels. Thus, future investigations should seek to control for as many physiological influences when employing cerebrovascular assessments, immediately following these time restraints. The main limitations/biases were lack of female participants, cardiorespiratory fitness, and consideration for vessel diameter.

The Impact of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Athletes' Performance: A Narrative Review

The effect of the menstrual cycle on physical performance is being increasingly recognised as a key consideration for women's sport and a critical field for further research. This narrative review explores the findings of studies investigating the effects of menstrual cycle phase on perceived and objectively measured performance in an athletic population. Studies examining perceived performance consistently report that female athletes identify their performance to be relatively worse during the early follicular and late luteal phases. Studies examining objective performance (using anaerobic, aerobic or strength-related tests) do not report clear, consistent effects of the impact of menstrual cycle phase on physical performance. Overall sport performance can be influenced by both perceived and physical factors. Hence, to optimise performance and management of eumenorrheic female athletes, there is a need for further research to quantify the impact of menstrual cycle phase on perceived and physical performance outcomes and to identify factors affecting variability in objective performance outcomes between studies.