Tuesday, October 6, 2009

new screening tool for ACL injury rates

A new study published in the October issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine (AJSM) found screening the knee muscles of a noninjured female athlete with electromyography (EMG) technology can determine if she is at high risk for an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture.

"An ACL injury for a female athlete doesn't just affect them at the moment of injury; a high percentage of female athletes who suffer an ACL injury experience long-term consequences such as osteoarthritis and disability. This is unacceptable," says lead author, Mette K. Zebis, PhD, at the Institute of Sports Medicine Copenhagen and the Danish National Research Centre for the Working Environment. "Our research aimed to evaluate the possible use of EMG recording as a tool for ACL injury risk screening. If we can identify those at risk for the injury, we can help prevent it."

EMG analysis can be used to evaluate neuromuscular activity in specific muscles during sports specific movements. The study utilized the technology to screen 55 noninjured female athletes while they performed a standardized side-cutting maneuver. A side-cutting maneuver is used to "fake" the defensive player to one direction while the athlete moves in the opposite direction. The side-cutting maneuver was selected because this maneuver is highly common during a game, and a large number of non-contact ACL injuries appear to occur in this situation.

Of the 55 athletes studied, five had lower EMG signals in the medial hamstring muscle on the back of their thigh and higher activity in their quadriceps muscle. Those same five athletes experienced an ACL rupture later on in the competitive season.

Analysis was conducted on all subject's EMG signals and a high-risk zone was defined. Ten individuals initially fell into the high-risk zone, with five of those being the ones who subsequently experienced a non-contact ACL rupture.

The study is the first to define a specific muscle group activity that may predispose a female athlete to an ACL injury. The high-risk zone developed by Zebis and her coauthors is a "promising" tool, but she explains that further studies with a larger sample size are still needed to standardize neuromuscular screening for determining those in the high-risk zone.

"Our study provides a foundation," she says. "Larger studies should be conducted to confirm our suspicions that this screening tool will be a huge asset in preventing future female athletic injuries."

More information on the American Journal of Sports Medicine (AJSM), which is published by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), is at: www.ajsm.org.

Monday, October 5, 2009

why I do what I do - part 1

Most of you reading this have been to ASF. You are an athlete, a coach, a parent, a boot camp killer. For those of you who have not, this still applies.
"Love what you do and you will never work another day in your life"....I forgot who originally said that, but it certainly holds true for me. Stick with me for a couple of minutes as I go over my personal reasons for doing what I do....you may even agree with a couple.

1) I can't get it out of my system. The "it" I am referring to is athletics, sport, competition, physicality. I know the power of playing sports and the lessons that go along with it. Opening ASF allows me to give back to young athletes some of the same lessons that I learned growing up with sports as my platform.

2) I don't want to work for someone! Plain and simple. Call it any name~rebel, entrepreneur, leader, non-conformist. I want to do things the way I want to, when I want to and where I want to. It doesn't mean I will always do it right, but I am willing to learn from what I did wrong and correct it. I want to make mistakes because it empowers me to always do better. There is no worse way to go through life than to hate what you do and who you work for.

3) Kids make life interesting. Adults are pretty boring (sorry adults, but we are). Kids give me energy which I reciprocate. Kids make me think in new and creative ways.

4) I really, really want to make a difference in the lives of the people that I work with. It can be getting faster, stronger, quicker, but also more confident, more positive and mentally tough. I think that the initial reason that people come in isn't always the reason they continue.

5) When I wake up, I can't wait to get to work. When I am done, I don't want to leave. How many can say that?!

Part 2 will be later this month.