Introduction: The optimal pre-participation screening strategy to identify athletes at risk for exercise-induced cardiovascular events is unknown. We therefore aimed to compare the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and European Society of Cardiology (ESC) pre-participation screening strategies against extensive cardiovascular evaluations in identifying high-risk individuals among 35.50- year-old apparently healthy men. Methods: We applied ACSM and ESC pre-participation screenings to 25 men participating in a study on first-time marathon running. We compared screening outcomes against medical history, physical examination, electrocardiography, blood tests, echocardiography, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, and magnetic resonance imaging. Results: ACSM screening classified all participants as "medical clearance not necessary."ESC screening classified two participants as "high-risk."Extensive cardiovascular evaluations revealed ≥1 minor abnormality and/or cardiovascular condition in 17 participants, including three subjects with mitral regurgitation and one with a small atrial septal defect. Eleven participants had dyslipidaemia, six had hypertension, and two had premature atherosclerosis. Ultimately, three (12%) subjects had a serious cardiovascular condition warranting sports restrictions: aortic aneurysm, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and myocardial fibrosis post-myocarditis. Of these three participants, only one had been identified as "high-risk"by the ESC screening (for dyslipidaemia, not HCM) and none by the ACSM screening. Conclusion: Numerous occult cardiovascular conditions are missed when applying current ACSM/ ESC screening strategies to apparently healthy middle-aged men engaging in their first high-intensity endurance sports event.
BACKGROUND: In typically developing children, participation in sports has been proven to be positively correlated to both physical and psychosocial health outcomes. In children and adolescents with a physical disability or chronic disease participation in both recreational and competitive sports is often reduced, while for this population an active lifestyle may be even more important in reaching optimal levels of physical and psychosocial health. Therefore, the aim of the Health in Adapted Youth Sports (HAYS) Study is to determine both negative and positive effects of sports on children and adolescents with a chronic disease or physical disability. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study differences will be compared in regards to physical and psychosocial health, cognitive functioning, school performance, daily physical activity and injuries between children and adolescents with a chronic disease or physical disability who participate in sports and those who do not. Children and adolescents, both ambulatory and wheelchair dependent, in the age of 10-19 years with a physical disability or chronic disease will be included. "Sports" is defined as participation in an organized sport at least two times a week for a duration of 3 months or more prior to the assessment. Parametric and non-parametric statistics will be used to determine the differences between the two groups. DISCUSSION: This study provides insight in the effects of sports participation in relation to health, psychosocial functioning, physical activity and school performance in children and adolescents (10-19 years) with a chronic disease or physical disability. Results will guide healthcare professionals working with these children to better guide this population in reaching optimal levels of health and physical activity levels.
Purpose: Classification is a defining factor for competition in wheelchair sports, but it is a delicate and time-consuming process with often questionable validity. New inertial sensor-based measurement methods applied in match play and field tests allow for more precise and objective estimates of the impairment effect on wheelchair-mobility performance. The aim of the present research was to evaluate whether these measures could offer an alternative point of view for classification. Methods: Six standard wheelchair-mobility performance outcomes of different classification groups were measured in match play (n = 29), as well as best possible performance in a field test (n = 47). Results: In match results, a clear relationship between classification and performance level is shown, with increased performance outcomes in each adjacent higher-classification group. Three outcomes differed significantly between the low- and mid-classified groups, and 1, between the mid- and high-classified groups. In best performance (field test), there was a split between the low- and mid-classified groups (5 out of 6 outcomes differed significantly) but hardly any difference between the mid- and high-classified groups. This observed split was confirmed by cluster analysis, revealing the existence of only 2 performance-based clusters. Conclusions: The use of inertial sensor technology to obtain objective measures of wheelchair-mobility performance, combined with a standardized field test, produced alternative views for evidence-based classification. The results of this approach provide arguments for a reduced number of classes in wheelchair basketball. Future use of inertial sensors in match play and field testing could enhance evaluation of classification guidelines, as well as individual athlete performance. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2017-0326 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rienkvdslikke/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniqueberger/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemarie-de-witte-9582b154/
Ballet en moderne dans zijn een vorm van topsport. De druk op dansers is enorm. Lange en intensieve werkdagen, veel reizen en verschillende werkplekken maken het lastig om lichaam en geest goed te verzorgen. Hierdoor liggen blessures en mentale klachten op de loer. Nederlandse dansgezelschappen willen meer aandacht gaan besteden aan preventieve maatregelen om fysieke en mentale problemen bij hun dansers te voorkomen. Het ontbreekt hen echter aan kennis en kunde om dit innovatieve vraagstuk op te kunnen pakken. Het Nationale Ballet en het Scapino Ballet hebben het lectoraat Performing Arts Medicine van Codarts (Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Rotterdam) benaderd om antwoord te krijgen op de vraag hoe dansers op de hoogste podia, op gezonde wijze, hun beste performance kunnen laten zien. Gezamenlijk is deze praktijkvraag omgevormd naar drie onderzoeksdoelstellingen: 1. Opstellen van meetinstrumenten om de fysieke en mentale gezondheid van dansers te screenen en te monitoren; 2. Ontwerpen van een web-based systeem dat automatisch en real-time informatie uit de ontwikkelde meetinstrumenten kan inlezen, analyseren en interpreteren; 3. Ontwikkelen van een Fit to Perform protocol dat aanbevelingen geeft ten aanzien van het verbeteren van de fysieke en mentale gesteldheid van de danser. Het consortium bestaat uit de volgende organisaties: - Praktijkgerichte onderzoeksinstellingen: Codarts Rotterdam en Hogeschool van Amsterdam; - Universiteiten: ErasmusMC, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven en Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam; - Praktijkinstellingen: Het Nationale Ballet en het Scapino Ballet; - Overige instellingen: het Nederlands Paramedisch Instituut (NPi) en het Nationale Centrum Performing Arts (NCPA). Bij de samenstelling van het consortium is gekozen voor een goede mix tussen praktijkorganisaties, onderzoeksinstituten en onderwijsinstellingen. Daarnaast is er sprake van cross-sectorale samenwerking doordat kennis vanuit de podiumkunsten, sport, gezondheidszorg, onderwijs en technologie met elkaar verbonden wordt.
