No abstract

ObjectivesTo determine the inter-rater repeatability of a musculoskeletal examination and to compare findings between adolescent athletes and non-athletes in Finland.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, a musculoskeletal examination assessing posture, mobility and movement control was carried out by a sports and exercise medicine physician on 399 athletes aged 14–17 years and 177 non-athletes. Within 2 weeks another sports and exercise medicine physician repeated the examination for 41 adolescents to test the inter-rater repeatability.ResultsIn total, 10 of the 11 tests performed had at least moderate inter-rater reliability (κ ≥0.4 or percentage agreement >80%). Athletes more often than non-athletes had one shoulder protruded (8.0% vs 4.0%, OR 2.81, 95% CI 1.16 to 6.81). Forty-six per cent of athletes had good knee control in the two-legged vertical drop jump test compared with 32% of non-athletes (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.29 to 3.06). Athletes had better core muscle control with 86.3% being able to remain in the correct plank position for 30 s compared with 68.6% of non-athletes (OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.67 to 4.36). In the deep squat test, good lumbar spine control was maintained only by 35.8% of athletes and 38.4% of non-athletes.ConclusionA basic musculoskeletal examination is sufficiently reliable to be performed by trained physicians as a part of a periodic health evaluation. Shortfalls in mobility, posture and movement control are common in both athletes and non-athletes. These deficits could have been caused by sedentary behaviour, monotonous training, or both.

Context: There is plenty of information on electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood pressure (BP) changes in senior athletes. However, a corresponding data in adolescent athletes are scarce. Objective: To study the differences in resting ECG and BP between adolescent endurance athletes, non-endurance athletes, and non-athletes. Design: Cross-Sectional Study Setting: A total of 154 youth sports clubs from COUNTRY-XXX and 100 secondary schools for comparison data. Patients or Other Participants: We recruited young athletes (n=410) aged 14–16 among 10 popular sport disciplines, including both winter and summer as well as team and individual sports, and categorized them as “endurance sports” or “non-endurance sports”. Comparison data composed of age-matched non-sports club participants (n=164) collected via secondary schools. Main Outcome Measure(s): Resting ECG including heart rate, PR interval, QRS duration, QRS axis, QRS amplitude, T axis and QT interval as well as systolic and diastolic blood pressure from all participants. Results: No differences in any ECG variable of interest was found between the endurance and non-endurance athletes. The PR interval was longer in endurance athletes than in non-athletes (P = .05). The QRS amplitude (P = .03) was higher among non-endurance athletes than in non-athletes. Diastolic BP among endurance (P = .002) and non-endurance (P = .02) athletes was lower than non-athletes. Endurance athletes (OR 2.85, 95% CI 1.81–4.50) and non-endurance athletes (OR 2.19, 95% CI 1.43–3.35) were more likely to have sinus bradycardia than non-athletes. Non-endurance athletes were more likely to have elevated systolic BP than endurance athletes (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.07–2.72) and non-athletes (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.04–2.87). Conclusions: Young athletes mainly have similar ECG and BP findings independent of the sport. Particular physiological adaptations like sinus bradycardia, higher QRS amplitude and lower diastolic BP, commonly found in adult athletes, are visible also among adolescent athletes.

BackgroundPhysical activity in adolescence is promoted for its multi-dimensional health benefits. However, too intensive sports participation is associated with an increased injury risk. Our aim was to compare the occurrence of acute and overuse injuries in Finnish sports club members and non-members and to report training and competing habits associated with a higher injury risk in sports club members.MethodsIn this cross-sectional survey targeted at 14–16-year-old adolescents, a structured questionnaire was completed by 1077 sports club members and 812 non-members. The main outcome measures were self-reported acute and overuse injuries, their location and type.ResultsAt least one acute injury in the past year was reported by 44.0% of sports club members and 19.8% of non-members (P < 0.001). The sex-adjusted odds ratio (OR) for acute injury in sports club members compared to non-members was 3.13 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.54–3.87). Thirty-five percent of sports club members and 17.4% of non-members (P < 0.001) reported at least one overuse injury during the past year. The overuse injury OR for sports club members was 2.61 (95% CI 2.09–3.26). Sports club members who trained 7–14 h per week during training (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.21–2.12, P = 0.001) or competition season (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.18–2.06, P = 0.002) were more likely to report an injury compared to members who trained 3–6 h per week. Those sports club members who participated in forty competitions or more compared to 7–19 competitions per year were more likely to report an acute injury (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.05–2.08, P = 0.028) or an overuse injury (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.02–2.30, P = 0.038).ConclusionsBoth acute and overuse injuries are common among youth sports club members, and the number increases along with increasing amounts of training and competitions. More effective injury prevention is needed both for adolescents engaging in sports club activities and for other adolescents.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12891-019-2417-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The purpose of this descriptive cross-sectional study is to describe the amount and intensity of physical activity (PA) measured by accelerometry among adolescents participating in organized sports (SCP) and age-matched non-participating peers (NP). SCPs (332) and NPs (139) wore an accelerometer on the hip for seven days. PA was reported using the 1-min exponential moving average. The current moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) recommendation of at least an average of 60 min of MVPA daily was reached by 85% of SCPs and 45% of NPs (p < .001).During training days, the MVPA times among SCPs ranged from 153 ± 39 min in males and 109 ± 35 min in females participating in basketball to 113 ± 33 min in males participating in floorball and 83 ± 32 min in females participating in gymnastics. Sports participation contributes rather strongly to the accumulation of the recommended amount of MVPA. During training days, SCPs, except for females participating in gymnastics, accumulated more MVPA than NPs. During non-training days, only males participating in cross-country skiing and females participating in track and field accumulated more MVPA than NPs. HIGHLIGHTS. PA of Finnish adolescents participating in nine different organized sports and age-matched non-participating peers was measured by accelerometry for one week and the results are reported using the 1-min exponential moving average. . Adolescents participating in many organized sports accumulated more PA than nonparticipants; this was observed in meeting the PA recommendations, total amount of PA at different intensities, and step count. . The current PA recommendation of at least an average of 60 min of MVPA per day was reached by 85% of SCPs and 45% of non-participating peers. Vigorous physical activity at least three times per week was incorporated by 96% of SCPs and 81% of NPs. . During training days, males participating in soccer, basketball, and cross-country skiing spent more time in MVPA than females participating in the same sports. During non-training days, the time spent in MVPA was similar between males and females participating in sports clubs.