Right Knee—The Weakest Point of the Best Ultramarathon Runners of the World? A Case Study

Gajda, Robert; Walasek, Paweł; Jarmuszewski, Maciej

doi:10.3390/ijerph17165955

Cited by 12 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Pain in the right knee was experienced only after 12 h of running (approximately 130 km). The overload changes he experienced and which he struggled with while running are described in a separate article [ 18 ]. The increasing pain did not make him stop running, although it must have had an impact on the final result.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The increasing pain did not make him stop running, although it must have had an impact on the final result. Despite this, our subject finished the race with a victory [ 18 ]. Management of sleep deprivation seems to be central in long to very long UMs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For the first time at the finish line, our subject experienced pain in the right knee starting after approximately 12 h of running (approximately 130 km) and intensified up to the end, thus affecting his performance. Magnetic resonance imaging on the right knee one day after the run showed a general overload and degenerative as well as specific features associated with “turning to the right” on the run loop (separate article) [ 18 ]. These competitions comprised the official Polish championships of the 24-h UM.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In our previous papers, we analyzed several factors related to physiological and biochemical adaptation to extreme endurance exercise in order to demonstrate that organism of elite, endurance-trained athletes is able to adapt to strenuous long-lasting run (marathon, UM, triathlon) or swimming [ 15 , 16 ]. In some of our previous publications, we used the unique occasion to analyze various aspects of adaptation to 24-h UM in an elite runner, a previous winner of several prestigious international UM during the National Championship in 24-h run [ 17 , 18 ]. The aim of the present study was to analyze several key factors responsible for champion achievements in a 24-h UM race in the same very successful athlete.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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To Be a Champion of the 24-h Ultramarathon Race. If Not the Heart ... Mosaic Theory?

Gajda¹,

Samełko

Czuba

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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This comprehensive case analysis aimed to identify the features enabling a runner to achieve championship in 24-h ultramarathon (UM) races. A 36-year-old, multiple medalist of the World Championships in 24-h running, was assessed before, one and 10 days after a 24-h run. Results of his extensive laboratory and cardiological diagnostics with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and a one-time cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) were analyzed. After 12 h of running (approximately 130 km), the athlete experienced an increasing pain in the right knee. His baseline clinical data were within the normal range. High physical efficiency in CPET (VO2max 63 mL/kg/min) was similar to the average achieved by other ultramarathoners who had significantly worse results. Thus, we also performed genetic tests and assessed his psychological profile, body composition, and markers of physical and mental stress (serotonin, cortisol, epinephrine, prolactin, testosterone, and luteinizing hormone). The athlete had a mtDNA haplogroup H (HV0a1 subgroup, belonging to the HV cluster), characteristic of athletes with the highest endurance. Psychological studies have shown high and very high intensity of the properties of individual scales of the tools used mental resilience (62–100% depending on the scale), openness to experience (10th sten), coherence (10th sten), positive perfectionism (100%) and overall hope for success score (10th sten). The athlete himself considers the commitment and mental support of his team to be a significant factor of his success. Body composition assessment (%fat 13.9) and the level of stress markers were unremarkable. The tested athlete showed a number of features of the champions of ultramarathon runs, such as: inborn predispositions, mental traits, level of training, and resistance to pain. However, none of these features are reserved exclusively for “champions”. Team support’s participation cannot be underestimated. The factors that guarantee the success of this elite 24-h UM runner go far beyond physiological and psychological explanations. Further studies are needed to identify individual elements of the putative “mosaic theory of being a champion”.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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To Be a Champion of the 24-h Ultramarathon Race. If Not the Heart ... Mosaic Theory?

Gajda¹,

Samełko

Czuba

et al. 2021

IJERPH

Self Cite

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“…OHRMs usually also have a longer battery life which, in 24-or 48-hour ultramarathons, is of great importance [22]. It is important to note that there are still outstanding endurance runners who, for mental reasons, do not use an HRM during competition [23,24].…”

Section: Strap Hrms or Optical Hrm?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Heart rate monitors used by athletes — from gadget to medical equipment. A decade of own observations

Gajda¹,

Gajda²,

Czuba

et al. 2021

Medical Research Journal

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Introduction: For many years, many athletes have reported to the Centre for Sports Cardiology in Pułtusk that during endurance training, mainly running and cycling, they found unexpected increases in heart rate (HR) values observed on sports heart rate monitors (HRMs), in the vast majority of cases without the accompanying clinical symptoms. The authors have attempted to answer the question of whether the "arrhythmia" observed on HRMs is a rhythm disturbance or a mere technical artefact. The aim of the study: This article aimed to summarize the authors' observations in the field of the usefulness of HRMs for the assessment of cardiac arrhythmias in the situation of introducing new technological solutions in the modernized and enriched ones with new functions HRMs. Material and methods: Over ten years, numerous studies have been carried out and the world literature has been also analysed many times, finally describing the authors' study results and observations in numerous types of English-language articles published between 2017 and 2021. In this review article, the authors focused only on their publications from the Centre for Sports Cardiology in Pułtusk on the issues of heart rhythm disturbances observed on HRMs by endurance athletes, and on publications in which researchers from CKS participated and the articles themselves were related with the use of HRMs. Only a few references have been cited from other sources. Conclusions: The HRMs used in the past years were not significant for the treatment of asymptomatic exercise-stimulated arrhythmias. These HRMs, however, in a symptomatic arrhythmia situation, became an effective diagnostic tool confirming its occurrence. The analysis of cases and literature shows that modern sports heart rate monitors used by athletes of endurance disciplines (especially with the possibility of ECG recording) are becoming a useful, important and more and more effective diagnostic tool in the detection and final diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmias stimulated by exercise, both symptomatic and asymptomatic athletes and can significantly contribute to the increase of safety during training. It can be assumed that future HRMs will have comparable diagnostic value in detecting cardiac arrhythmias as the Holter ECG, surpassing them with the possibility of constant data transmission, ease of use and affordable price.

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Sports Heart Monitors as Reliable Diagnostic Tools for Training Control and Detecting Arrhythmias in Professional and Leisure-Time Endurance Athletes: An Expert Consensus Statement

Gajda,

Czuba

et al. 2023

Sports Med

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There are countless types of portable heart rate monitoring medical devices used variously by leisure-time exercisers, professional athletes, and chronically ill patients. Almost all the currently used heart rate monitors are capable of detecting arrhythmias, but this feature is not widely known or used among their millions of consumers. The aims of this paper were as follows: (1) to analyze the currently available sports heart rate monitors and assess their advantages and disadvantage in terms of heart rate and rhythm monitoring in endurance athletes; (2) to discuss what types of currently available commercial heart rate monitors are most convenient/adjustable to the needs of different consumers (including occasionally physically active adults and cardiac patients), bearing in mind the potential health risks, especially heart rhythm disturbances connected with endurance training; (3) to suggest a set of “optimal” design features for next-generation smart wearable devices based on the consensus opinion of an expert panel of athletes, coaches, and sports medicine doctors. Ninety-two experts aged 20 years and over, involved in endurance sports on a daily basis, were invited to participate in consensus-building discussions, including 56 long-distance runners, 18 cyclists, nine coaches, and nine physicians (sports medicine specialists, cardiologists, and family medicine doctors). The overall consensus endorsed by these experts indicates that the “optimal” sports heart rate monitor should be a one-piece device of the smartwatch type (with two or more electrodes), with integrated smartphone features, and able to collect and continually transmit data without exhibiting artifacts. It should continuously record at least a single-lead electrocardiography, send an alert after an unexpected fall, be of reasonable weight, come at an affordable price, and be user friendly.

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Right Knee—The Weakest Point of the Best Ultramarathon Runners of the World? A Case Study

Cited by 12 publications

References 14 publications

To Be a Champion of the 24-h Ultramarathon Race. If Not the Heart ... Mosaic Theory?

To Be a Champion of the 24-h Ultramarathon Race. If Not the Heart ... Mosaic Theory?

Heart rate monitors used by athletes — from gadget to medical equipment. A decade of own observations

Sports Heart Monitors as Reliable Diagnostic Tools for Training Control and Detecting Arrhythmias in Professional and Leisure-Time Endurance Athletes: An Expert Consensus Statement

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