The study's purpose was to evaluate clinical manifestations of th... more The study's purpose was to evaluate clinical manifestations of the female athlete triad among some elite Iranian athletes. This cross-sectional study was conducted in three phases: 1) screening for menstrual irregularity (oligomenorrhea/amenorrhea) and/or stress fracture and weight-reducing drugs, 2) measurement of bone mineral density by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and 3) a clinical interview to diagnose eating disorders. Phases 2 and 3 were conducted in athletes who reported menstrual irregularity and/or stress fracture and weight-reducing drugs. We evaluated a total of 786 athletes (94%) with a mean age of 21.1 ± 4.5 yr old. Seventy-two (9.2%) athletes reported menstrual irregularity, 11 (1.4%) of whom had polycystic ovary syndrome. Only three athletes (0.4%) had all three common clinical manifestations of the Triad (eating disorders, menstrual irregularity, and low bone mineral density). There was no association between these disorders and body mass index or type of sport. A total of 17 (2%) reported stress fracture, 14 of whom also reported a history of stress fracture without any menstrual irregularity. The athletes who competed in high-risk sports (endurance sports, weight class sports, and sports requiring a lean build) had significantly more stress fractures than those participating in other types (odds ratio = 3.35, 95% confidence interval = 1.22-9.15). Although the prevalences of clinical functional hypothalamic menstrual disorders and stress fracture were less than those reported in some other countries, athletes in the high-risk group had significantly more stress fractures than those in the low-risk group. Future studies should focus on screening, diagnosing, preventing, and treating all components of the newly defined Triad, especially in high-risk sports in Iran.
Resistance training is usually postponed until 3 months after rotator cuff surgery to prevent the... more Resistance training is usually postponed until 3 months after rotator cuff surgery to prevent the damaging effects of high muscle stress on the repaired tendon. After upper limb immobilization, noninjured muscles as well as the repaired muscles are affected by long-term inactivity. Exercises with minimal cuff activity may be appropriate in the early postoperative period, so we aimed to quantify the effect of resistance exercises on the muscle activity of a semi-immobilized upper limb. Fifteen shoulder muscles of the dominant limb of 14 healthy subjects were evaluated by electromyography, with 11 surface electrodes and 4 fine-wire electrodes in the rotator cuff muscles. While wearing an orthosis, the subjects completed resistance tests including elbow and wrist flexion/extension with 3 loads, maximal squeezing, and shoulder adduction against 3 different foams. The peak activity of each muscle was normalized to maximal voluntary contraction (% MVC). Shoulder muscles were activated less than 20% MVC during elbow and wrist flexion/extension with 2-lb (907-g) and 4-lb (1814-g) loads. In the maximal squeezing test, rotator cuff activity exceeded 20% MVC in some cases. During shoulder adduction tests, subscapularis, latissimus dorsi, triceps, and pectoralis major had the highest activation levels; supraspinatus and infraspinatus were minimally activated. Supported elbow and wrist flexion/extension in the horizontal plane, with weights of up to 4 lb (1814 g), minimally activates the rotator cuff muscles while potentially preventing muscle disuse of other upper limb musculature. Resisted shoulder adduction cannot be considered safe for all rotator cuff injuries. Basic science study, electromyography
The study's purpose was to evaluate clinical manifestations of th... more The study's purpose was to evaluate clinical manifestations of the female athlete triad among some elite Iranian athletes. This cross-sectional study was conducted in three phases: 1) screening for menstrual irregularity (oligomenorrhea/amenorrhea) and/or stress fracture and weight-reducing drugs, 2) measurement of bone mineral density by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and 3) a clinical interview to diagnose eating disorders. Phases 2 and 3 were conducted in athletes who reported menstrual irregularity and/or stress fracture and weight-reducing drugs. We evaluated a total of 786 athletes (94%) with a mean age of 21.1 ± 4.5 yr old. Seventy-two (9.2%) athletes reported menstrual irregularity, 11 (1.4%) of whom had polycystic ovary syndrome. Only three athletes (0.4%) had all three common clinical manifestations of the Triad (eating disorders, menstrual irregularity, and low bone mineral density). There was no association between these disorders and body mass index or type of sport. A total of 17 (2%) reported stress fracture, 14 of whom also reported a history of stress fracture without any menstrual irregularity. The athletes who competed in high-risk sports (endurance sports, weight class sports, and sports requiring a lean build) had significantly more stress fractures than those participating in other types (odds ratio = 3.35, 95% confidence interval = 1.22-9.15). Although the prevalences of clinical functional hypothalamic menstrual disorders and stress fracture were less than those reported in some other countries, athletes in the high-risk group had significantly more stress fractures than those in the low-risk group. Future studies should focus on screening, diagnosing, preventing, and treating all components of the newly defined Triad, especially in high-risk sports in Iran.
Resistance training is usually postponed until 3 months after rotator cuff surgery to prevent the... more Resistance training is usually postponed until 3 months after rotator cuff surgery to prevent the damaging effects of high muscle stress on the repaired tendon. After upper limb immobilization, noninjured muscles as well as the repaired muscles are affected by long-term inactivity. Exercises with minimal cuff activity may be appropriate in the early postoperative period, so we aimed to quantify the effect of resistance exercises on the muscle activity of a semi-immobilized upper limb. Fifteen shoulder muscles of the dominant limb of 14 healthy subjects were evaluated by electromyography, with 11 surface electrodes and 4 fine-wire electrodes in the rotator cuff muscles. While wearing an orthosis, the subjects completed resistance tests including elbow and wrist flexion/extension with 3 loads, maximal squeezing, and shoulder adduction against 3 different foams. The peak activity of each muscle was normalized to maximal voluntary contraction (% MVC). Shoulder muscles were activated less than 20% MVC during elbow and wrist flexion/extension with 2-lb (907-g) and 4-lb (1814-g) loads. In the maximal squeezing test, rotator cuff activity exceeded 20% MVC in some cases. During shoulder adduction tests, subscapularis, latissimus dorsi, triceps, and pectoralis major had the highest activation levels; supraspinatus and infraspinatus were minimally activated. Supported elbow and wrist flexion/extension in the horizontal plane, with weights of up to 4 lb (1814 g), minimally activates the rotator cuff muscles while potentially preventing muscle disuse of other upper limb musculature. Resisted shoulder adduction cannot be considered safe for all rotator cuff injuries. Basic science study, electromyography
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