Sports Science
The National Football League is facing lawsuits by 4,000 former players who allege the organizations failed to protect them from the long-term consequences of concussions.
A psychologist that consulted with the Montreal Canadiens hockey team and treated players with concussions for 15 years undertook research into the effects of concussions on children and young athletes as well as older athletes.
To study the effects of concussions,
Dr. Maryse Lassonde, a neuropsychologist and the scientific director of the Quebec Nature and Technologies Granting Agency
had athletes perform specific…
It’s
curious, all the press attention lavished on this recent article1 in Jour.
Evolutionary Biology.
Noting
the differing proportions of human hands versus those of other primates,
Michael Morgan and David Carrier of the University of Utah concluded human
hands are better suited for making fists. They wondered whether this confers an
evolutionary advantage.
They
had experimental subjects with experience in martial arts punch a workout bag.
Stress gauges measured the force transmitted through the subjects’ fists. The
authors reported:
...the proportions of the human hand provide a…
Dance is a beautiful form of expression, but it can be physically taxing and strenuous on the human body, particularly for children and adolescents.
According to a new analysis, between 1991 and 2007 the annual number of dance-related injuries increased 37 percent, from 6,175 to 8,477 injuries. Sprains and/or strains were the most common types of dance-related injuries at 52 percent, with falls (45 percent) being the most common causes of injuries.
The paper by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital examined…
Two new studies look for ways to improve surgical treatment for a debilitating condition called neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome, which is caused by compressed nerves in the neck and shoulder and causes pain, numbness or tingling in the shoulder, arm or hand.
It is most common in baseball pitchers and other elite athletes. Patients often describe pain and tension in the neck and upper back, numbness and tingling in the fingers, headaches and perceived muscle weakness in the affected limb.
Treatment begins with physical therapy and sometimes medications such as anti-inflammatory…
People lose muscle mass, and find it harder to maintain, as they age, and so researchers have ben investigating ways to delay or counteract age-related muscle loss.
A study conducted by the Exercise Metabolism Research Group at McMaster University suggests that current guidelines for meat consumption are based on the protein needed to prevent deficiency without consideration for preservation of muscle mass, particularly for older individuals who are looking to maintain their muscle as they age.
Thirty-five middle-aged men (~59 years old) participated in a study that found that eating a…
You may not ever carve out time to go to the gym but a new review by social psychologists suggests the health benefits of small amounts of activity in two-minute increments that add up to 30 minutes per day can be just as beneficial as longer bouts of physical exercise achieved by a trip to the gym.
Even cutting your own vegetables rather than buying them pre-cut counts.
The analysis of over 6,000 American adults found that an active lifestyle approach seemed to be as beneficial as structured exercise in improving health outcomes, including preventing metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure,…
Hank |
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is going to take the field in two hours and it won't just be a vindication of the decision by coach Jim Harbaugh to replace Alex Smith and his 13-3 run with a passer rating over 100 - Harbaugh can't lose in the eyes of the public even if the team does - it will be a vindication of science.
Scouting is tricky business, supposedly due to 'intangibles' scouts can only detect holding stopwatches and making athletes do meaningless exercises. You don't get this in the film version of "Moneyball", it is just another story about the Underdog who…
Researchers have created a device which potentially can see one molecule though a simple optical system and can analyze its components within minutes. It uses plasmonics, the study of vibrations of electrons in different materials, and could allow for rapid and more accurate drug testing for professional athletes because it could detect the presence of even trace amounts of a substance.
It could also be used at airports or other high-security locations to prevent would-be terrorists from concealing explosives or traffickers from smuggling drugs.
Graphene has been touted since 2004 for…
Female athletes are three times more likely than men to suffer anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures, one of the most common knee injuries. Studies have found that pre-season and ongoing neuromuscular training programs aimed specifically at improving knee stability when jumping, landing or pivoting can significantly decrease ACL injury risk among girls and women.
The anatomical differences between the male and female knee may contribute to higher injury rates, and should be taken into consideration during reconstructive surgery and sports training, according to a review…
A new study, believed to the largest randomized trial to directly compare changes in body composition induced by comparable amounts of time, has found that aerobic training is better than resistance training for weight- and fat loss.
They measured time spent doing aerobic and resistant training, or both in combination, among previously inactive overweight or obese non-diabetic adults.
Methodology
A total of 234 previously sedentary overweight or obese males and females, age 18-70 years of age, were enrolled in one of three eight-month supervised protocols: aerobic training (…