Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Sports Medicine / Fitness News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/sports_medicine/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171640.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171640.php Sports nutrition continues to be a hot topic both in Congress and the news. Because the physical stress from intense exercise increases an athlete's nutrient needs and depletes electrolytes, vitamins and other supplements play a vital role for athletes. However, legal dietary supplements, which are used by more than 150 million Americans, should not be confused with illegal anabolic steroids. Sports Medicine / Fitness Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171565.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171565.php Researchers from the German Sport University Cologne in Germany found that non-steroidal and tissue-selective anabolic agents such as Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) are being sold on the black market for their performance enhancing qualities. The availability of authentic SARMs was recently demonstrated for the first time by the detection of the drug candidate Andarine in a product sold via the Internet. Sports Medicine / Fitness Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171489.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171489.php New research has revealed that an alarming number of British people are not following official advice to reduce their salt consumption and take regular exercise in order to reduce their risk of suffering from serious health conditions such as stroke. Stroke Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171400.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171400.php The artificial lower limbs of double-amputee Olympic hopeful Oscar Pistorius give him a clear and major advantage over his competition, taking 10 seconds or more off what his 400-meter race time would be if his prosthesis behaved like intact limbs. That's the conclusion - released to the public for the first time - of human performance experts Peter Weyand of Southern Methodist University in Dallas and Matthew Bundle of the University of Wyoming. Sports Medicine / Fitness Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171377.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171377.php Movea, the global leader in technology, patents, and products for motion-sensing applications, unveiled its SmartMotion™ Development Kit (SMDK) at MEDICA 2009. The SMDK allows application developers, OEMs, and healthcare researchers to effortlessly add motion-sensing capabilities to their products or R&D projects. The best-in-class solution applies Movea's patented sensor fusion technology to deliver highly accurate measurement of human body orientation and precisely quantified motion. Sports Medicine / Fitness Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171308.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171308.php Strength training exercises using dumbbells can reduce pain and improve function in the trapezius muscle, the large muscle which extends from the back of the head, down the neck and into the upper back. The exercises also improve the muscle's ability to respond quickly and forcefully among women suffering trapezius myalgia, a tenderness and tightness in the upper trapezius muscle. Pain / Anesthetics Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171209.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171209.php Healthy, older adults free of heart disease need not fear that bouts of rapid, irregular heartbeats brought on by vigorous exercise might increase short- or long-term risk of dying or having a heart attack, according to a report by heart experts at Johns Hopkins and the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA). Cardiovascular / Cardiology Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171132.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171132.php To best detect early signs of life-threatening heart defects in young athletes, screening programs should include both popular diagnostic tests, not just one of them, according to new research from heart experts at Johns Hopkins. Sudden cardiac death due to heart rhythm disturbances is blamed for more than 3,000 deaths a year in young people, especially athletes who have inherited tendencies to develop overly enlarged and thickened hearts, says Theodore Abraham, M.D. Cardiovascular / Cardiology Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171017.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171017.php NFL players and other athletes who suffer serious or multiple concussions may benefit from ground-breaking research being conducted by scientists at Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center. The scientists are developing a surgical technique that involves hypothermia in specific regions of the brain. Therapeutic hypothermia is a medical treatment that lowers a patient's temperature in order to help reduce the risk of injury to tissue. Neurology / Neuroscience Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170966.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170966.php Whether rallying the crowd at a sporting event or participating in competition, cheerleading can be both fun and physically demanding. Although integral to cheerleading routines, performing stunts can lead to injury. Stunt-related injuries accounted for more than half (60 percent) of U.S. Sports Medicine / Fitness Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170972.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170972.php Physical exercise is one of the most effective methods of preventing disease. The current issue of Deutsches Arzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2009; 106[40]: 713 - 27) is devoted to this important topic. The first article, by Carl D. Reimers and coauthors, deals with the remarkable potential of physical exercise to prevent stroke. In men, exercise lowers the risk of cerebral hemorrhage by 40%, and that of cerebral infarction by 27%. Sports Medicine / Fitness Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170923.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170923.php Based on evidence people work harder with a partner than when working alone, a team of Michigan State University researchers are pairing college-age students with a virtual workout partner to study the impact on exercise trends. Deborah Feltz, chairperson of MSU's Department of Kinesiology, is leading a team that will use the Eye Toy camera and PlayStation 2 to measure what characteristics in a virtual partner motivate people to exercise harder, longer or more frequently. Sports Medicine / Fitness Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170918.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170918.php Contrary to more conservative customs, exercising up to the end of pregnancy has no harmful effect on the weight or size of the foetus. This is what has been indicated in a study carried out by researchers of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Polytechnic University of Madrid), which also shows the positive relationship between the weight of sedentary mothers before pregnancy and the body size of their babies. The conclusions appear in the International Journal of Obesity. Pregnancy / Obstetrics Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170789.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170789.php Injured athletes who have their own enriched plasma injected into their bodies are healing faster and spending less time on the bench or on the disabled list. Platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections involve taking some of the patient's blood and putting it into a centrifuge that spins at high speed and separates and concentrates the platelets. The platelets contain the proteins and other particles involved in the self-healing process. Sports Medicine / Fitness Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170756.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170756.php College athletes who use performance-enhancing substances may be at heightened risk of misusing alcohol and using recreational drugs as well, according to new research in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. The study, of 234 male athletes at one university, found that those who used performance enhancers -- ranging from steroids to stimulants to weight-loss supplements -- were more likely to admit to heavy drinking and using drugs like marijuana and cocaine. Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170536.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170536.php New research published today on bmj.com reports that older people who walk slowly are three times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than those who walk faster. The authors say these findings underline the essential role of fitness in preserving life and function in older age. Earlier studies have revealed that low walking speed can predict adverse health related events, including death. Cardiovascular / Cardiology Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170447.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170447.php Researchers from Australia and the UK are calling for a new approach to the debate over whether alcohol industry sponsorship of sports increases drinking among sports participants. They want to shift the burden of proof to the alcohol industry. Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170356.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170356.php Researchers in India who compared the heart rate variability of men who practised yoga regularly and men who did not, concluded that practising yoga was associated with a healthier heart because the heart rate variability of the yoga practitioners showed evidence of stronger control by the parasympathetic (vagal) nervous system. Cardiovascular / Cardiology Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170308.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170308.php The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and D.I.S.C. Sports and Spine Center today officially announced a strategic partnership in which D.I.S.C. will become an Official Medical Services Provider through the 2012 Olympic Games. With this agreement D.I.S.C. will collaborate with the USOC sports medicine team to develop and implement a comprehensive sports medicine program with unmatched continuity of care to meet the medical needs of America's greatest athletes. Sports Medicine / Fitness Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170266.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170266.php Gifted young athletes are under increasing pressure to play only one sport year round. But a new Loyola University Health System study of 519 junior tennis players has found that such specialization increases the risk of injury. Researchers who analyzed 3,366 matches in United States Tennis Association junior competition found that players who specialized in only tennis were more likely to withdraw from tournaments for medical reasons, typically injuries. Sports Medicine / Fitness Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170066.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170066.php A lasting trend is developing in health and fitness, according to an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) survey published in the November/December issue of ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal®. The importance of experienced and educated fitness professionals remains the top predicted fitness trend for the third straight year. Sports Medicine / Fitness Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169973.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169973.php A study by six researchers, including a University of Colorado at Boulder associate professor and his former doctoral student, shows that amputees who use running-specific prosthetic legs have no performance advantage over counterparts who use their biological legs. A debate on the matter was spurred when Oscar Pistorius, a bilateral amputee, was barred from the 400-meter dash at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, and other able-body races. Sports Medicine / Fitness Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169752.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169752.php In addition to building muscle, weightlifting is also a prescription for self-esteem among breast cancer survivors, according to new University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine research. Breast cancer survivors who lift weights regularly feel better about bodies and their appearance and are more satisfied with their intimate relationships compared with survivors who do not lift weights, according to a new study published in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. Breast Cancer Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169590.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169590.php Obesity isn't the only negative side effect of excessive television watching. A new study from the American College of Sports Medicine suggests that young adults who tune in to two hours or more of TV per day have poor muscular fitness. Researchers Niko Paalanne and Tuija Tammelin of Finland studied more than 870 Finnish young men and women around 19 years of age. Subjects' muscular fitness was measured using trunk rotation, trunk flexion, press strength and jumping height. Sports Medicine / Fitness Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169557.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169557.php Golfers who undergo treatment for sleep apnea may improve their golf game as well as their overall health, shows new research. A new study presented at CHEST 2009, the 75th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), found that golfers with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who received nasal positive airway pressure (NPAP) for their disorder improved their daytime sleepiness scores and lowered their golf handicap by as much as three strokes. Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia