The relation of leg preference and muscular strength in elite fencers was examined. The dominant and nondominant extensor and flexor muscles of 30 elite fencers ( M age = 18.2 yr., SD = 2.0 yr.; M height = 173 cm, SD = 7.4 cm; M weight = 62.7 kg, SD = 8.9 kg), who were members of the Greek national team, and 14 healthy, young, sedentary adults (8 men, 6 women; M age 23.4 yr., SD = 1.9; M height = 169 cm, SD = 10.5 cm; M weight = 66.3 kg, SD = 9.9) were tested for concentric isokinetic contraction at slow (30 to 60°/sec.) and fast (240°/sec.) angular velocities. Significant multivariate differences were found between groups for knee extension, angle of knee extension, knee flexion, and flexor/extensor peak torque ratio. In contrast, no significant difference was found between the dominant and nondominant legs. There was no significant difference in the flexor/extensor peak torque ratio among any of the concentric angular velocities tested. These findings suggest that long-term training in fencing influences the strength characteristics of the lower limbs.

The purpose of this study was to investigate psychometric properties of the Greek translation of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (GR-PSQI) in a Greek chronic non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP) sample, thus, providing insight on its clarity and acceptability as a widely used sleep assessment tool in clinical practice. Asymptomatic volunteers (n = 73) and CNSLBP volunteers (n = 47), participated in the study. For the assessment of construct validity, the known-groups method was used. Thus, all the participants (asymptomatic and CNSLBP) completed the GR-PSQI. For the assessment of concurrent validity, the CNSLBP participants additionally completed the following validated questionnaires for depression, insomnia and sleep quality: Beck Depression Inventory Questionnaire (BDI), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and Sleep Quality Numeric Rating Scale (SQNRS). For the assessment of test–retest reliability, the CNSLBP participants completed the GR-PSQI a second time, one week after the first time. The results showed excellent test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.969, SEM = 0.90, SDD = 2.49%) and internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.985), moderate to good concurrent validity (from r = 0.556 to r = 0.860) among PSQI, BDI, SQNRS, and ISI, as well as excellent construct validity (p = 0.000) between the two groups. The Greek translation of PSQI could be a valuable tool for Greek healthcare professionals in both clinical and research environments.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the mean peak moment (MPM) of knee flexors and extensors could predict performance in a group of healthy individuals. Eighty-four healthy individuals-32 men and 52 women (mean age, 22.1 ± 3 years; range, 18-35 years)-participated in this study. Isokinetic unilateral concentric knee flexor and extensor MPM was assessed isokinetically at angular velocities of 60°/s and 180°/s. Functional performance was assessed using the single hop of distance (SHD). Positive moderate to good statistically significant correlations (r = .636 to r = .673) were found between knee flexor and extensor MPM at 60°/s and 180°/s for the SHD test. Knee flexor and extensor MPMs are strong predictors for the SHD test at 60°/s and 180°/s (R² = .40 to R² = .45). Knee flexor and extensor strength was substantially correlated with SHD.

Pain drawings (PDs) are an important component of the assessment of a patient with pain. Although analog pain drawings (APDs), such as pen-on-paper drawings, have been extensively used in clinical assessment and clinical research, there is a lack of digital pain drawing (DPD) software that would be able to quantify and analyze the digital pain distribution obtained by the patients. The aim of this work is to describe a method that can quantify the extent and location of pain through novel custom-built software able to analyze data from the digital pain drawings obtained from the patients. The application analysis and software specifications were based on the information gathered from the literature, and the programmers created the custom-built software according to the published needs of the pain scientific community. We developed a custom-built software named “Pain Distribution,” which, among others, automatically calculates the number of the pixels the patient has chosen and therefore quantifies the pain extent, provides the frequency distribution from a group of images, and has the option to select the threshold over which the patient is considered with central sensitization (CS). Additionally, it delivers results and statistics for both every image and the frequency distribution, providing mean values, standard deviations, and CS indicators, as well as the ability to export them in *.txt file format for further analysis. A novel Pain Distribution application was developed, freely available for use in any setting, clinical, research, or academic.

Background: Football has a high injury risk due to speed and contact, and injury patterns may vary by playing position. Positional roles affect physical and physiological demands and may influence injury characteristics. Although this has been examined in professionals, data from amateur players are scarce. This study examined the incidence, type, and severity of injuries among amateur footballers in Greece with respect to playing position. Methods: A retrospective epidemiological study analyzed musculoskeletal injuries in 222 amateur male football players during the 2022–2023 season. Data were collected via a CHERRIES-compliant online survey (SurveyMonkey^®) from May to July 2023. Eligible participants were active male athletes aged ≥18 years competing in amateur Greek leagues. Injuries were defined according to the FIFA–UEFA consensus and expressed as incidence rates per 1000 h of exposure. Statistical analyses used SPSS v25 with significance at p < 0.05. Results: Among players (mean age: 25.3 ± 5.7 years), injury prevalence ranged from 65.1% (DFs) to 79.3% (GKs) with no significant association between playing position and injury risk (p = 0.379). Injury incidence ranged from 4.5 to 5.7 per 1000 h, highest among MFs. Incidence rates ranged between 1.33 and 2.74 injuries/1000 h in matches versus 1.33 to 2.09/1000 h in training, with DFs, FWs, and MFs more prone to match injuries, whereas GKs had slightly higher training rates; however, the number of injuries did not significantly differ between games and training across positions (χ² = 5.21, p = 0.517). Muscle strains and lower-limb injuries predominated. Injury severity differed significantly by position (p = 0.001), but injury type and mechanism did not. Conclusions: GKs and MFs showed the highest prevalence and incidence, but position was not linked to overall risk. Severity differences highlight the need for position-specific prevention strategies.

CrossFit (CF) is a popular and rapidly expanding training program in Greece and worldwide. However, there is a lack of scientific evidence on the risk of musculoskeletal injuries related to CF in the Greek population. A self-administered survey of 1224 Greek CF practitioners aged 18 to 59 was conducted and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The highest percentage of the participants (34%) practiced 5 days per week for 60 min (42.2%) and had 2 days per week of rest (41.7%). A total of 273 individuals (23%) participated in CF competitions and 948 (77%) did not. The results showed that the most common injuries were muscle injuries (51.3%), followed by tendinopathies (49.6%) and joint injuries (26.6%). The shoulders (56.6%; n = 303), knees (31.8%; n = 170), and lumbar spine (33.1%; n = 177) were the most commonly injured locations. The logistic regression model showed that participation in competitions (p = 0.001), rest per week (p = 0.01), duration of training per session (p = 0.001), and frequency of training per week (p = 0.03) were statistically significant factors for injury. Training level was not a statistically significant factor for injury (p = 0.43). As CF continues to gain popularity on a global scale and the number of athletes gradually increases, it is important to monitor the safety of practitioners. Clinicians should consider participation in competitions, rest, training duration, and frequency in order to make CF safer.