This study sought to assess the relationship between different jumping asymmetries and associated performance variables in high-level male senior and professional football players. Nineteen football players with at least 12 years of training experience (23.2 ± 3.1 years of age; 75.2 ± 4.8 kg of body mass and 181 ± 0.06 cm of height) participated in this study performing countermovement jump (CMJ), squat jump (SJ), single-leg CMJ and drop jump (DJ), associated performance variable eccentric utilization ratio (EUR), stretch-shortening cycle (SSC), bilateral deficit (BLD), and limb symmetry index (LSI) were determined. High correlations were observed between different methodologies of jump tests and associated performance indicators (SSC, BLD, EUR), except LSI. Moreover, CMJ and SJ results were different (p < 0.05), but no differences were found between interlimb in CMJ (p = 0.19) and DJ (p = 0.14). Between the same limbs and different jumps differences were detected in CMJ and DJ (p < 0.01), and it has also been found that the laterality effect size on strength was small in CMJ (ES = 0.30) and DJ (ES = 0.35). LSI between CMJ and DJ was not different despite higher mean values in CMJ, and although mean BLD was positive (>100%), the results highlight the need for individual evaluation since eight players scored negatively. An in-depth and accurate analysis of performance in preseason screening jump tests should be considered, aiming to detect injury risk, specifically evaluating different jumping test methodologies, and determining jumping associated performance variables for each test, namely EUR, SSC, BLD, and LSI. Specific muscle-strengthening exercises could be implemented based on this study results and outcomes, aiming to reduce injury risks and lower extremity asymmetries and to enhance individual football performance in high-level male senior and professional football players. Sports institutions should pay special attention regarding potential health problems in athletes exposed to daily high training loads.

Introduction: A balanced diet and a correct hydration are important factors to prevent injuries, improve sports performance and fatigue recovery [ 1–3 Torres-McGehee TM , Pritchett KL , Zippel D , et al. Sports nutrition knowledge among collegiate athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, and strength and conditioning specialists. Journal of Athletic Training. 2012;47:205–211. Yahya O , Ozcelik A . Evaluation of the nutrition knowledge of sports department students of universities. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2011;8:11–17. Kondric M , Sekulic D , Uljevic O , et al. Sport nutrition and doping in tennis: an analysis of athletes’ attitudes and knowledge. J Sports Sci Med. 2013;12:290–297. ]. However, it is recognized that athletes have poor hydration habits and dietary intakes often motivated by their limited knowledge [ 4 Trakman GL , Forsyth A , Devlin BL , et al. A systematic review of athletes’ and coaches’ nutrition knowledge and reflections on the quality of current nutrition knowledge measures. Nutrients. 2016;8:570–592. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] , 5 Nichols PE , Jonnalagadda SS , Rosenbloom CA , et al. Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding hydration and fluid replacement of collegiate athletes. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2005;15:515–527. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.15.5.515 [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] ]. Portuguese athlete’s knowledge about nutrition and hydration is far to be known and an accurate picture of their state of knowledge seems to be an important issue among professionals working directly with athletes. The aim of this study was to evaluate Portuguese athletes knowledge regarding nutrition and hydration in sports. Materials and methods: A cross sectional study was performed in several Portuguese sports institutions. A total of 348 non-professional athletes (70% response rate) were evaluated about nutrition and hydration in sports. Self-administrated and pretested questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data, nutrition and hydration knowledge. The Ethics Committee of the School of Health Care - Polytechnic Institute of Setubal, approved the study procedure. Written consent to participate in the study was given by the participants or parents (when applicable). Descriptive statistics were carried out to express athlete’s sociodemographic information and mean nutrition and hydration scores. Chi squares tests were used to assess the association between study variables nutrition and hydration knowledge questions. Inferential statistics (Mann–Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis tests, p < 0.05) were used to examine differences between study variables. Results: Only 8% of the athletes demonstrated good global knowledge on nutrition and hydration. The overall mean knowledge was 49.8 ± 14.9 were the highest mean knowledge area was observed on nutrition (53.1 ± 15.6) when compared with hydration (43.5 ± 21). Higher global knowledge on nutrition and hydration was only associated with oldest athletes with university educational level. Discussion and conclusions: The study identified inadequate global knowledge among the participants were our findings revealed highest scores in nutrition section (12%) followed by hydration (6%). No data at the national level had been reported so far and this study can provide useful information on gaps and trends in athletes’ behaviour on nutrition and hydration. The results of this study clearly suggest an urgent need to developed and implement educational programs to address the knowledge amongst Portuguese sports population. In authors perspective such programs should not only focus athletes but should also involve coaches, health professionals and athletes family members.

BACKGROUND: Gluteus medius (GM) is a segmented muscle involving three muscular subdivisions. Rehabilitation exercises has been suggested to strengthen specific subdivisions. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate muscular activation of the anterior, middle, and posterior subdivisions of the GM during two different exercises. METHODS: A total of 28 healthy active subjects participated in this study. Muscle activity using surface electromyography was recorded for the three GM subdivisions during figure-of-four position (FFP) and wall press (WP). Non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was used to detect differences between GM subdivisions on each exercise and the Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare muscular activation across exercises. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences (P< 0.001) in all GM subdivision during FFP and WP exercises. Both exercises showed greater activation of the posterior subdivision than the middle and anterior subdivisions, with the WP causing highest activation of the posterior subdivision. CONCLUSION: In line with the WP exercise, the FFP produces sufficient activity to provide potential strength gains on the posterior subdivision and could be a viable option to include in the early stages of the rehabilitation process. Clinicians may use this information to make more informed decisions about exercise selection for strengthening specific GM subdivision.

Introducción: Pocos estudios han explorado el curso clínico en pacientes con dolor cervical crónico. Comprender su evolución clínica puede ayudar a los clínicos a evaluar los resultados individuales, definir objetivos y establecer un pronóstico. Objetivo: Describir el curso clínico de pacientes con dolor cervical crónico inespecífico (DCIC) en respuesta a un programa de fisioterapia multimodal. Metodología: Un total de 15 pacientes con DCIC participaron en un programa de fisioterapia multimodal de seis semanas. Las evaluaciones basales incluyeron características sociodemográficas e historia clínica de dolor de cuello. Las principales medidas de resultado fueron actividad muscular cervical, dolor, discapacidad y percepción global de mejoría. Se emplearon pruebas de Friedman y post hoc con corrección de Bonferroni para el análisis estadístico. Resultados: Todas las variables estudiadas variaron significativamente (p<0,001) a lo largo del programa. En las primeras 3 semanas, la actividad muscular del esternocleidomastoideo y del escaleno anterior disminuyó significativamente en un 64% y 24%, respectivamente. También se observaron mejoras clínicas tempranas en todas las variables autoinformadas, con una reducción del dolor y la discapacidad del 50% y 24% al final de la tercera semana de intervención. Discusión: Pacientes con DCIC sometidos con un programa de fisioterapia multimodal que incluye ejercicios específicos de control motor pueden experimentar una influencia a corto plazo en la actividad de los músculos superficiales del cuello y una reducción de los síntomas. Conclusiones: Los resultados del presente estudio pueden ser útiles para diseñar ensayos clínicos que determinen si las mejoras se deben al tratamiento o a la recuperación natural del estado.

An accumulation of scientific evidence has emerged during the 1980s and 1990s, that is, physical activity would have significant benefits on health and well-being. Consequently, increasing participation of people in physical activities over the last decades has also led to a growing number of sports injuries and, simultaneously, higher demands on financial resources in global healthcare systems. Today, sports injuries are seen as a major public health problem in many developed, as well as developing, countries. This article illustrates the importance of having a platform such as iReport SportsPhysio to address such a rising issue globally. iReport SportsPhysio is a Web-based platform directed to sports health professionals to provide standard sports injuries monitoring and surveillance at a national level. The platform supports the acquisition, analysis and dissemination of sports injuries information, allowing health professionals to register and analyze sports injuries across various sports populations. Essentially, the platform provides a mechanism to house diverse statistical data in the form of tables and charts to analyze injuries at three levels: (1) athlete level independently of where individual athlete practices; (2) specific sports level across organizations; and (3) sports organizations level. A module for a global analysis is also made available, which allows the iReport SportsPhysio to obtain the incidence and prevalence measures, besides the socioeconomics costs relating to sports injuries at a global level. In order to offer these features, the platform is based on a global sports injury data model with the goal of standardizing data related to sports injuries.