To determine what combinations of self-reported factors distinguish patellar tendinopathy (PT) from other knee problems, and explain PT severity variance. Case-control study. Social media, private practice and National Health Service. An international sample of jumping athletes diagnosed with either PT (n = 132; 30.7 ± 8.9 years; 80 males; VISA-P = 61.6 ± 16.0) or another musculoskeletal knee condition (n = 89; 31.8 ± 9.9 years; 47 males; VISA-P = 62.9 ± 21.2) by a clinician in the last 6 months. We considered clinical diagnosis (case = having PT vs control = having other knee problems) as the dependent variable. Severity and sporting impact were defined by VISA-P and availability, respectively. A model comprising seven factors distinguished PT from other knee problems; training duration (OR = 1.10), sport type (OR = 2.31), injured side (OR = 2.28), pain onset (OR = 1.97), morning pain (OR = 1.89), condition acceptability (OR = 0.39) and swelling (OR = 0.37). Sports-specific function (OR = 1.02) and player level (OR = 4.11) explained sporting availability. 44% of PT severity variance was explained by quality of life (β = 0.32), sports-specific function (β = 0.38) and age (β = -0.17). Sports-specific, biomedical and psychological factors partially distinguish PT from other knee problems. Availability is mainly explained by sports-specific factors, while psychosocial factors impact on severity. Adding sports-specific and bio-psycho-social factors into assessments could help better identification and management of jumping athletes with PT.

Stroboscopic visual training (SVT), a relatively new modality, temporarily limits visual input to enhance visuomotor processing and motor coordination. It

Clinical Scenario: Individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) typically complete balance training protocols to improve postural control and reduce recurrent injury risk. However, the presence of CAI persists after traditional balance training protocols suggesting that such programs may be missing elements that could be beneficial to patients. Visual occlusion modalities, such as stroboscopic goggles, may be able to augment balance training exercises to further enhance postural control gains in those with CAI. However, a cumulative review of the existing evidence has yet to be conducted. Focused Clinical Question: Does wearing stroboscopic goggles during balance training result in greater improvements to postural control than balance training alone in those with CAI? Summary of Key Findings: All 3 studies indicated that the stroboscopic goggles group had statistically significant improvements in either a measure of static or dynamic postural control relative to the standard balance training group. However, significant improvements were not consistent across all postural control outcomes assessed in the included studies. Clinical Bottom Line: Postural control may improve more in those with CAI when stroboscopic goggles were worn while completing balance training exercises relative to completing balance training exercises alone. Strength of Recommendation: Overall, consistent moderate- to high-quality evidence was present in the 3 studies, suggesting grade C evidence for the use of stroboscopic goggles during balance training in those with CAI.

Background: Chronic Ankle Instability (CAI) is associated with proprioceptive deficits and altered neuromuscular control, yet limited studies have examined these factors concurrently during functional tasks like jump-landing. Methods: A total of 44 participants, including 21 healthy individuals and 23 with CAI, participated in a crossover experimental study. An EMG system (Noraxon, USA) was used bilaterally to assess muscle activation of the key muscles involved in ankle movement during jump-landing activities. Specifically, medial gastrocnemius (MG) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles were evaluated. To identify differences in The Ankle Inversion Discrimination Apparatus for Landing (AIDAL) parameters between groups, an independent samples t-test was conducted. Linear mixed modeling with repeated measures was performed to analyze muscle activation differences during jump-landing at different angles. Results: Individuals with CAI exhibited significantly lower AIDAL slope estimates compared to healthy controls, with a moderate effect size (p < 0.001, d = 0.78). In the EMG results, no statistically significant difference was observed between the CAI group and healthy controls (p = 0.431) for TA and (p = 0.699) for MG. Statistically significant differences were found in the activation of the MG muscle between 10^o and 14^o (p = 0.009), between 12^o and 16^o (p = 0.041) and between 14^o and 16^o (p = 0.005). Conclusion: This study indicates that individuals with CAI experience impaired proprioception compared to healthy individuals, while showing no notable differences in key muscle activation patterns. It highlights the necessity of rehabilitation strategies focused on proprioception.

Bu çalışmanın amacı genç erkek basketbolcularda yapılan basketbola özgü dinamik ısınma ve FIFA+11 ısınma programlarının germe kısalma döngüsü (GKD), dikey sıçrama (DS) yüksekliği ve yön değiştirmeli koşu (YDK) performansına akut etkisinin incelenmesidir. Araştırma grubunu 12 genç erkek basketbolcu (yaş ortalaması 15,7 ± 1,8 (yıl); boy uzunluğu 170,3 ± 7,2 (cm); vücut ağırlığı 67 ± 14,0 (kg) ; antrenman yaşı 3,6 ± 1,7 (yıl) oluşturmaktadır. Çalışmanın ilk iki günü basketbola özgü dinamik ısınma ve FIFA+11 ısınma programı ile yapılacak olan ölçümlere ilişkin uyum antrenmanları uygulanmıştır. Birinci gün bir grup basketbola özgü dinamik ısınma, bir gurup FIFA+11 ısınma programını uygularken, ikinci ölçüm gününde gruplar yer değiştirmiştir. Her iki ısınma prosedüründen sonra 4 dakika dinlenme ve devamında sırasıyla GKD düzeyi ölçülmüş, devamında DS ve YDK testi yapılmıştır. Ölçümler Optojump sistemi ile kayıt altına alınmıştır. Yapılan ısınma protokollerinin performans üzerine olan etkisini karşılaştırmak için parametrik testlerden İlişkili Örneklemler için T-Test, GKD ile DS ve YDK arasındaki ilişkiye Pearson Korelasyon testi ile bakılmıştır. Çalışma sonucunda, basketbola özgü dinamik ısınma ve FIFA+11 ısınma programı sonrasında elde edilen performans parametreleri arasında GKD ve DS için istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir farklılık bulunurken (p>0.05), YDK performansı için fark bulunamamıştır. FIFA+11 ısınma programı sonrasında GKD ile DS ve YDK performansı arasında istatistiksel olarak yüksek düzeyde bir ilişki vardır (p<0.01). Bu çalışmada, FIFA+11 ısınma programının GKD’yi olumlu yönde etkilediği tespit edilmiştir. Sonuç olarak antrenörlerin içerisinde patlayıcı hareketler içeren sıçrama, sprint özelliklerine yönelik yapılan çalışmalar öncesinde nöromüsküler bir ısınma yöntemi kullanması önerilebilir.

This study aimed to determine the effects of a 6-week stroboscopic balance training program on balance scores in athletes with chronic ankle instability. Balance was evaluated before and after the 6-week balance training program. After the program, there were no differences between the strobe and nonstrobe groups in static balance. In terms of dynamic balance, the strobe group showed a significant increase in limits of stability between pretest and posttest and terms of dynamic balance, the strobe group showed a significant increase in limits of stability between pretest and posttest and had significantly greater limits of stability than the nonstrobe group at posttest. Stroboscopic balance training may be useful in improving dynamic balance in athletes with chronic ankle instability.