The purpose of this study was to determine the appropriateness of using an elastic hamstring assistance device to reduce perceived levels of soreness, increase isometric strength, increase passive range of motion, and decrease biomarkers of muscle damage after eccentric exercise, specifically, downhill running This study was conducted in a university exercise physiology laboratory placing sixteen apparently healthy males (X = 21.6 ± 2.5 years) into two groups using a pre-test/post-test design. Pre-intervention measures taken included participants’ body height, body mass, body fat, capillary blood samples, VO_2max, isometric hamstring strength at 45 and 90 degrees of flexion and passive hamstring range of motion. Post-intervention measures included blood biomarkers, passive range of motion, the perceived level of soreness and isometric strength. An analysis of normality of data was initially conducted followed by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) of hamstring strength at 45 and 90 degrees of flexion, blood myoglobin and passive range of motion of the hamstrings. Statistically significant changes were noted in subject-perceived muscle soreness and isometric strength at 90 degrees at the 24-hour post-exercise trial measure between the two groups. Results would suggest the findings could be explained by the decrease in muscle soreness from utilizing the device during the exercise trial. Further research should be conducted to address sample size issues and to determine if the results are comparable on different surfaces.

The purpose of the present study was to examine whether 14 days of supplementation with maritime pine extract leading up to and following an exercise test would increase performance and reduce biomarkers associated with muscle damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress. The study used a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over design. Twenty apparently healthy young male participants ingested either 800 mg pine bark extract or placebo for 14 days prior to the first exercise trial and for 2 days postexercise. On the exercise day, participants submitted a pre-exercise blood sample then completed a VO₂ peak test until volitional failure. A postexercise blood sample was collected 1 hour after completion of exercise. Participants returned at 24 and 48 hours after the exercise testing for measures of muscle pain in the lower body using an algometer. Participants then had a 7-day washout period before beginning to cross over to the alternate treatment. Analysis via ordinal regression demonstrated a significant difference in oxidative stress in the maritime pine extract group compared to placebo (ChiSq = 2.63; p = 0.045). Maritime pine extract was effective at affording protection from oxidative stress postexercise. Further work should be undertaken to evaluate the findings with other exercise modes or in participants with known metabolic syndrome.

Due to the physical demands and cultural norms of competitive sport, collegiate athletes often report playing through pain. Understanding the psychological consequences of this pain is important for sport psychology professionals to support athlete well-being. The purpose of this study was to characterize the associations between pain experiences and mental health outcomes in collegiate athletes ( n = 3,552). Results of structural equation modeling indicated that pain intensity was a significant predictor of pain interference, which in turn significantly predicted both depression and anxiety. Injury status was a significant predictor of pain intensity but not pain interference. This model was invariant across gender and sport type, though small differences emerged. Contact sport athletes reported greater pain interference while female athletes and noncontact sport athletes reported significantly higher anxiety levels. Implications for injury and pain management approaches that involve collaboration between sports medicine and sport psychology professionals are discussed.

Background: Choline supplements may provide potential improvements to health outcomes and exercise performance, yet the bioavailability of choline supplements is poorly understood. Objective: The objective of the present investigation was to examine the levels of serum Choline and Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) after two dose of Alpha Glyceryl Phosphoryl Choline (A-GPC) in comparison to common choline salts. Methods: High-dose and low-dose A-GPC along with choline salt supplements were administered to participants over the course of four weeks in a randomized double-blind fashion. Serum levels of choline and TMAO, the gut byproduct of choline were examined acutely over the course of four hours and again following one week and four weeks of supplementation. Results: High-dose A-GPC and the choline chloride supplement yielded significantly higher choline levels compared to low-dose A-GPC and choline bitartate (F=31.31, p Conclusion: A-GPC increases serum choline similar to that seen with high-dose choline chloride ingestion without a concomitant increase in TMAO levels and therefore, may be a desirable option as a dietary supplement.

Exercise is a stressor that is known to in some cases suppress antimicrobial protein levels, particularly secretory immunoglobulin type A (IgA). Athletes in the midst of in-season training often demonstrate declining levels of sIgA as well as increased risk for ailments such as upper respiratory tract infections. Therefore, it is important to investigate natural supplements that may enhance post exercise mucosal immune function. Methods: Twenty healthy college-aged males volunteered to participate in the present single blind, repeated measures study. Three treatments were administered (botanical spray, botanical drops, placebo) at the onset of 30 minutes of 80% VO₂ max cycle ergometer exercise. Secretory IgA and Human Alpha Defensin were quantified in saliva samples 30 minutes and 90 minutes post exercise. Results: Analysis via repeated measures Anova revealed a significant treatment effect at 30 min (p=0.030) with post hoc testing revealing a difference between the botanical spray and placebo (p=0.027), but by 90 minutes there was no differences by treatment (p=0.758). There was no difference by treatment observed at either 30 or 90 minutes for human alpha defensin concentrations. Conclusions: Based upon these preliminary data, it appears that a single dose of the tested botanical blend delivered via mouth spray can increase sIgA, one of the primary anti-microbial proteins in the oral cavity, for a short time post exercise.