BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation最新文献

{"title":"Beyond aerobic intensity: Comparing the effects of cognitively engaging gross-motor coordination training and aerobic exercise on working memory and selective attention in school-age children: A randomized controlled trial.","authors":"Süreyya Babayoğlu, Muhammed Sıddık Çemç, Görkem Açar","doi":"10.1186/s13102-026-02087-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13102-026-02087-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Working memory and selective attention develop rapidly during middle childhood and are sensitive to physical activity. Aerobic exercise is thought to act mainly through intensity-driven physiological pathways (cerebral perfusion, neurotrophic signalling and arousal), whereas gross-motor coordination training additionally imposes perceptual, decision-making, motor-planning and inhibitory demands that may provide stronger and more domain-specific cognitive stimulation. This study compared 14-week gross-motor coordination and aerobic exercise interventions, designed a priori to be matched for session frequency, duration and rated perceived exertion, on working memory and selective attention (indexed by processing volume on the d2 test) in children aged 10-12 years.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study employed a pre-test-post-test randomized controlled design. Participants (n = 78) were recruited from a single state primary school and allocated by computer-generated stratified block randomisation (1:1:1) to an Aerobic Exercise Group (AEG; n = 26), a Coordination Exercise Group (CEG; n = 26), or a Control Group (CG; n = 26). Intervention groups participated in structured exercise programmes consisting of 40-minute sessions three days per week for 14 weeks, delivered on school premises during the school day as an addition to the standard physical education curriculum. Working memory was assessed using the examiner-administered, paper-and-pencil Visual-Auditory Digit Span Task, and selective attention was measured with the paper-based d2 Test of Attention; the digit span was administered individually and the d2 in small groups, both in a quiet classroom and by assessors blinded to group allocation. No computerised platform was used. Data were analysed with aligned rank transform ANOVA (ART-ANOVA).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The group × time interaction was statistically significant for both outcomes (working memory: F(2, 75) = 12.47, p < 0.001, partial η² = 0.25, 95% CI [0.09, 0.39]; selective attention: F(2, 75) = 8.23, p < 0.001, partial η² = 0.18, 95% CI [0.04, 0.32]). Both intervention groups demonstrated significant improvements in working memory and selective attention compared with the control group (all Bonferroni-adjusted p ≤ 0.018). When the intervention groups were compared directly, the coordination-based exercise programme was significantly more effective than the aerobic exercise programme in improving working memory (adjusted p = 0.045; median change 5.2 [IQR 4.6-5.9] vs. 3.1 [2.2-3.9] points on the digit span total score; between-group effect size r = 0.31, 95% BCa CI [0.06, 0.52]; median difference 2.1 points, 95% BCa CI [1.44, 2.76]). No significant difference was found between the two intervention groups with respect to selective attention (adjusted p = 0.320; median change 29.0 [17-42] vs. 30.5 [25.0-40.0] d2 TN points; r = 0.16, 95% BCa CI [- 0.10, 0.40]; median difference - 1.5 points, 95%","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13599149/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149031800","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How are biomechanical and psychosocial factors associated with injuries across one season in Swedish elite and sub-elite female soccer players?","authors":"John Ressman, Philip von Rosen, Eva Rasmussen-Barr, Wilhelmus Johannes Andreas Grooten","doi":"10.1186/s13102-026-02084-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13102-026-02084-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Soccer is a high-intensity contact sport, and the patterns and burden of injuries can vary based on age, sex, and player level. To better understand injury occurrence, it is important to identify biopsychosocial factors that are associated with injuries. Our study aimed to investigate whether various biomechanical and psychosocial factors associate with time-loss injuries and reported injury problems in the dominant and non-dominant leg across one season in elite and sub-elite female soccer players.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This prospective study followed 244 elite and sub-elite female soccer players (22 years, SD ± 4) from divisions 1-3 over one season. Data on investigated factors were collected at baseline, while injury data were collected every four weeks. Negative binomial regression analyses were used to examine associations between the investigated factors and injury outcomes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>For time-loss injuries involving the dominant leg, higher levels of hip strength were associated with a lower injury incidence in players aged 16-19 years (IRR = 0.95, 95% CI 0.92-0.98), while this association was not observed in the older age groups. Higher levels of fear avoidance were associated with a higher injury incidence (IRR = 1.08, 95% CI 1.03-1.14). For the non-dominant leg, playing in division 2 was associated with a higher injury incidence (IRR = 2.75, 95% CI 1.23-6.16) compared with division 1. Greater ankle dorsiflexion was associated with a lower injury incidence (IRR = 0.91, 95% CI 0.84-0.99), and higher levels of hip strength were associated with a lower injury incidence (IRR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.96-0.99). Regarding injury problems, higher levels of fear avoidance were associated with a higher rate of reported injury problem observations for both the dominant (IRR = 1.04, 95% CI 1.02-1.07) and non-dominant leg (IRR = 1.04, 95% CI 1.02-1.06).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Biomechanical factors, including hip strength, and psychosocial factors such as fear-avoidance behaviour were associated with time-loss injuries and reported injury problems in female elite and sub-elite soccer players. The separate leg-specific analyses showed different patterns of associations in the dominant and non-dominant leg. Given the relatively small effect sizes, the findings should be considered hypothesis-generating and their clinical relevance requires further investigation.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>Retrospectively registered in Clinical Trials Gov, date of registration 13/03/2022. Clinical trials identifier NCT05289284.</p>","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13599122/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149026380","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Real-time continuous assessment of fatigue from surface electromyography with deep learning for training load regulation in elite cyclists.","authors":"Rongxuan Zhai, Guoqiang Ma, Jun Qiu, Mingxin Gong, Wenxin Niu, Lejun Wang","doi":"10.1186/s13102-026-02080-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13102-026-02080-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Accurate assessment of exercise-induced muscle fatigue is essential for optimizing training loads and preventing overtraining in elite athletes. This study presents a deep learning framework for continuous fatigue estimation from raw surface electromyography (sEMG) signals during high-intensity cycling.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Fourteen elite track cyclists performed a 30-second all-out sprint on a cycle ergometer. Power output was recorded at 1 Hz to derive a continuous fatigue index (percentage decline from peak power). Simultaneously, sEMG signals were recorded at 1000 Hz from four lower-limb muscles. A sliding window approach (3-second windows, 0.25-second stride) was used to construct input samples. A deep learning model integrating convolutional neural networks (CNN), bidirectional long short-term memory (Bi-LSTM), and channel attention mechanisms was developed to predict the fatigue index directly from raw sEMG. Model performance was evaluated using leave-one-subject-out cross-validation with subject-specific fine-tuning, and compared against eight baseline models. Ablation studies were conducted to quantify each component's contribution.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The proposed CNN-Bi-LSTM-attention model achieved a mean absolute error of 0.048 ± 0.019 and a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.822 ± 0.123, and was the only model yielding a positive coefficient of determination (R² = 0.493 ± 0.249). Compared to baseline machine learning models, the proposed model achieved superior prediction accuracy. Furthermore, it reduced prediction errors by 35.1% relative to time-only regression. Ablation studies revealed that removing the CNN or Bi-LSTM modules caused marked performance degradation, whereas removing the attention mechanism minimally affected prediction accuracy but enhanced model interpretability.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The proposed CNN-Bi-LSTM-attention framework enables accurate, continuous fatigue estimation from raw sEMG during high-intensity cycling, offering a promising tool for real-time fatigue monitoring and training load regulation in all-out cycling sprint.</p>","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13587481/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148992056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"IMU-based identification of rowing conditions through supervised machine learning.","authors":"Anna Leber, Tobias Siebert, Walter Rapp, Steffen Held","doi":"10.1186/s13102-026-02082-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13102-026-02082-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Rowing combines on-water and ergometer-based training, while inertial measurement units (IMUs) offer a practical approach for field-based biomechanical monitoring. This study examined whether trunk-mounted IMU data can distinguish static Concept2 (C2), dynamic RP3, and on-water rowing conditions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Ten youth rowers (16.3 ± 0.8 years) performed high-intensity rowing in all three conditions. Triaxial acceleration and gyroscope data were recorded at 208 Hz. Six classical machine-learning and four deep-learning models classified overlapping three-stroke windows using leave-one-subject-out cross-validation. Repeated-measures analyses assessed condition-specific IMU magnitude features.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The ensemble achieved the highest mean accuracy (85.5 ± 10.3%). Individual accuracy varied from 24.0% to 97.1% across models and athletes. The 7,545 windows were imbalanced toward Boat, with a no-information rate of 71.8%. Boat was identified most reliably, whereas RP3 was frequently misclassified as Boat. Nine of ten magnitude features remained significant after false-discovery-rate correction.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Trunk-mounted IMU signals distinguished the three rowing conditions at group level. However, class imbalance, RP3 familiarity, measurement order, boat-standardisation asymmetry, and athlete-level variability require cautious interpretation. Applied use requires athlete-specific calibration and prospective validation.</p>","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13576188/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148978090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Small-sided games as an integrated training strategy: effects on aerobic endurance and passing performance in adolescent soccer players - a randomized controlled trial.","authors":"Sinan Seyhan, Furkan Can Gündüz, Görkem Açar, Fatma Gözlükaya Girginer, Çağlar Soylu, Yunus Emre Aslan, Muhammed Fatih Bilici","doi":"10.1186/s13102-026-02000-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13102-026-02000-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Small-sided games (SSG) are increasingly used in youth soccer training because they simultaneously expose players to physiological, technical, and perceptual-cognitive demands similar to competitive match play. However, evidence regarding their combined effects on aerobic endurance and passing performance in adolescent players remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of an eight-week SSG training program on aerobic endurance and LSPT performance in young male soccer players.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Eighteen licensed youth male soccer players (mean age: 17 ± 0.4 years) were randomly allocated to an experimental SSG group (n = 9) or a control group (n = 9). The experimental group performed SSG-based training sessions three times per week for eight weeks, using formats that varied in pitch dimensions, player numbers, and tactical constraints to elicit high-intensity and decision-making stimuli. The control group continued their regular technical-tactical training without SSG exposure. Aerobic endurance and LSPT performance were assessed before and after the intervention using the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1) and the Loughborough Soccer Passing Test (LSPT). Data were analyzed using a mixed two-way ANOVA (group × time), and statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Significant group × time interactions were observed for both performance outcomes. The SSG group demonstrated substantial improvements in LSPT performance (F(1,16) = 3844.00, p < 0.001, η²p = 0.996) and Yo-Yo IR1 distance (F(1,16) = 1648.60, p < 0.001, η²p = 0.990), whereas the control group showed only trivial and non-significant changes. These results indicate that SSG training effectively associated with improvements both aerobic capacity and technical passing ability.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>An eight-week SSG training program was associated with improvements in aerobic endurance and LSPT performance in youth soccer players. SSG provide an ecologically valid and time-efficient training method by integrating metabolic load with technical and decision-making demands. Incorporating structured SSG formats into periodized training programs may support performance development in youth soccer.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT07755358. Registered on 5 August 2026.</p>","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13591903/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149018606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Does baseline strength influence adaptations to velocity loss threshold-based resistance training?","authors":"Junjie Tao, Tianyuan He, Xinjun Chen, Lin Xie, Jiaxin He, Kelin Huo","doi":"10.1186/s13102-026-02067-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-026-02067-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study examined whether baseline strength moderates the magnitude of adaptations to velocity loss (VL) threshold-based resistance training across different training populations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus (EBSCO), and Embase up to January 2026. Randomized controlled trials were included if they implemented resistance training prescribed using predefined VL thresholds, lasted at least 3 weeks, reported quantifiable baseline strength data, and provided pre- and post-intervention measures of strength and/or power outcomes. Effect sizes were calculated as standardized within-group pre-post changes (Hedges' g). A three-level random-effects meta-regression model was applied to account for statistical dependence among multiple effect sizes within studies. Baseline strength (standardized 1RM) was examined as the primary moderator, with training status and VL threshold entered as additional moderators.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Sixteen studies providing 89 effect sizes were included. VL threshold-based resistance training produced a moderate overall within-group improvement in strength and power outcomes (g = 0.59, 95% CI [0.40, 0.77], p < 0.001). The omnibus test of moderators was not statistically significant (QM(4) = 1.09, p = 0.896). Baseline strength was not significantly associated with adaptation magnitude (β = -0.076, p = 0.355), and the interaction between baseline strength and training status was also not statistically significant (β = 0.045, p = 0.775).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>VL threshold-based resistance training elicits moderate improvements in neuromuscular performance. Within the limitations of the available evidence, no statistically detectable moderation by baseline strength or categorical training status was observed. These findings suggest that current evidence does not clearly support modifying VL prescriptions solely on the basis of baseline strength; however, equivalence across populations cannot be definitively established.</p>","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13632222/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149117051","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characterization of eccentric hamstring strength and inter-limb asymmetry profiles in national-level youth male soccer players.","authors":"Jiaxin Wang, Dongting Jiang, Chris Bishop, Changjing Zhou, Mengde Lyu, Hang Zheng, Yue Tang, Zhiyuan Bi, Yongming Li","doi":"10.1186/s13102-026-01980-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13102-026-01980-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Eccentric hamstring strength and inter-limb asymmetry are commonly monitored in youth football; however, evidence comparing their magnitude and directional consistency across age categories remains limited. This study compared eccentric hamstring strength and inter-limb asymmetry magnitude between national-level U12 and U18 male footballers and assessed within-cohort agreement in stronger-limb classification.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this cross-sectional study, 63 national-level male youth footballers were included: 35 U12 players aged approximately 12.0-12.9 years and 28 U18 players aged approximately 17.3-18.9 years. Participants completed repeated maximal bilateral Nordic Hamstring Exercise trials. Absolute peak force (PF), body mass-normalized peak force (RPF), inter-limb asymmetry magnitude, and stronger-limb classification were assessed. Trial-to-trial reliability was evaluated using coefficients of variation and intraclass correlation coefficients. Between-cohort differences in PF and RPF were examined using independent-samples t-tests, whereas the Mann-Whitney U test was used for inter-limb asymmetry. Hedges' g quantified between-cohort effect sizes, and Cohen's kappa assessed agreement in stronger-limb classification across trials.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The U18 cohort demonstrated greater absolute PF (383.1 ± 37.8 vs. 230.7 ± 46.6 N; g = 3.51, p < 0.001) and RPF (5.1 ± 0.5 vs. 4.5 ± 0.6 N·kg⁻¹; g = 1.01, p < 0.001) than the U12 cohort. Inter-limb asymmetry was greater in U12 players (4.5 ± 2.3%) than in U18 players (3.3 ± 2.8%; g = - 0.48, p = 0.036). The U12 cohort demonstrated substantial within-cohort agreement in stronger-limb classification (κ = 0.860, p < 0.001), whereas no evidence of agreement was observed in the U18 cohort (κ = -0.143, p = 0.450).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>National-level U18 male footballers exhibited greater absolute and body mass-normalized eccentric hamstring strength and lower mean inter-limb asymmetry than U12 players. The U12 cohort showed substantial within-cohort agreement in stronger-limb classification, whereas no evidence of agreement was observed in the U18 cohort. Strength magnitude, asymmetry magnitude, and asymmetry direction should therefore be interpreted as complementary monitoring indicators, preferably alongside repeated assessments rather than as interchangeable measures.</p>","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13576348/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148971758","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Two-year follow-up of varus progression in young professional football players.","authors":"Hannah Gablac, Lars Schwalm, Peter Behrendt, Michael Hoffmann, Matthias Krause, Karl-Heinz Frosch, Götz Welsch, Dimitris Dalos","doi":"10.1186/s13102-026-02035-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13102-026-02035-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Professional football players have an increased prevalence of genu varum, which is a risk factor for developing knee osteoarthritis. It remains unclear at what stage of adolescence varus progression is most pronounced and which factors are associated with this progression. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the factors associated with varus progression over a two-year observation period in a selected cohort of adolescent male professional academy football players.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 31 male youth academy football players aged 12-17 years who demonstrated varus progression during the oberservation period were included. The static mean mechanical femorotibial axis angle (MAA) of both legs was measured using a two-dimensional and marker-based method (DIERS leg axis analysis system). Players' age, height, BMI and dominant kicking leg were also assessed. Measurements were performed in 2021 and after a 24-month observation period. Changes and correlations over the observation period were statistically analyzed using SPSS.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Age-related differences were observed in the extent of MAA: the youngest athletes had the lowest MAA at baseline (p = 0.049), which increased more over the following two years than the older players. Greater increases in height during the observation period (p = 0.008), low initial height (p = 0.035), BMI (p = 0.043) and less varus deformity (p = 0.017) were found to be significant factors associated with an increase in MAA.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Within this selected cohort, the increase in MAA over the two-year observation period was most pronounced in the younger athletes. Greater increases in height and associated weight gain were the variables most strongly associated with increasing varus alignment during the observation period. These findings may help to inform the timing of future preventive strategies, although their effectiveness for influencing leg-axis development remains to be established.</p>","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13576229/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148978407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of different foot orthoses on muscular frequency spectrum during the swing phase of gait following ACL reconstruction: a cross-sectional, mixed-model within-subject study.","authors":"Ebrahim Piri, AmirAli Jafarnezhadgero","doi":"10.1186/s13102-026-02050-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13102-026-02050-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of various foot orthoses on the frequency-domain characteristics of lower-limb electromyographic (EMG) activity during the swing phase of gait in individuals with pronated feet following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR).</p><p><strong>Methodology: </strong>A cross-sectional experimental study with a within-subject repeated-measures design was conducted. Forty male participants were recruited, including 30 participants post-ACLR with pronated feet and 10 healthy controls. EMG activity was recorded from eight key lower-limb muscles during the gait cycle of the dominant limb under four orthotic/footwear conditions: control shoe, placebo foot orthoses, medial arch-support foot orthoses, and double-density foot orthoses. Acceleration and deceleration sub-phases of swing phase were defined using in-shoe footswitch sensors. EMG frequency analysis focused on median frequency (MF) as an indicator of changes in neuromuscular activation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>During the acceleration sub-phase, the group assessed 6 months post-ACLR exhibited significantly lower MF in the tibialis anterior (p = 0.003, η²=0.152), gastrocnemius (p < 0.001, η²=0.324), and gluteus medius (p = 0.008, η²=0.124) compared with participants at later postoperative stages and healthy controls. The double-density foot orthoses reduced biceps femoris MF across all ACLR with pronated feet groups (p = 0.012, η²=0.095). In the deceleration sub-phase, significant main effects of group were observed for tibialis anterior (p = 0.001, η²=0.218), gastrocnemius (p < 0.001, η²=0.376), and semitendinosus (p = 0.005, η²=0.135). A significant effect of foot orthoses on gastrocnemius MF was also identified (p = 0.038, η²=0.102), with a significant group × foot orthoses interaction (p = 0.022, η²=0.118). Medial arch-support and double-density foot orthoses reduced gastrocnemius MF compared with the control shoe, with the greatest reduction (8-10%) occurring in participants in the early post-ACLR stage using the double-density foot orthoses.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Foot orthoses, particularly medial arch-support and double-density designs, are associated with acute changes in lower-limb neuromuscular recruitment, especially during the high-demand deceleration sub-phase. These findings suggest potential alterations in motor unit recruitment patterns and muscle coordination during gait in individuals with pronated feet following ACLR. However, given the acute experimental design, the results should be interpreted as associations rather than causal effects, and further longitudinal studies are required to determine potential clinical implications.</p>","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13576111/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148977346","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative changes in cardiovascular measures following speed, agility, and quickness training and small-sided games in youth football players: a randomized trial.","authors":"Mahmoud Al Sayed, Mohamed Meselhy, Mohamed Bakr","doi":"10.1186/s13102-026-02048-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13102-026-02048-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Backgroun: </strong>Speed, Agility, and Quickness (SAQ) training and small-sided games (SSGs) are widely used in youth football but impose different physical and football-specific demands. Evidence directly comparing their cardiovascular responses following a structured training intervention remains limited.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To compare cardiovascular response patterns following an 8-week SAQ or SSG training programme in male youth football players.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Thirty-six male youth football players were randomly allocated to an SAQ group (n = 18) or an SSG group (n = 18). Cardiovascular outcomes were assessed before and after the 8-week intervention and included resting heart rate (HR), post-shuttle-run HR, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Pre-to-post changes were examined using a two-way mixed-design analysis of variance, with time as the within-subject factor and group as the between-subject factor.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Both groups demonstrated reductions in all four cardiovascular outcomes. Significant time × group interactions were observed for resting HR, post-shuttle-run HR, SBP, and DBP. SSG training produced greater numerical reductions in resting HR, SBP, and DBP, whereas SAQ training produced a slightly greater reduction in post-shuttle-run HR.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings indicate different cardiovascular response patterns following SAQ and SSG training rather than universal superiority of either modality. SSGs may be useful when cardiovascular conditioning is integrated with football-specific technical and tactical demands, whereas SAQ training provides a more targeted stimulus for acceleration, agility, and neuromuscular performance.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07633210, registered on 03/06/2026. Retrospectively registered.</p>","PeriodicalId":48585,"journal":{"name":"BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13576338/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148978560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}