Sports Injuries: Current Trends in Diagnosis, Treatment, and Rehabilitation

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Sports Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 February 2025 | Viewed by 2971

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Physiotherapy, University of the Peloponnese, Efstathiou & Stamatikis Valioti and Plataion, 23100 Sparta, Greece
Interests: motor learning/control in rehabilitation; psychology sport injury; mind–body therapeutic techniques; return to sport; geriatric physiotherapy

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Co-Guest Editor
Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece
Interests: sports injuries prevention; sports injuries rehabilitation; knee; ACL; biomechanics; musculoskeletal rehabilitation; pain management
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Co-Guest Editor
Department of Physiotherapy, University of Thessaly, 3rd Km Old National Road Lamia–Athens, 35100 Lamia, Greece
Interests: sports injuries rehabilitation; neuroplasticity; neuromuscular control; chronic pain; central sensitization; clinical communication skills; lifestyle medicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sport injury rehabilitation involves physical and psychological considerations. There has been a proliferation of scientific publications demonstrating the importance of diagnosing and treating sport injuries for athletes to return to sport after a musculoskeletal injury safely and quickly. The epidemiology of the injury itself, identification, treatment, the process of returning to the previous level of competition and prevention are fundamental aspects in this field of knowledge. The purpose of this Special Issue is to investigate the latest research for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of sport injuries, and to summarize the principles of rehabilitation techniques regarding acute and chronic sport injuries. The papers may be from different fields relating to sport injuries, such as orthopedic medicine, physiotherapy, physical and sports science, sport psychology, motor leaning and motor control and sport nutrition, on topics including, but not limited to, the prevention of a sport injury, new methods of diagnosis, new technology and surgical techniques, rehabilitation and complementary (mind–body) techniques, etc. We are interested in high-quality original research and review papers in different sports. Therefore, this Special Issue welcomes studies or reviews considering new advances in the diagnosis, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of acute and/or chronic sport injuries.

Dr. Anna Christakou
Dr. Sofia Xergia
Dr. Eleni Kapreli
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • sport injury
  • overuse/chronic injuries
  • acute injuries
  • diagnosis
  • prevention
  • medical surgery
  • treatment
  • rehabilitation techniques
  • exercise
  • physiotherapy
  • return to sport
  • sport injury psychology

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 508 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Lateral and Medial Parts of the Hamstring Muscle Fatigue Symmetry in Professional Footballers Cleared to Play After ACL Reconstruction
by Łukasz Oleksy, Anna Mika, Martyna Sopa, Artur Stolarczyk, Olga Adamska, Miłosz Szczudło, Renata Kielnar, Magdalena Hagner-Derengowska, Rafał Buryta, Michał Jakub Nowak, Matylda Kowal and Jarosław Michał Deszczyński
J. Clin. Med. 2024, 13(21), 6521; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13216521 - 30 Oct 2024
Viewed by 383
Abstract
Objectives: Rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a severe injury common in sports. It also has a high rate of re-injury. The aim of this work was to assess hamstring muscle fatigue in active football players after ACL reconstruction who were [...] Read more.
Objectives: Rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a severe injury common in sports. It also has a high rate of re-injury. The aim of this work was to assess hamstring muscle fatigue in active football players after ACL reconstruction who were cleared to play and to determine symmetry between the lateral and medial hamstring muscles. Methods: In professional football players post ACL reconstruction (n = 25) and non-injured players (n = 26), the bioelectrical activity of the medial (biceps femoris—BF) and lateral (semimembranosus and semitendinosus—SEM) hamstring muscles was measured during 60 s of isometric contraction. The fatigue variables were calculated using the Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) tool. Results: The football players following ACL reconstruction demonstrated significant asymmetry in fatigue of the lateral and medial hamstring muscles, with greater fatigue in the SEM compared to the BF muscle. Moreover, in those after reconstruction, the changes are more pronounced, with higher muscle fatigue in both limbs (they have lower MDF than non-injured players) and more severe SEM muscle insufficiency (noted in both limbs but with greater intensity in the non-operated one). Conclusions: The higher SEM muscle fatigue observed in this study influenced the lateral-to-medial activation ratio within the hamstring muscle, which may be a probable cause of this muscle’s insufficiency in laterally stabilizing the knee in the frontal and transverse plane. Furthermore, the hamstring muscles after reconstruction were more fatigued in both limbs, which may be another risk factor for ACL graft rupture. Therefore, increased fatigue in specific hamstring muscles may indicate the direction in which knee stabilization is compromised due to ACL overload. A muscle that becomes fatigued and inefficient more quickly also becomes ineffective in performing its function sooner, which can lead to increased overloading forces acting on the ACL graft. Full article
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14 pages, 247 KiB  
Article
Examining the Relationship and the Gender Differences between Re-Injury Worry, Confidence, and Attention after a Sport Musculoskeletal Injury
by Anna Christakou, George Gkiokas, Nikos Valsamis, Eleftherios Paraskevopoulos and Maria Papandreou
J. Clin. Med. 2024, 13(15), 4428; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13154428 - 29 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1046
Abstract
Introduction: A sport injury is an unfortunate event that can significantly impact the injured athletes’ psychology. There have been no studies examining gender differences in the psychological state after a sport-related musculoskeletal injury. Τhe aims of the current study were to (a) [...] Read more.
Introduction: A sport injury is an unfortunate event that can significantly impact the injured athletes’ psychology. There have been no studies examining gender differences in the psychological state after a sport-related musculoskeletal injury. Τhe aims of the current study were to (a) investigate the relationship between re-injury worry levels, confidence, and attention in the injured athletes who followed a rehabilitation program in order to return to competition, and (b) compare differences in these psychological factors between male and female athletes. Methods: A cross-sectional research design was used. A total of 60 athletes (30 men and 30 women) volunteered to participate, aged 25.50 ± 5.25 years old, all of whom had experienced a musculoskeletal injury within the past year. Three validated questionnaires, i.e., the Causes of Re-Injury Worry Questionnaire, the Sport Confidence Questionnaire of Rehabilitated Athletes Returning to Competition, and the Attention Questionnaire of Rehabilitated Athletes Returning to Competition, were completed by the participants on their first competitive game after their rehabilitation program. Results: All of the athletes experienced average levels of re-injury worry due to their opponents’ ability and distraction attention, and high levels of confidence and functional attention. Many factors from the questionnaires were correlated with each other. Men experienced lower levels of re-injury worry due to rehabilitation compared to the women athletes (U = 329.00, p < 0.05), and women exhibited higher “Re-injury Worry due to Opponent’s Ability” compared to the men athletes (U = 292.00, p < 0.01). Conclusions: A strong relationship was found between re-injury worry, confidence, and attention, with few gender differences. Since there is no previous research examining re-injury worry, confidence, and attention between men and women, future research with larger and more homogeneous samples is needed to confirm the present results. Full article
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