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The lack of normative data for single-leg vertical jump testing makes it challenging to determine when an injured athlete has achieved a level of interlimb symmetry that is within normal limits. The purpose of this study was to establish normative values for single-leg vertical jump height interlimb symmetry based on data from uninjured adolescent athletes. One hundred seventy three uninjured adolescent athletes completed single-leg vertical jump testing with both limbs. Descriptive statistics were generated to summarize the percent differences in jump heights between the limbs (interlimb symmetry) for the male and female athletes. Having normative data available will help clinicians assess injured athletes’ recovery.

Low back pain is a frequent injury in golfers which impacts trunk muscle activity patterns. The primary purpose of this study was to bilaterally compare thickness of the external obliques and internal obliques across three positions (supine, golf setup, and swing peak) in 16 adult golfers with a history of low back pain via ultrasound. There were no significant differences between lead and trail external obliques thickness in supine (Z = 0.982, p = .326), setup (Z = 1.758, p = .079), or peak (Z = 1.396, p = .163). There were no significant differences between lead and trail internal obliques thickness in supine (Z = 1.448, p = .148), setup (Z = 0.078, p = .938), or peak (Z = 1.086, p = .278). Golfers with a history of low back pain do not demonstrate asymmetrical oblique adaptations.

Exertional heat stroke (EHS) is prevalent across the entire United States but more commonly occurs in the Southern part of the country. Recent studies have identified a low adoption rate of athletic trainers (ATs) using best practices in managing EHS. This study aimed to identify AT’s use of rectal thermometry and cold-water immersion. We surveyed 116 ATs in Heat Safety Category Region 3 practicing in: secondary schools, universities/colleges, youth sports, professional sports, performing arts, or military/government. We identified a statistically significant difference between ATs’ actual and planned use of rectal thermometry and cold-water immersion. Athletic trainers who used EHS best practices felt confident in differentiating EHS from other conditions.

Context: Lack of sleep in collegiate student-athletes may lead to decreased athletic and academic performance and longer injury recovery time. Recent research has found a link between decreased mental health status and poor sleep habits in collegiate student-athletes. Purpose: The objective of the current study was to investigate the relationship between mental health scores measured via the General Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) scale and daytime sleep scores measured via the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) in junior college student-athletes. Results: A total of 204 participants (115 females, 89 males) with a mean age of 19.2 ± 0.8 were included in final analysis. Average GAD-7 scores were 1.05 ± 2.7, and average ESS scores were 6.04 ± 3.5. Females scored significantly higher (p < .01) on the GAD-7 questionnaire than males, but no significant difference was found between sexes on the ESS questionnaire (p = .67). A weak positive correlation was found between GAD-7 and ESS scores (r = .23, p < .001). Conclusions: Female junior collegiate student-athletes had higher anxiety scores on the GAD-7 than their male counterparts. Daytime sleepiness measured did not differ based on sex. A weak positive relationship existed between junior collegiate student-athletes anxiety and daytime sleepiness scores.

Context: It is important to identify factors that increase injury risk among youth sport participants, as injury and the fear of injury can prompt athletes to dropout of sport. Several cross-sectional studies found that sport specialization is associated with increased injury rates, specifically overuse injury, among youth sport participants. However, there is a need to critically appraise high-quality pieces of prospective evidence linking sport specialization to injury to guide clinical recommendations for clinicians interacting with youth athletes. Clinical Question: Is sport specialization a risk factor for injury, specifically overuse injury, among youth athletes, based on evidence from studies using a prospective design? Clinical Bottom Line: Sport specialization appears to be a risk factor for overuse injuries among youth athletes across a variety of sports. Overuse injuries require more time to accurately diagnose and can result in lengthy and oftentimes recurring rehabilitation, ultimately placing more burden on the athlete and clinician. Athletic trainers are in a unique position that allows them to interact with youth sport stakeholders such as athletes, parents, and coaches, and may be the best candidate to provide education about safe youth sport participation behaviors.

A novel phone application (SOBER-EYE) was developed to quantify measures of pupillary light reflex (PLR) that extends beyond traditional PLR dichotomous measurement techniques. Prior to implementation into clinical practice, the test–retest reliability must be evaluated. The primary outcome measure was the intraclass correlation coefficient. Intraclass correlation coefficients for two PLR trials included: constriction amplitude (.825), constriction velocity (.693), initial pupil diameter (.888), latency (.962), and minimum size (.851). Clinical utility was found as all intraclass correlation coefficient values were >.60. The SOBER-EYE phone app has the potential to be used in the clinical environment to assess PLR.

The purpose of this study was to examine walking and running biomechanics with and without the addition of a cognitive task in athletes recently diagnosed with concussions. We sought to determine if deficits remained after athletes were asymptomatic, had returned to baseline in all common clinical tests, and had been cleared for full return to sport participation. Seven collegiate athletes with recent concussions (recently concussed) and seven healthy matched controls (controls) completed testing sessions 1–3 days after unrestricted clearance (S1) and 1-week postclearance (S2). Participants completed four gait conditions: (1) walking alone (single task), (2) walking while completing simple mental tasks (dual task), (3) running single task, and (4) running dual task. Participants completed a total of eight walking trials, followed by a total of eight running trials counterbalanced between single- and dual-task conditions. Runscribe™ wearable shoe sensors (Scribe Labs, Inc.) were utilized to assess walking and running gait biomechanics. No significant interaction was found between group (recently concussed, control) and session (S1, S2) for speed (m/s), stride length (m), or step rate (steps/min) during the four gait conditions (p ≥ .34). However, several moderate to large effect sizes were observed for pairwise comparisons (−0.09 ≤ d ≤ 1.72), suggesting clinically meaningful decreased performance in the recently concussed group that would benefit from further study with larger samples.