Leslie Podlog

Professional Coaches’ Perspectives on the Return to Sport Following Serious Injury

Research examining the role of coach assistance among athletes in injury rehabilitation (e.g., Bianco, 2001; Johnston & Carroll, 1998) indicates that coaches can play a significant role in the recovery of athletes with injuries. Little is known, however, about coaches’ roles in assisting athletes in the post-injury recovery time period when the athlete is returning to competition. The purpose of this study was to examine professional coaches’ perspectives of the return-to-sport transition, their role in decisions to return athletes to training and competition, and their role in assisting athletes through this adjustment period. The 14 professional coaches from Western Australia and New Zealand appeared to possess a good understanding of the stressors of returning to sport and recognized the importance of assisting athletes with this transition. The findings are discussed with regard to the extant stress and social support literature on the psychology of athletic injury.

Exploring the relationship between hope and burnout in competitive sport

Abstract Researchers have postulated that hope may be an important factor associated with burnout. Consistent with hope theory contentions, low-hope individuals may be susceptible to burnout because they are prone to experience goal blockage, frustration, and negative affect, all of which likely increase the risk of burnout. We examined the relationship between hope and athlete burnout among 178 competitive athletes (63 females and 115 males) aged 15–20 years. Hope was significantly and negatively correlated with all three burnout subscales: emotional/physical exhaustion, a reduced sense of accomplishment, and sport devaluation. Moreover, results of a multivariate analysis of variance showed that low-hope athletes scored significantly higher than medium- and high-hope athletes on all three burnout dimensions. Finally, results revealed that agency thinking was a significant predictor of all burnout dimensions. Frustration over unmet goals and a perceived lack of agency, a characteristic of low-hope athletes, might pose a risk factor in athlete burnout, whereas being able to maintain hope appears to be associated with health and well-being.

Need Satisfaction, Well-Being, and Perceived Return-to-Sport Outcomes Among Injured Athletes

The purpose of this investigation was to examine whether components of psychological well-being (i.e., positive affect, negative affect, self-esteem, and vitality) mediated the relationship between self-determination theory (SDT) basic needs (competence, autonomy and relatedness) and perceived return-to-sport outcomes. Competitive athletes (n = 204) from Australia, Canada, and the United States completed an injury need satisfaction scale, psychological well-being inventories, and a measure of perceived return-to-sport outcomes. Mediation analysis (Baron & Kenny, 1986) revealed that positive affect partially mediated the relationship between competence and autonomy need satisfaction and a renewed perspective on sport, while negative affect, self-esteem, and vitality fully mediated the relationship between relatedness need satisfaction and return concerns. Interpretation of the findings suggests the importance of components of well-being in mediating relatedness need satisfaction on “return concerns” in a sport injury context. Prospective longitudinal designs using an SDT framework are discussed to further research in this area.

Assisting injured athletes with the return to sport transition.

Sportpsychology research, however, reveals that athletes may be physically healed and rehabili-tated but not necessarily psychologically prepared to return to competition. Discussing hisreturn from injury, Earvin “Magic” Johnson commented, “But I had lost a lot of confidenceduringthelonglayoff.AndforalongtimeafterIreturned,Istillheldback.AllIcouldthinkabout was protecting my knee from another injury” (p. 137).

A Systematic Review of the Biomarker S100B: Implications for Sport-Related Concussion Management

OBJECTIVE Elevated levels of the astroglial protein S100B have been shown to predict sport-related concussion. However, S100B levels within an athlete can vary depending on the type of physical activity (PA) engaged in and the methodologic approach used to measure them. Thus, appropriate reference values in the diagnosis of concussed athletes remain undefined. The purpose of our systematic literature review was to provide an overview of the current literature examining S100B measurement in the context of PA. The overall goal is to improve the use of the biomarker S100B in the context of sport-related concussion management. DATA SOURCES PubMed, SciVerse Scopus, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, and Cochrane. STUDY SELECTION We selected articles that contained (1) research studies focusing exclusively on humans in which (2) either PA was used as an intervention or the test participants or athletes were involved in PA and (3) S100B was measured as a dependent variable. DATA EXTRACTION We identified 24 articles. Study variations included the mode of PA used as an intervention, sample types, sample-processing procedures, and analytic techniques. DATA SYNTHESIS Given the nonuniformity of the analytical methods used and the data samples collected, as well as differences in the types of PA investigated, we were not able to determine a single consistent reference value of S100B in the context of PA. Thus, a clear distinction between a concussed athlete and a healthy athlete based solely on the existing S100B cutoff value of 0.1 μg/L remains unclear. However, because of its high sensitivity and excellent negative predictive value, S100B measurement seems to have the potential to be a diagnostic adjunct for concussion in sports settings. We recommend that the interpretation of S100B values be based on congruent study designs to ensure measurement reliability and validity.

Conceptual Confusion and Potential Advances in Athlete Burnout Research.

More than 30 years of research on athlete burnout has yielded important insights and questions regarding the onset, nature, and consequences of this detrimental syndrome. Not surprisingly, burnout is considered an important matter, both from a research and practical standpoint. We comment on the work of Ryu, Ali, Kim, Choi, and Radlo, who examined the impact of burnout on cognitive performance among athletes.

Time trends for injuries and illness, and their relation to performance in the National Basketball Association

OBJECTIVES To survey injury/illness in the National Basketball Association over a 25-year period and examine the relationship of injury/illness to team performance. DESIGN A retrospective correlational design. METHODS Trends were examined in reported numbers of players injured/ill during a season and games missed due to injury/illness from seasons ending in 1986 through 2005. This period was compared to years 2006-2010, when NBA teams were allowed to increase the total number of players on the team from 12 to 15. RESULTS There was a highly significant trend (p<0.0001) of increasing numbers of players injured/ill and games missed from 1986 through 2005. After the team expansion in 2006, these rates fell abruptly by 13% and 39% respectively (both p<0.0001 compared to the previous 5-year period). We also found a significant inverse association between games missed due to injury/illness and percent games won (r=-0.29, p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Results demonstrate an increased rate of injury in the National Basketball Association up until the expansion of team size in 2006. Following 2006, team expansion was positively associated with decreased injury/illness rates. The latter finding suggests the importance of maintaining a healthy roster with respect to winning outcomes.

Examining elementary school children’s level of enjoyment of traditional tag games vs. interactive dance games

Enjoyment has been implicated as a determinant of physical activity among children and adolescents. However, the effect of different sport activities on children’s enjoyment remains largely unexplored. This study examined whether children’s enjoyment in physical education (PE) varied as a function of learning activities. Participants were 210 third- through sixth-grade children who had a 30 min PE class every week. Participants responded to a standardized self-report enjoyment survey measuring their enjoyment level in a PE class during which they participated in tag games. Students completed the same questionnaire when involved in interactive dance games in PE. The results revealed that children reported significantly higher scores in enjoyment toward interactive dance games than they did toward traditional games (p < .01). Also, girls exhibited higher enjoyment toward interactive dance games than boys did (p < .05). However, no gender difference emerged on enjoyment toward traditional games. In conclusion, it is practical and meaningful to integrate interactive dance games into PE.

A Parental Perspective on Adolescent Injury Rehabilitation and Return to Sport Experiences

The purpose of this study was to examine parent perspectives of their adolescents’ injury rehabilitation and return to competition experiences. Ten Australian parents (seven females, three males) were interviewed over an 11-month period. Six key themes emerged from parent interviews: injury rehabilitation and return to competition stressors, coping strategies for psychological and physical pain, parental concerns regarding injury rehabilitation and return to sport, the provision of social support, perceptions of a successful return to sport, and benefits of the injury experience. Results are discussed in relation to the psychology of injury literature and self-determination theory findings.

Acute Effects of 30 Minutes Resistance and Aerobic Exercise on Cognition in a High School Sample

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine differences in cognition between acute bouts of resistance exercise, aerobic exercise, and a nonexercise control in an untrained youth sample. Method: Ninety-four participants performed 30 min of aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, or nonexercise separated by 7 days each in a randomized crossover design. After each exercise intervention, participants were assessed using 2 cognitive tests. The Dot, Word, and Color elements of the Stroop Test (Victoria version) and Parts A and B of the Trail-Making Test were used to measure cognition. Results: Acute resistance and aerobic exercise resulted in similar improvements over nonexercise in all forms of the Stroop Test. Acute aerobic exercise led to improved performance over nonexercise and resistance exercise in Part B of the Trail-Making Test. Neither exercise intervention showed significant changes in time to complete Part A of the Trail-Making Test. Boys outperformed girls on the Stroop Dot and Color Test following acute aerobic exercise, in the Stroop Dot, Word, and Color Test following acute resistance exercise, and in the Stroop Color Test and Trail-Making Test Part B following nonexercise. Conclusions: Both acute resistance and aerobic exercise increased measures of cognition over a nonexercise control in untrained high school youth. These findings suggest the merits of acute resistance exercise as an alternative or complement to aerobic activity for educators aiming to increase youth physical activity and cognitive function concurrently.