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The purpose of this work was to provide a simple method to determine reactive strength during the 6-meter timed hop test (6mTH) and evaluate its association with isokinetic peak torque in patients following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Twenty-nine ACLR patients who were at least four months from surgery were included in this analysis. Participants were brought into the laboratory on one occasion to complete functional testing. Quadriceps and hamstring isokinetic testing was completed bilaterally at 60, 180, and 300 deg∙s-1, using extension peak torque from each speed as the outcome measure. The 6mTH was completed bilaterally using a marker-based motion capture system, and reactive strength ratio (RSR) was calculated from the vertical velocity of the pelvis during the test. An adjustment in RSR was made using the velocity of the 6mTH test to account for different strategies employed across participants. Repeated measures correlations were used to determine associations among isokinetic and hop testing variables. A two-way mixed analysis of variance was used to determine differences in isokinetic and hop testing variables between operated and non-operated legs and across male and female participants. Moderate positive associations were found between RSR (and adjusted RSR) and isokinetic peak torque at all speeds (r =.527 to.577). Mean comparisons showed significant main effects for leg and sex. Patients showed significant deficits in their operated versus non-operated legs in all isokinetic and hop testing variables, yet only isokinetic peak torque and timed hop time showed significant differences across male and female groups. Preliminary results are promising but further development is needed to validate other accessible technologies available to calculate reactive strength during functional testing after ACLR. Pending these developments, the effects of movement strategies, demographics, and levels of participation on RSR can then be explored to translate this simple method to clinical environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Football League (NFL) made changes to its operations for the 2020 season. We hypothesize an increase in the rate of injuries during the 2020 season. Publicly available data were reviewed to identify NFL injuries from the 2015-2020 seasons. Player position, description of injury, date of injury, and injury setting were recorded. p#0.05 was considered statistically significant. For the 2020 season, compared with the 2015-2019 seasons, there was an increased risk of injury during the regular season overall relative risk (RR) 5 1.308 (p, 0.05), week (W)1 RR 5 7.33 (p, 0.05), W1-6 RR 5 1.964 (p, 0.05), W7-12 RR 5 1.8909 (p, 0.05), and during the postseason overall RR 5 1.1444 (p, 0.05), calculated using analysis of variance. There was an overall increased risk of abdominal or core injuries RR51.248 (p < 0.05), groin or hip injuries RR52.534 (p < 0.05), and hamstring injuries RR 5 3.644 (p, 0.05). There was an increased risk of hamstring injuries in cornerbacks RR 5 3.219 (p, 0.05) and running backs RR 5 1.1394 (p, 0.05), hip or groin injuries in guards RR 5 1.105 (p, 0.05), Achilles tendon injuries in safeties RR51.6976 (p < 0.05), quadriceps injuries in running backs RR51.6191 (p < 0.05), and arm injuries in defensive tackles RR 5 1.221 (p, 0.05). There was an increase in the overall rate of injuries in the 2020 NFL season, both in the regular season and postseason, compared with the 2015-2019 seasons. The overall rate of abdominal or core, groin or hip, and hamstring injuries increased. Specific player positions saw unique increases in rates of injuries. These findings may be due to numerous operational changes implemented, such as reduced in-person training and the elimination of the preseason, leading to suboptimal, sportsspecific conditioning and increased risk of musculoskeletal injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are devastating for elite athletes, including those in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The purpose of this study was to describe common in-game mechanisms of injury, playing situations, and anatomic positioning of players who sustained an ACL injury in the NBA., Methods: ACL tears which occurred in NBA games during the previous 16 seasons (2007-2022) and had accessible video clips were identified through publicly available reports., Results: Thirty-one ACL tears were identified with quality videos available. Nearly all players were on offense (93.5%, 29/31). Most ACL tears (29/31, 93.5%) did not involve direct contact to the injured extremity. The most common physical activity at the time of injury was landing from any type of jump (45.2%, 14/31). Anatomically, the knee was frequently in early flexion (58.8%, 10/17) and abducted (77.4%, 24/31); the foot was commonly abducted (87.1%, 27/31); and the hip was usually abducted (64.5%, 20/31) and flexed (80.6%, 25/31). Almost all players had another individual near them at the time of injury, with 90.3% (28/31) and 96.8% (30/31) having someone within 2ft and 5ft., Conclusions: Most ACL tears occurred inside the lane, regardless of mechanism of injury (26/31, 83.9%). ACL tears in the NBA were primarily not due to direct contact of the injured extremity but did have common anatomic patterns. The findings of this study can be used in the future to help reduce the risk of injury through the adaptation of current training activities.