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Objective: To determine if 35 days of creatine supplementation (Cr) followed by 28 days of no supplementation altered lower leg anterior compartment pressure (ACP) at rest and after exercise.Design and Setting: Subjects were divided into 2 treatment groups: (1) high dose (0.3 g Cr x kg body mass[-1] x d[-1] for 7 days followed by 0.03 g Cr x kg body mass[-1] x d[-1] for 28 days), or (2) low dose (0.03 g Cr x kg body mass[-1] x d[-1] for 35 days). After 35 days, supplementation was terminated, and no Cr was ingested for 28 days.Subjects: Sixteen physically active, healthy, college-aged males (VO2max = 47.6 +/- 5.1 mL x kg[-l x min[-1]).Measurements: At baseline, 7 days and 35 days of supplementation, and 28 days postsupplementation, ACP was measured preexercise and immediately, 1, 5, 10, and 15 minutes postexercise after a treadmill run at 80% VO2max.Results: For ACP, there was no significant group-by-time interaction, but there was a significant time effect for group when the data were combined. ACP was significantly increased at preexercise, immediately postexercise, and 1, 5, and 10 minutes from baseline to 7 days. ACP remained significantly elevated from baseline at 35 days immediately postexercise and 1 minute postexercise. After 28 days of no supplementation, ACP began to return to presupplementation levels, with only the 1-minute postexercise measurement significantly elevated from baseline.Conclusions: Creatine supplementation increased ACP at rest and after exercise, and ACP began to return to normal after 28 days of no supplementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To report abnormal changes in lower leg anterior compartment pressure in 1 subject who consumed creatine as a dietary supplement.Background: The subject received creatine at a dosage of 0.3 g x kg body mass-1 x d-1 for 6 days, followed by 0.03 g x kg body mass-1 x d-1 for 28 days. Thereafter, the subject consumed no supplement for 21 days. Compartment pressure was measured pre-exercise and for 15 minutes postexercise after a treadmill run for 20 minutes at 80% of VO[2] max before supplementation and after 6 and 34 days of supplementation.Differential Diagnosis: Normally, resting anterior compartment pressure is less than 15 mm Hg, whereas postexercise pressure is below 30 to 35 mm Hg. Creatine supplementation for 6 days dramatically increased pressure at rest (31 mm Hg) and at 1 minute (67 mm Hg), 5 minutes (35 mm Hg), 10 minutes (28 mm Hg), and 15 minutes (26 mm Hg) postexercise. Pressure remained high at rest (35 mm Hg) and at 1 minute (109 mm Hg), 5 minutes (90 mm Hg), 10 minutes (87 mm Hg), and 15 minutes (69 mm Hg) postexercise after 34 days of supplementation.Treatment: The subject stopped taking creatine for 21 days. Compartment pressure was measured at rest and after exercise after 7 and 21 days with no supplementation. Anterior compartment pressure decreased after cessation of creatine supplementation. However, pressures were elevated at 7 days postsupplementation at rest (26 mm Hg) and at 1 minute (112 mm Hg), 5 minutes (58 mm Hg), 10 minutes (40 mm Hg), and 15 minutes (30 mm Hg) postexercise. Pressures at 21 days postsupplementation remained high at rest (24 mm Hg) and at 1 minute (64 mm Hg), 5 minutes (42 mm Hg), 10 minutes (27 mm Hg), and 15 minutes (27 mm Hg) postexercise.Conclusion: These data indicate that creatine supplementation can substantially increase anterior compartment pressure in the leg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent surveys indicate that the use of androgenic-anabolic steroids (anabolic steroids) is prevalent among adolescent athletes, particularly those in high school. The cost of clinical drug testing makes it impractical to use random testing to identify users of these ergogenic aids. The athletic trainer is often in a position to identify anabolic steroid users if he/she knows the clinical signs and symptoms. In this article, we briefly discuss the history of anabolic steroid use, how they work, their potentially dangerous side effects, evidence of increased use by adolescent athletes, and a list of clinical signs and symptoms. Finally, we suggest strategies that may help athletic trainers counsel athletes about anabolic steroid use.

While ice and compression wraps are commonly used to treat musculoskeletal injuries, the literature describing intramuscular temperatures has not addressed the combination of ice and compression wraps. The purpose of this study was to evaluate intramuscular temperatures at three sites on the anterior thigh (skin surface, 1 cm below the fat layer, and 2 cm below the fat layer) using both ice and compression wraps. Temperatures were recorded in 11 subjects with an isothermex, using implantable and surface thermocouples. Each subject was tested under four conditions: control, compression only, ice only, and ice + compression according to a balanced Latin square. Surface and intramuscular temperatures were recorded at 30 second intervals during 5 minutes of preapplication, 30 minutes application, and 20 minutes postapplication. A repeated measures ANOVA and Duncan post hoc tests were used to evaluate peak temperature differences between the treatment conditions and the depths of measurement. Both ice alone and ice + compression produced significant cooling at all three depths (F(6,60) = 168.5, p<.0005). Likewise, during the 20-minute postapplication period, these temperatures did not return to their preapplication levels. The compression-only condition produced significant warming at the skin surface, but did not have any effect on intramuscular temperature. At all depths, the ice + compression condition produced significantly cooler temperatures than ice alone. We suggest that compression increases the effectiveness of ice in reducing tissue temperatures. Therefore, ice combined with compression should be more effective than ice alone in reducing the metabolism of injured tissue. This provides an additional rationale for combining ice with compression in treating acute musculoskeletal injuries.

In this study we examined the effects of varied recovery time on serum creatine kinase (CK), serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), muscle soreness, and pitch velocity in baseball pitchers. Ten males who had pitching experience participated in the study. After an 18-day training period, subjects pitched three simulated games. Game A and Game B were separated by four days of rest, while Game B and Game C were separated by two days of rest. CK, LDH, and muscle soreness were evaluated at the following times: before and immediately after exercise, and six, 24, 48, and 72 hours after exercise. Muscle performance was evaluated by measuring pitch velocity during the games. The CK level was elevated after each game (Game A - 249 U/l; Game B - 243 U/l; and Game C - 240 U/l); then it dropped toward baseline (p