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Forty-five Sprague-Dawley rats (60–80 days old) were randomly placed into one of three groups: sedentary pregnant control (PC); prepregnancy trained animals that exercised throughout pregnancy (PR); and nonpregnant trained animals (NPR). Each exercising animal ran at approximately 60–70% aerobic capacity (V̇O2max) for 1 hour/day up to and including day 18 of gestation (term = 21 days). On day 20 of gestation, fetuses were excised from each pregnant animal and scrutinized for gross abnormalities. In 3 randomly chosen fetuses from each litter, brain, heart, kidney, hind limb, and placental tissues were removed to assess the accumulation of the inducible isoform of the 70-kilodalton heat shock protein (Hsp 72i). No significant differences were detected between fetal hearts, hind limbs, or placental tissues of PC or PR groups. No Hsp 72i signal could be detected in fetal kidney or brain tissues from either pregnant group. Results indicate that maternal core temperature did not reach the threshold that would induce either gross fetal abnormalities or a fetal heat shock protein response. However, fetal and placental growth was reduced by the exercise protocol.

The purpose was to determine the effects of exercise on fetal and placental glycogen storage patterns at 20 days gestation (term 21 days) in mature (approximately 12 months of age) Sprague-Dawley rats. The exercise protocol consisted of treadmill running at 30 m min−1, on a 10 incline, for 60 min, 5 days per week, for 4 weeks prior to conception, which continued until day 19 of pregnancy. Exercise produced a significant reduction in fetal body weight, placental weight, and fetal organ weights (heart, kidney, brain, and liver) compared to sedentary control animals (p

Dave Dravecky, pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, returned to competition 10 months after surgical removal of a desmoid tumor in the deltoid muscle and cryosurgery of the humerus of his pitching arm. While delivering a pitch, Dravecky sustained a spiral fracture of his humerus. Abnormal loading and muscle balance, changes in bone geometry, stress concentration, and fatigue failure may have contributed to the fracture that halted Dave Dravecky's comeback. Exploration of these biomechanical factors may help the reader contemplate a baseball pitcher's return to high performance after musculoskeletal injury, trauma, and surgery. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1992;16(1):2-5.