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BackgroundInjury surveillance and workload monitoring are important aspects of professional sports, including cricket. However, at the community level, there is a dearth of accessible and intelligent surveillance tools. Mobile apps are an accessible tool for monitoring cricket-related injuries at all levels. ObjectiveThe objective of this paper is to share the novel methods associated with the development of the free TeamDoc app and provide evidence from an evaluation of the user experience and perception of the app regarding its functionality, utility, and design. MethodsTeamDoc mobile app for Android and Apple smartphones was developed using 3 languages: C++, Qt Modeling Language, and JavaScript. For the server-side connectivity, Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) was used as it is a commonly used cross-platform language. PHP includes components that interact with popular database management systems, allowing for secure interaction with databases on a server level. The app was evaluated by administrating a modified user version of the Mobile App Rating Scale (uMARS; maximum score: 5). ResultsTeamDoc is the first complementary, standalone mobile app that records cricket injuries through a smartphone. It can also record cricketing workloads, which is a known risk factor for injury. The app can be used without the need for supplementary computer devices for synchronization. The uMARS scores showed user satisfaction (overall mean score 3.6 [SD 0.5]), which demonstrates its acceptability by cricketers. ConclusionsElectronic injury surveillance systems have been shown to improve data collection during competitive sports. Therefore, TeamDoc may assist in improving injury reporting and may also act as a monitoring system for coaching staff to adjust individual training workloads. The methods described in this paper provide a template for researchers to develop similar apps for other sports.

The ideal implementation of soccer injury prevention programs is essential knowledge for soccer coaches. The objective of this study was to investigate and compare the implementation of injury prevention programs, specially the FIFA 11+ program, among Australian and Saudi Arabian soccer coaches. A Web-based survey was used to obtain information regarding the coaches’ implementation of injury prevention programs, the FIFA 11+ program, the Nordic hamstring exercise, pre- and post-training exercises. Sixty coaches—30 from both selected countries—responded to the survey (response rate = 75%). In Australia, 93% of the coaches implemented an injury prevention program; while 73% implemented the FIFA 11+ program, only 51% implemented all the FIFA 11+ exercise components as recommended. In Saudi Arabia, 70% of the coaches stated that they followed an injury prevention program, but only 40% followed the FIFA 11+ program. However, 70% reported using all the FIFA 11+ exercise components in their current practices, which they may have adapted from different exercise-based injury prevention programs. The Australian coaches were significantly more likely to implement injury prevention programs (p = 0.020) and the FIFA 11+ program (p = 0.009). Nonetheless, no significant difference in the full implementation of the FIFA 11+ exercises components was found (p = 0.114). The Australian coaches had greater awareness of injury prevention programs and more familiarity with the FIFA 11+ program than the Saudi Arabian coaches. Nevertheless, there was a gap between the coaches’ knowledge and their actual practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of smoking and tea consumption on urinary fluoride ion (F) levels and whether any interactive effects occurred. Three hundred university students were recruited to provide urinary samples. An Orion 4-Star ion-meter, equipped with an ion selective electrode (ISE), was used for the measurements of the F levels in the urine samples. Initially, the urinary F values studied in the smoking and tea consumption groups were evaluated by t-test and ANOVA. After this stage, the relationship between smoking and tea consumption groups was analyzed by correlation, regression, and two-way ANOVA tests. A significant difference (p<0.01) was found in the urinary F data between the smoking and nonsmoking groups. Significant differences (p<0.001) were also found among the tea beverage consumption groups. Significant positive correlations were present between the urinary F levels and both smoking and the quantity of tea consumption (r=0.170, p=0.003, and r=0.424, p<0.001, respectively). A significant relationship was observed between smoking and the quantity of tea consumption in their effect on the urinary F levels by means of regression analysis (r2=19.4%, p<0.001) and two-way ANOVA tests (F=2.15, p<0.05). Consequently, it appeared that the urinary F levels can be increased by smoking and tea consumption both together and separately and that there is an interaction between smoking and tea consumption in their effect on urinary F levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This systematic review was conducted to evaluate the effect of Olympic weightlifting (OW) on vertical jump (VJ) height compared to a control condition, traditional resistance training and plyometric training.Methods: Five electronic databases were searched using terms related to OW and VJ. Studies needed to include at least one OW exercise, an intervention lasting ≥6 weeks; a comparison group of control, traditional resistance training or plyometric training; and to have measured VJ height. The methodological quality of studies was assessed using the Downs and Black Checklist. Random and fixed effects meta-analyses were performed to pool the results of the included studies and generate a weighted mean effect size (ES).Results: Six studies (seven articles) were included in the meta-analyses and described a total of 232 participants (175 athletes and 57 physical education students) with resistance training experience, aged 19.5±2.2 years. Three studies compared OW versus control; four studies compared OW versus traditional resistance training; and three studies compared OW versus plyometric training. Meta-analyses indicated OW improved VJ height by 7.7% (95% CI 3.4 to 5.4 cm) compared to control (ES=0.62, p=0.03) and by 5.1% (95% CI 2.2 to 3.0 cm) compared to traditional resistance training (ES=0.64 p=0.00004). Change in VJ height was not different for OW versus plyometric training.Conclusions: OW is an effective training method to improve VJ height. The similar effects observed for OW and plyometric training on VJ height suggests that either of these methods would be beneficial when devising training programmes to improve VJ height. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Injury prevention programmes (IPPs) are effective in reducing injuries among adolescent team sports. However, there is no validated cricket-specific IPP despite the high incidence of musculoskeletal injuries among amateur cricketers., Objectives: To evaluate whether a cricket injury prevention programme (CIPP) as a pretraining warm-up or post-training cool-down can reduce injury rates in amateur cricket players., Methods: CIPP is a cluster randomised controlled trial which includes 36 male amateur club teams having cricket players aged 14-40 years to be randomly assigned to three study arms: warm-up, cool-down and control (n=12 teams, 136 players in each arm). The intervention groups will perform 15 min CIPP either as a pretraining warm-up or a post-training cool-down., Outcome Measures: The primary outcome measure will be injury incidence per 1000 player hours and the secondary outcome measures will be whether IPP as a warm-up is better than IPP as a cool-down, and the adherence to the intervention., Trial Registration Number: ACTRN 1261700047039., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2019. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

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