The author summarised the process and outcomes of the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport- Consensus statement on concussion in sport : the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport-. Amsterdam, October 2022, focusing on items that may be useful in sports practice. It is noteworthy that in this consensus statement, the benefits of physical activity and aerobic exercise treatment as early intervention and return-to-learning and return-to-sport strategies are described as evidence-based, and that para-athletes and age-specificity are mentioned.

When a head injury occurs in sports, it is important to have an up-to-date and correct under-standing of sports-related concussion (SRC) as well as the possibility of serious injuries such as acute subdural hematoma and cervical spinal cord injury. The process of emergency response for SRC consists of a safety check of sports environment, followed by an assessment for the symptoms including Red Flags to determine whether the emergency response and transport is needed. Regarding to protective equipment in sports, it is not clear when to remove them, thus it is necessary to know a rule for the emergency response in national federations. In case of an emergency, a team should be able to apply a process based on the team’s emergency action plan (EAP). Also conducting simulations of the EAP annually is the key to make a success. For graduated return-to-play (GRTP) in SRC, the 6th International Conference on Concussion in sport recommends that activities should begin 24 to 48 hours after an injury as long as the step one activity does not worsen any symptom. We need to understand how to manage SRC and minimize the risk of SRC.

SRC education for athletes plays an important role in SRC prevention and athlete health management. This paper introduces educational tools for SRC developed by various organisations in other countries, and also introduces the practical methods of those who are actually engaged in SRC education and awareness-raising activities in Japan. We hope that many teams will make use of these tools to promote safety education, as they can be easily selected and used according to the needs of each site.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the athlete conditioning strategies conducted by the top medal-winning countries at their pre-event training camps towards the 32nd Olympic Games (2020/Tokyo). The top countries were surveyed on the environment and conditioning strategies at their pre-event training camps, and the relationships between the results of these surveys and the competition results were examined. The results showed that, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the top countries conducted their pre-training camps as scheduled, and most of them were accompanied by medical and training instructors. In relation to the results of the competitions, the finding clarified that the countries that held their pre-training camps in the Kanto region had better results.

This study aimed to investigate differences in joint kinematics during single-leg squat and the landing phase of squat jumps among collegiate alpine ski racers wearing ski boots compared to tennis shoes. The total of fourteen markers were placed on a subject’s body bilaterally, and each trial was filmed by two video cameras to capture the sagittal and frontal views. There were significant differences in trunk lateral flexion, knee valgus, trunk forward flexion, knee flexion, and ankle dorsiflexion angles during single-leg squat tasks comparing the ski boots condition with the tennis shoes (gym shoes) condition. However, there were no significant differences during the landing phase of squat jumps. These results indicate that wearing ski boots may elicit different movement strategies during a single-leg squat task compared with tennis shoes. Therefore, it may be necessary for athletic trainers to have alpine ski racers to wear ski boots during rehabilitation and conditioning, as it creates more competition-like challenges and restrictions.

The Short Foot Exercise (SFE) has emerged as a distinctive regimen, specifically tailored to strengthen intrinsic foot muscles, gaining substantial awareness in the discipline of physical activity research. While existing research has demonstrated SFE’s potential in augmenting dynamic postural control, an evident void persists regarding its effects over a concise two-week timeframe. Furthermore, the exploration of tactile perception of the plantar superficial sensation has not been performed.

In response to these gaps, this study investigates the impact of a targeted two-week SFE intervention. This investigation aimed to evaluate both dynamic postural control and the subtle realm of tactile plantar superficial sensation. The results indicated that the two-week SFE intervention did not yield significant improvements in dynamic postural control; however, it demonstrated a notable enhancement in tactile plantar superficial sensation.

The aim of this study was to identify (1) the relationship between previous BLS (basic life support) training experience, BLS confidence, and the understanding of BLS procedures and (2) the association between BLS training experience and BLS awareness among school-organized sports staff who visited Sugadaira Kogen, Nagano for a summer training camp. We found that 132 (82.0%) of the total respondents had previous BLS training experience, including coaches (54, 76.1%), advisors (50, 94.3%), trainers (19, 100%), and student staff (9, 56.3%). BLS training experience was related to high BLS confidence and the understanding of BLS procedures. BLS confidence was also associated with higher knowledge. No statistically significant differences were found by staff position in BLS confidence and the understanding of BLS procedures.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between job-related stressors and burnout. 96 JSPO-ATs participants (82 male and 14 female) completed a web questionnaires. A multiple regression analyses showed that scores of “quantitative job conflict” “interpersonal conflict”, “job control” “job fitness”, “job satisfaction” were significantly associated with the burnout score. Preventing burnout in advance is important because JSPO-ATs suffering from burnout has a negative impact on the athletes and clients they support. These findings suggest that in order to prevent burnout in JSPO-AT, it is important not only to reduce job stressors but also to construct a good relationship with another profession.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the differences in body composition between college female track and field athletes who renewed their PB in one season and those who did not renew their PB. The body composition values before and after the season’s best were compared between the PB renewal group and the PB non-renewal group and were analyzed. The total lean body mass was higher in the PB renewal group than in the non-PB renewal group. In addition, a main effect of total lean body mass was observed before and after SB, with significantly higher values measured before SB regardless of performance (F (1,41)＝10.8, p＝0.002). The results suggest that not only total lean body mass, but also total fat body mass should be taken into account when referring to body composition.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to identify muscle activities required to stabilize knee alignment between Knee-in and Neutral groups during a static lunge task.

[Subjects and Methods] Twenty male subjects who joined sports requiring deceleration movements were included. Participants who had knee valgus alignment which is called “knee-in” were designated as the Knee-in group and others were assigned to the Neutral group, based on knee alignment during single-leg squats. Hip and thigh muscle activities were analyzed during a lunge task with a neutral knee position in the frontal plane, and these activities were compared between the Knee-in and Neutral groups. In the Neutral group, muscle activities around the shank were analyzed in the anterior or posterior weight-bearing positions.

[Results] There were no significant differences in the hip or thigh muscle activities between the Knee-in and Neutral groups. Activities of the gastrocnemius, soleus, and long peroneal muscle were greater during anterior weight-bearing position (p = 0.008).

[Conclusion] Muscle activities of the hip and posterior thigh do not seem to keep the knee neutrally in the frontal plane. Anterior position of weight-bearing increases muscle activity of the posterior shank and may stabilize sagittal knee alignment.

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors associated with the use of trainer services in Japanese high school athletic clubs. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among the club activity coaches from 5007 high schools in Japan. The survey items included the status of trainer service use and characteristics of the school (area, establishment, and number of students), club (sport, number of athletes, sex of athletes, status of activity, aim), and coach (sex, age, teaching license, teaching carrier, history of the athletic club they belonged to, and history of trainer use). A cross-tabulation analysis was conducted, and odds ratios were calculated for each characteristic by trainer service use adjusted for other factors. A total of 6045 coaches completed to the survey. The factors associated with more trainer service use were those with team sports, especially rugby; those with a large number of athletes; those with higher goals (i.e. regional vs national championship); and, those with coaches with a history of trainer service use.

This study aimed to determine the effects of icing or exercise around the shoulder joint range of motion and strength in baseball pitchers. The participants were seven high school baseball pitchers who regularly practiced pitching. This study measured shoulder joint range of external and internal rotation and strength of both external and internal rotations. All participants threw a total of 100 pitches with the interval time of 5 minutes every after 20 pitches, which mimicked a game situation, for two consecutive days. A randomized comparison was made between the icing and exercise intervention after pitching. Icing was applied to the front and back side of the shoulder with a bag and Velcro strap for 15 minutes. The exercise method consisted of two sets of three exercises of internal rotation, external rotation, and abduction of the shoulder joint for lasting 15 minutes. The results showed there were no significant differences in throwing performance between participants with exercise and icing; however, the shoulder joint range of motion and shoulder external/inner rotation muscle strength were significantly higher with exercise than with icing. These results suggest that shoulder exercise with an elastic band may be beneficial for young active baseball pitchers in terms of shoulder range of motion and strength related to throwing motion after pitching, compared with the application of icing.

Students engaged in injury survey. Students used the record chart to identify and reflect on injury, basic conditioning information, reporting to coach, and sharing information among trainers. They also identified challenges in recording and collecting the information as: informing the athletic department, forgetting to keep records, communicating with players, and writing the information. Faculty members need to understand the challenges students face in their practice and provide guidance and advice.

Asymmetries in trunk rotation muscle strength can be seen in trunk rotation movements in many sports performance. This present study aimed to investigate the effects of the dominant hand side, throwing and hitting movements on trunk rotational muscle strength with 36 healthy young male subjects, all of whom had played baseball beyond a recreational level. After identifying the dominant hand side for each subject, trunk rotational muscle strength was measured on both left and right sides to compare the dominant side to the non-dominant side for each subject. The results showed that the trunk rotation muscle strength was significantly greater on the non-dominant hand side. These results suggest that the asymmetry of individual former habitual movement experiences might still develop the asymmetry of trunk rotation muscle strength, related to throwing and hitting movements. Another possible mechanism for this might be associated with the neuromuscular control of movement in the non-dominant side trunk rotation, which was on the front side while swinging a baseball bat as well as throwing the ball.

The purpose of this study was to examine a long-term intervention effect of in an injury prevention program by an athletic trainer on the number, frequency, and rate of injuries in athletic club activities at N high school. The results showed that there was a significant decrease in the overall number and rate of injuries after the intervention. In addition, significant decreases were also observed in the number of lower extremity and knee injuries, as well as the number and rate of injuries in each region.

The purpose of this study was to report the effect of conditioning on the baseball field using icing on the palm. Items for palm icing were distributed to 114 members of the university baseball team and used from June to August. After that, we listened to the subjective effects. As a result, 61% said it was effective in preventing heatstroke, 49% said it relieved general fatigue, and 14% said it prevented shoulder and elbow tension. Icing on the palms may be effective in preventing heatstroke, reducing general fatigue, and reducing symptoms of shoulders and elbows.