Friday 7 December 2012

Performance News Dec2012.1




Can Viagra boost athletic performance?

“Last week, football player Brandon Marshall of the Chicago Bears caused a stir when he said that some National Football League players are taking Viagra to boost performance.”
- DAILYNEWS
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Why Is the NBA Treating Sleep Like a Performance-Enhancing Substance?

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has always been a league relatively free of performance-enhancing scandals. While there have been a few players who have failed drug testing, these players were not big names, and the issue came and went without much notice.

That streak ended abruptly Thursday night with three of the biggest names in the game -- Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili (as well as Danny Green) -- being busted for performance-enhancing endeavors. To add fuel to this fire, not only were all four players from the same organization, the San Antonio Spurs, but their head coach freely admits to leading them down this dark path himself. "It's the best thing for our team," Head Coach Gregg Popovich stated. Incredibly, he went on to admit that the team has done it before. As one would imagine, Commissioner David Stern quickly promised "substantial" sanctions, and he delivered in the form of a $250,000 fine. So what steroid injection, doping agent, or banned substance is at the center of this major story? The answer is sleep!
– HUFFINGTON POST
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“Watch Out For the Signs of Concussions in Youth Sports “

Concussions are caused by a hit or jolt to the head that causes the brain to move around inside the skull; this may be a direct hit or just a quick change in motion that causes the head to rotate quickly

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Elite hockey concussions are more common than reported, study finds!

The occurrence TORONTO - The occurrence of brain-rattling concussions among both elite male and female hockey players appears to be much higher than reported, suggests a study in which sports medicine doctors were behind the bench observing a season's worth of games.
The study, which followed players on two Canadian university teams during the 2011-2012 season, found the incidence of concussions was three times higher in males and more than five times greater in females than most previous research had found.
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To Your Health: The mechanics of body movement

Most of us know that good posture is important. And it's no secret that improving sports technique -- the way we throw a ball or swing a golf club -- can enhance athletic performance. But do we know why? Both are related to good body mechanics: the interaction of your muscles, bones and joints working together to produce movement.
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Schools, doctors look at new ways to measure concussion recovery

Five years ago, the diagnosis and treatment of concussions involved little more than a few questions.“Basically it was, ‘How’s your head? What day is it?’ ” said Dr. Ben Kibler, a sports medicine specialist at the Lexington (Ky.) Clinic. “ ‘It’s Saturday? OK, you can go back and play now.’ ”
But as research and awareness of the long-term effects of concussions have increased, the process an athlete must undergo in order to return to action has become more thorough.
-          COURIER JOURNAL
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Female athletes can avoid ACL tears by learn how to jump and land

A leading sports medicine surgeon believes incorporating a jumping and landing program into a regular training regimen can help keep women on the field and out of the operating room. “Studies have shown up to a 50 percent decrease in ACL tears in female soccer players who took part in a jumping and landing program,” said Dr. Patrick McCulloch, an orthopedic surgeon with the Methodist Center for Sports Medicine in Houston.
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Maintaining Nutrition Goals at Christmas

Christmas should not be a challenging time if sensible consideration and planning is implemented. English Institute of Sport Performance Nutritionist Emma Gardner has given us some tips to help maintain your nutrition goals at Christmas.
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EU sports food group on PARNUTS: “We need resolution and closure"

A pan-European sports nutrition group that counts Volac, Carbery and Abbott Laboratories (EAS) as members says it is time the lengthy debate over European Union sports food regulation ended – and general food law is the right place to do it.
Biggest Trends in Sports Medicine Research: Q&A With Dr. Robert LaPrade of The Steadman Clinic

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Britain's Olympic taekwondo stars launch hunt for medal winners of the future

Great Britain’s taekwondo Olympic stars Jade Jones, Lutalo Muhammad and Sarah Stevenson have launched the first talent identification programme following the success of London Olympics.
In the build-up to the Rio Games in 2016 — and in conjunction with UK Sport and the English Institute of Sport — GB Taekwondo has launched Fighting Chance: Battle4Brazil, a nationwide talent identification programme.
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