Objective: Intense and regular exercise induces physiological adaptations that improve lung function. This study aims to compare the lung capacities of professional athletes and non-athlete healthy individuals. Material and Methods: Age, height, weight, PFT and hemoglobin values of 59 adult athletes from four different branches (25 soccer, 19 basketball, 12 handball, three volleyball players) and 51 healthy non-athletes who applied for a yearly checkup clinic at a university hospital were obtained and compared. Results: There was no significant difference in terms of age and weight of athletes and the control group. The athletes' forced expiratory volume 1 (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) values were significantly greater than the controls' (Respectively 4.86±0.66 L vs 4.58±0.66 L; p=0.02 and 5.87±0.98 L vs 5.40±0.82 L; p=0.008). There was no significant difference between the FEV1/FVC ratio of athletes and the control group (83.6%±7.7 vs 85.2%±5.8; p>0.05). Hemoglobin levels of the athletes were significantly lower than the control group (14.9±0.9 g/dl vs 15.2±0.8 g/dl; p=0.02). Conclusion: Compared to non-athletes, professional athletes have considerably higher FEV1 and FVC values, likely resulting from intensive training. Athletes' lower hemoglobin values may be attributed to the physiological changes related to regular exercise. These findings further emphasize the necessity of interpreting athletes' PFTs within the athlete population by using personalized reference values, to prevent potential misdiagnoses.

Objective: Spinal pathologies are common musculoskeletal disorders in industrialized societies, often leading to impaired thoracic rotation, which is crucial for spinal stability and weight transfer during movement. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a physiotherapy program on thoracic rotation in individuals with spinal pathologies. Method: The study group consisted of 56 patients with spinal pathologies, including 32 with lumbar and 24 with cervical involvement, while the control group comprised 34 healthy individuals without spinal pathologies. Pain was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale and the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire; disability was evaluated with the Oswestry Disability Index and the Neck Disability Index; physical performance was measured using the Five-Repetition Sit-to-Stand Test; and quality of life was assessed with the Short-Form 36 Health Survey. Thoracic rotation degree was measured using a goniometer. The physiotherapy program, prescribed by a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist, was implemented by a physiotherapist for the study group. It consisted of 15 sessions, conducted five days per week, with each session lasting 45-60 minutes. The entire program spanned three weeks. Assessments were performed once for the control group and both before and after physiotherapy for the study group. Results: The baseline assessments revealed that the study group had significantly lower thoracic rotation degrees and higher disability levels compared to the control group (p<0.05). Following the physiotherapy intervention, the study group demonstrated statistically significant improvements in thoracic rotation, pain reduction, quality of life, and sit-to-stand test performance (p<0.05). Conclusion: Physiotherapy effectively reduces pain and improves quality of life in individuals with spinal pathologies. However, despite improvements, thoracic rotation remains lower than in healthy individuals. Incorporating targeted exercises for thoracic rotation into physiotherapy programs may enhance clinical outcomes in this population.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between proprioceptive sense and muscle strength in individuals with shoulder impingement syndrome. Materials and Methods: The study included 45 participants (15 males and 30 females, aged 22-74) with shoulder impingement syndrome and pain for at least 1 month. The study assessed shoulder proprioception on both the painful and non-painful sides using the Goniometer Pro application and shoulder muscle strength with the K-Force hand dynamometer. Comparisons of proprioception and muscle strength between both sides were made using the paired sample t-test for parametric data and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test for non-parametric data. The relationship between proprioception and muscle strength was analyzed using Pearson's correlation for parametric data and Spearman's rank correlation for non-parametric data. Results were considered significant at 0.05 level. Results: A significant difference was found between the proprioception and muscle strength of the painful and non-painful shoulders; the painful side exhibited lower proprioception and muscle strength. Significant correlations were observed between proprioception and muscle strength of both the painful and non-painful sides. These correlations were stronger on the painless side across various parameters. Proprioception during 15° and 30° internal rotation and 15° external rotation were more closely related to muscle strength on the non-painful side. Meanwhile, proprioception during 30° flexion and 30° abduction were more closely associated with muscle strength on the painful side. Conclusions: Shoulder impingement syndrome can impact the proprioception and muscle strength, leading to a decline in function. In the case of shoulder impingement, proprioception is more related to shoulder flexion and abduction muscle strength. We recommend incorporating exercises that enhance proprioception, particularly those that strengthen flexion and abduction muscles, in the rehabilitation of shoulder impingement syndrome.

Objective: To determine the association between the growth spurt status (GSS) and injury risk in adolescent male cricket players during a six-month cricket season. Materials and methods: Seventy-six male cricketer players (13-18 years old), participated in this prospective longitudinal cohort study. Injuries were self-reported weekly using a standardised questionnaire. GSS was calculated (Khamis-Roche Method) at the beginning, middle and end of the season as a percentage of predicted adult height (%PAH), categorising participants into pre-peak height velocity (PHV), circa-PHV, and post-PHV. Fischer exact, Mann-Whitney and t-tests calculated differences between groups. A mixed-effects Poisson regression analysis determined the association between the GSS and injury. Results: At the beginning of the season, 61.8% (n=47) of participants were in circa-PHV and 38.2% (n=29) in post-PHV. At the end of the season, most participants were in post-PHV (n=38, 55.1%). Thirty-seven participants (48.7%) reported 60 in-season injuries, and 13.08 injuries were reported/1000 player hours. The highest percentage noted of injured participants in the middle and end of the season were in circa-PHV (66.7%, n=6) and post-PHV (62.5%, n=10), respectively. Previous injury predicted in-season injury (95%CI, p=0.034) in the univariate analysis. Participants were 1.9 times more likely to get injured if previously injured. No statistically independent relationship between GSS (%PAH) and rate of injuries was found. Conclusions: There was no association between GSS and injury risk during a six-month cricket season. Pre-season assessment should identify previous injuries as this was a predictor of in-season injury and this data could form part of injury prevention strategies for young cricketers. Growth spurt status should not be overemphasized as a primary risk factor, clinicians and support staff should rather highlight established factors (bowling workload, technique, strength deficits). GSS could be monitored individually in at-risk players.

Background: This study was planned to determine the effect of patellofemoral pain (PFP) on functional mobility, quality of life, and kinesiophobia in elite soccer players. Methods: Screening was conducted among 125 football players aged 14-19 in the U14-U18 infrastructure football team of professional Tümosan Konyaspor club in Konya province, and 30 football players who had PFP between February-April 2024 were included in the study. Pain symptom severity at rest and during performance-based functional mobility tests was assessed with Patellofemoral Syndrome Pain Severity Scale (PSS), functional evaluation with Kujala Patellofemoral score (KPS), activity level with Tegner Activity Level (TAS), functional disability status with Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale (LDSS), daily life activity with Knee Test for Daily Living Activities (KOS-ADL), kinesiophobia was evaluated using the Tampa Kinesiophobia Scale (TSK). Results: PFP was evaluated with PSS. There was a weak negative correlation between PSS and KPS (r=-0.442, p=0.014), a moderate negative correlation between PSS and TAS (r=-0.503, p=0.005), a weak negative correlation between PSS and LDSS (r=-0.465, p=0.010), a moderately negative significant correlation between PSS and KOS-ADL (r=-0.532, p=0.003) were found. No relationship could be determined between PSS and TSK or complaint duration. Multiple regression analysis determined that activity level (β=-0.484, p=0.011) and daily living activity (β=-0.516, p=0.007) affected patellofemoral pain. Discussion: It has been determined that PFP affects functional mobility, activity level, and quality of life in elite football players and has no effect on kinesiophobia. The lack of a relationship with kinesiophobia is thought to be because the pain intensity of the athletes participating in our study was not high.

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the MyotonPRO device in measuring the mechanical properties of the iliotibial band in healthy individuals. Materials and Methods: Thirty-two healthy participants (20 males, 12 females) aged between 19 and 27 years were included in the study. The mechanical properties of the iliotibial band (tone, stiffness, elasticity) were measured using the MyotonPRO device (Mumeetria Ltd, Tallinn, Estonia). To determine the reliability of the device, measurements were performed by two independent researchers. After the initial measurements, a second round of measurements was repeated by the same two researchers after 48 hours. Results: The MyotonPRO provided very high intra- and inter-rater reliability in measuring the mechanical properties of the iliotibial band (intraclass correlation coefficients 2.1>0.81). The standard measurement error was calculated as 0.8 to 0.5 Hz for tone, 40.3 to 27.9 N/m for stiffness, and 0.1 log for elasticity for both raters. For inter-rater values, tone was 0.7 to 0.6 Hz, stiffness was 17.8 to 25.1 N/m, and elasticity was 0.04 to 0.1 log. The minimum detectable change for intra-rater measurements was found to be 2.3 to 1.5 Hz for tone, 111.7 to 77.3 N/m for stiffness, and 0.2 log for elasticity for both raters. For inter-rater measurements, tone was 1.9 to 1.6 Hz, stiffness was 49.4 to 69.6 N/m, and elasticity was 0.1 to 0.2 log. The coefficient of variation for all parameters was below 9.8%. Conclusion: The results indicate that the MyotonPRO device is a reliable tool for measuring the tone, stiffness, and elasticity of the iliotibial band in healthy individuals.

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the type of injuries and the distribution of the injury regions of athletes in some Turkish universities' table tennis teams during training and competitions in a year. Material and Methods: A total of 117 volunteer athletes (51 males and 66 females) participated in the study. A personal information form and the Nordic Musculoskeletal System Questionnaire were used to evaluate the injuries. The questionnaire was created on Google Form and filled in by voluntary participants. SPSS 23.0 statistical package program was used to evaluate the data. Percentage and frequency distributions of the data and chi-square test analysis results are presented in tables. The significance level was considered as p<0.05. Results: It is seen that table tennis athletes usually experience injuries in the upper extremities during training. It was determined that these injuries did not reveal a difference according gender, but warm-up exercises performed before training and competitions, and cooling-down exercises performed afterwards had positive effects on injury prevention. Conclusion: Upper extremity injuries in table tennis athletes can be reduced by correct warm-up and cool-down exercises.

Quadriceps strains are common in sports, including kicking and repetitive sprinting activities like football. The rectus femoris, a muscle located in the front of thigh that crosses two joints, is the most often damaged muscle in the quadriceps group. Percutaneous electrolysis therapy is an invasive procedure that is used for treating several musculoskeletal problems. It was initially developed and used to treat chronic patellar tendinopathy; however, its spectrum of applications have rapidly expanded. A 34-year-old male recreative football player admitted with pain in the anterior region of his thigh started by a sudden sharp sensation while playing football. Following musculoskeletal examination and imaging evaluations, a grade 2 rectus femoris injury was identified. This patient received successful ultrasonography-guided percutaneous electrolysis therapy.

Objective: The aim of this study is to develop an application for image processing of motion analysis system videos. Methods: After recording the descriptive information of the volunteer participants, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ) was completed in a face-to-face environment. Upon completing the questionnaire, the participants were videotaped in accordance with the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) protocol. LESS scoring was performed by five researchers using Kinovea v.0.9.5, which has been used in image processing of similar dynamic motion analysis systems in our clinic in the past, and a newly developed program called HAS. The program was developed using .Net Maui .Net 8 on Visual Studio. SPSS v.23 and GraphPad Prism 8 programs were used for data analysis. Results: Forty healthy young people, of which 47.5% (n=19) male and 52.5% (n=21) female, participated in the study. All of the participants had right dominancy. Those who reported regular exercise habits were 40% (n=16). The age of the participants was 21.7±2.4 years and body mass index was 23.0±3.9 kg/m2. The IPAQ-total value was determined as 2006±1801 METs. Considering all of the evaluators, the inter-rater intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated as 0.970 (0.952-0.982) in test-Kinovea, 0.973 (0.957-0.984) in retest-Kinovea, 0.981 (0.969-0.989) in test-New and 0.977 (0.963-0.987) in retest-New, respectively. As visualized in the measurements of the sports medicine specialist, no significant differences were detected in the intra-rater dependent and independent group test results of all evaluators (p˃0.05). Conclusion: Video image processing processes of motion analysis systems, especially LESS, can be realized by using the HAS program.