End Of Tournament Research Articles

Acute Kidney Injury From Heat Illness - Rugby Union (7-players-a-side)

HISTORY: A 30-year-old men’s club Division I Rugby-7s winger sustained abdominal cramping and profuse sweating at tournament end. Player reported these symptoms from exertional demands of the sport. Player noted, he aided hydration throughout the tournament (Local Temp=91F) with water and electrolyte supplementation with “sports drinks.” Diet included fruits, candy, and meats during tournament. Player denies difficulty urinating, yet described urine to be dark in color. No significant medical history, but noted comparable cramping events that occurred approximately 2½ months prior, as well as, 2-years ago with no medical intervention. Six National Championship tournament matches (each match lasted 14 minutes) later he advised the team doctor. PHYSICAL EXAM: Examination post tournament, reflected profuse diaphoresis and abdominal muscle cramping at end of tournament. Patient transferred to local ED, where exam revealed an alert player in no acute distress, mild Temp=98.3F, BP=136/89, Pulse=66, PO2=98, cool to touch and mildly diaphoretic. Player had generalized abdominal muscle cramping. No lower or upper extremity muscle presentation. Blood was drawn and urine collected. Post-IV infusion patient noted cessation of abdominal cramping and tolerated perioral ingestion. Repeated blood labs. DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS: 1. Acute kidney injury 2. Exertional rhabdomyolysis 3. Heat illness TEST AND RESULTS: Urinalysis: Yellow, +protein, +hyaline casts, +ketones, +RBC’s, +UA crystals. Preliminary Blood test: BUN=29, creatinine =2.3, AST=42 and CK=1581 Repeat Blood test (post IV Fluids): BUN=27, creatinine=1.7, Glucose=42 and CK=1617 FINAL WORKING DIAGNOSIS: Acute kidney injury (Stage 2) with rhabdomyolysis 2ndry to Heat Exhaustion TREATMENT AND OUTCOMES: 1. Emergency. Immediate removal from play to avoid progression and transfer to ED for rapid IV bolus. 2. Serial blood work, noting elevated BUN, creatinine and CK of stage 2 AKI, with decrease post IVF, urinalysis reflected of dehydration, and monitoring 3. Discharged to self-care and advised to return if necessary, to ED with complaints of fever, inability to urinate, back pain, discolored/blood in urine, or other new symptoms. 4. Returned to sport 3-weeks post-injury with no sequalae and able to meet the demands of his sport.

Changes in Athlete Burnout and Motivation over a 12-Week League Tournament

To date, empirical reports of an association between motivation and athlete burnout have been exclusively based on cross-sectional research. Conclusions regarding the nature of the relationship between motivation and burnout are limited because they do not provide longitudinal information. To examine the relationship between burnout and motivation across a 12-wk league tournament (pretournament, midtournament, and end of tournament). Data were collected on using the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire and Sport Motivation Scale from 102 adult professional male rugby players at three different times during a 12-wk league tournament. Linear mixed modeling was used to explore hypothesized relationships between individual key characteristics of burnout and factors/covariates across time. Within the models, amotivation, the least self-determined type of motivation, had a large positive association with key characteristics of burnout. Self-determined forms of motivation (i.e., intrinsic motivation) exhibited significant negative associations with burnout. Extrinsic motivation, proposed to exist between intrinsic and amotivation on the self-determination continuum, was negatively associated with sport devaluation and reduced accomplishment as well as positively associated with physical and emotional exhaustion. Other factors related to burnout within the analysis included time (pretournament, in tournament, and end of tournament), team membership, number of injuries, years of national domestic league experience, and win/loss history. Overall, the results reflect the burnout experience may vary over time and support the potential utility of a self-determination theory explanation of burnout.