Swimming Practice Research Articles

Dog swimming and ectoparasiticide water contamination in urban conservation areas: A case study on Hampstead Heath, London

Widespread occurrence of two ectoparasiticide compounds in the aquatic environment, imidacloprid and fipronil, have prompted concerns about their potential environmental impacts. However, very little focus has been placed on water bodies in urban green spaces used for dog swimming. In this study, occurrence of both substances on Hampstead Heath, London, was compared in ponds with (n = 3) and without dog swimming activity (n = 3), as well as connecting streams above, between, and below these ponds (n = 6). Imidacloprid and fipronil were detected at main swimming points in dog swimming ponds at mean concentrations of 309 ± 104 ng/L and 32 ± 13 ng/L, respectively, indicating a high environmental risk in all samples. Measured concentrations in ponds not accessible for dog swimming were either below the limits of detection or limits of quantification for both chemicals. Across all ponds, there was a strong positive correlation between measured dog swimming activities and concentrations of imidacloprid (R2 = 0.91) and fipronil (R2 = 0.79). Some contamination was detected in connecting streams between ponds. A wider chemical analysis for the presence of urban waste water chemical residue signatures indicated minimal contamination, including in source waters. A survey of visitors who allow their dogs to swim in the sampled ponds confirmed frequent use of products containing imidacloprid and fipronil. In total, 86 % of 101 dog owners were unaware of the potential environmental impacts of products, and 94 % indicated that protecting nature would be an important consideration when selecting products. Besides the current practice of limiting dog access to ponds, information collected on product use and dog swimming practices identified additional opportunities to reduce contamination. We suggest that more cooperation between industry, regulators, veterinarians, green space managers, and the public can reduce risks to urban biodiversity while maintaining recreational benefits for dog owners and dogs.

Affective Oceanic Seaswimming and Encounters for Care-Full Environmental Communication

ABSTRACT Our oceanic swimming practice began as part of the project of doing scholarship differently in contemporary South African post-apartheid contexts. Swimming-writing-reading not only enables different ways of doing inquiry but also prompts new ways of communicating environmental injustices as we face them in/with/through the ocean. We argue the value of this practice, and the writings we generate and share, for a rethinking and reframing of environmental communication through practices of care. “Slow swimming” in the ocean brings one into intimate, affecting encounters with the ocean and its multiplicities. Porous to fluid temporalities, oceanic swimming-writing-reading becomes a hauntological place-space-time-mattering practice of swimming as we become aware of sedimented crimes of slavery and colonization, and confront the ghosts of apartheid and colonial violence. As we meet disasters of present and future, polluted and violated seas, our affective relational watery encounters with more-than-human species sharpen our response-ability to and responsibility for anthropocentric damages to the ocean and planet. We suggest such practices of affective wit(h)nessing, relationality, and care as a productive resource for communicating current environmental challenges that are consequences of certain human hands, as well as our mutual entanglements and response-abilities on planet Earth.

Swimming, confusion, and plenty of brews: Negotiating ambivalence within Windermere's fragile waters

Windermere is a complex and contested freshwater site which encounters fluctuating social and environmental pressures. Swimmers at Windermere regularly practice across all four seasons while negotiating social concerns such as access, conflicting user groups, public health communications, and swim safety, alongside environmental complications including extreme weather, wastewater, run-off, plastic pollution, algal blooms, biosecurity, and climate change. Simultaneously, these entangled pressures generate ongoing adaptation, ambivalence, and avoidance within the swim communities. Furthermore, they disrupt individualised and inwardly focused understandings of ‘healthy’ outdoor swimming practices. In contribution to the special issue (on outdoor swimming), this article reflects on how outdoor swimming researchers may methodologically attend to these social and environmental complexities within contested lacustrine environments through an immersive 12-month wet ethnographic approach, combining ‘lake-hangouts’ and ‘swim-along interviews’ with different swimmers at Windermere. The article discusses how these relational in-situ approaches can continue to broaden inwardly focused understandings of ‘healthy’ outdoor swimming practices towards the wider social and environmental relations for both the participants and researcher. The article also highlights senses of ambivalence and ethical tension while negotiating conflicting concerns of ill-health, in and out of Windermere's fragile waters.

Investigation of Factors Related to Sport-Specific Compulsory Element Execution in Artistic Swimming.

Artistic swimming is an Olympic sport requiring a high level of fitness, as well as technical skills, artistry, flexibility, a good sense of rhythm, remarkable lung capacity and physical strength. The artistic swimming of adolescents has been largely untouched by the scientific community, so training this group based on scientific data is difficult. Due to the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, this study aimed to measure the technical elements, strength parameters, and swimming performance of young artistic swimmers and to compare swimming performance and strength with the quality of artistic element performances. Hungarian female junior artistic swimmers (14.36 ± 1.01 year) participated in this study. Swimming tests were performed, and three basic elements (body boost, barracuda, and vertical position) were scored. A negative correlation was found between 100 m freestyle swimming times and vertical position scores, as well as between 50 m breaststroke leg swimming times and body boost scores. Moreover, three months of breaststroke leg swim training resulted in improvements in body boost performance. In addition, a positive correlation was found between mean hand grip strength and barracuda scores, as well as between vertical position scores. According to the results of three months of breaststroke leg training, swimming practice improves artistic swimming performance by itself. A correlation was found between strength parameters and the execution of synchro elements, showing the importance of complex training strategies in this sport.

Artistic swimming and school engagement: the mediating role of metacognition and technology

This article presents a cross-sectional study that explores the association between artistic swimming and school engagement in a sample of 500 Italian adolescents. The study aimed to examine whether the practice of artistic swimming would foster strategic metacognitive skills. These skills, in turn, were hypothesized to positively influence school engagement and reduce recreational technology use, which could pose a risk to school engagement. The findings revealed that the relationship between artistic swimming and scholastic engagement, encompassing both cognitive and behavioral aspects, was entirely mediated by metacognitive strategies and reduced recreational technology usage. Moreover, students engaged in artistic swimming exhibited significantly higher levels of metacognitive strategies and scholastic engagement compared to their counterparts involved in other sports. The article also addresses the limitations inherent in the cross-sectional design and suggests potential avenues for future research.

Resveratrol Supplementation is Associated with Elemental Metabolism in Some Tissues of Acute Swimming Rats

The aim of this study was to investigate how resveratrol administration affects element metabolism in some tissues in rats undergoing acute swimming exercise. In the study, 28 adult male Wistar rats were used and the animals were divided into 4 groups in equal numbers. Group 1, Control; Group 2, Swimming: The group fed a standard diet and had 30 minutes of acute swimming exercise. Group 3, Resveratrol: The group receiving 10 mg/kg resveratrol supplement for four weeks. Group 4, Resveratrol + Swimming: The group that received 10 mg/kg resveratrol supplement for four weeks and also had 30 minutes of acute swimming exercise. At the end of the four-weeks diet, group 2 and group 4 animals were given 30 minutes of acute swimming exercise. Animals were sacrificed immediately after swimming practices, and testis, kidney, heart and liver tissue samples were taken. Elemental analyzes in tissue samples were determined by atomic emission method. Elements measured in testicular tissue were not affected by exercise and resveratrol applications. Both resveratrol administration and acute swimming exercise resulted in changes in zinc, iron, magnesium, selenium, molybdenum levels in kidney tissue, iron and calcium levels in heart tissue, and zinc, iron and molybdenum levels in liver tissue (p<0.05). The results of study, which revealed that resveratrol administration caused changes in element metabolism in some tissues of rats both during and independently of exercise, can be presented as the first and original finding based on med-line scans.

Does an Increase in Supraspinatus Tendon Thickness After Swimming Increase the Likelihood of Future Shoulder Pain?

Increase in supraspinatus tendon thickness (STT) resulting from swimming practice has been observed in those with a history of shoulder pain. The magnitude of change in STT after a swimming session and its rate of recovery may be an indicator of future shoulder pain incidence. The supraspinatus tendons that demonstrate a greater increase in thickness as a result of swimming practice will have an increased likelihood of future shoulder pain in a cohort of competitive swimmers over a period of 6 months. Descriptive epidemiology study. Level 2b, individual cohort studies. A cohort of 50 nationally qualified swimmers aged between 14 and 22 years, from 3 open National Swimming Programs in Victoria, Australia, were recruited for this study. Ultrasonographic measurements of swimmers' STT was obtained of both shoulders, before, immediately after, and 6 hours after a single swimming practice session. Data were recorded of any significant interfering shoulder pain at 3 and 6 months after the initial testing session. Stepwise logistic regression models indicated that significant predictors of the likelihood of experiencing significant interfering pain were sex [significant at 6 months; odds ratio (OR) 4.2] and the extent of change in STT immediately (OR 2.3 and 1.3 per mm at 3 and 6 months, respectively) and 6 hours postpractice (OR 1.9 and 1.5 per mm at 3 and 6 months, respectively). The current data suggest larger increases in tendon thickness after training are associated with an increased likelihood of future shoulder pain. These data may be valuable for monitoring training load and identifying athletes who may have an increased likelihood of shoulder pain.

Adherence to aerobic training combined with high protein intake is associated with low blood pressure in Italian older adults: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundLifestyle habits have a key role in cardiometabolic health. The effects of combined aerobic training (AT) and high protein intake (HPI) on cardiometabolic parameters in older adults are not well established.AimsTo investigate the association of AT and HPI with blood pressure (BP), blood glucose, and total blood cholesterol levels in a sample of Italian older adults enrolled in the Longevity Check-up 7 + (Lookup 7 +) study.MethodsLookup 7 + is an ongoing project started in June 2015 and conducted in unconventional settings (e.g., exhibitions, malls, health promotion campaigns) across Italy with the aim of fostering adoption of healthy lifestyles in the general population. For the present investigation, analyses were conducted in participants 65 + years and with body mass index values ≥ 18.5 kg/m2 (n = 3219). Systolic (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP), blood glucose, and total blood cholesterol were measured. Protein intake was estimated using a 12-item food frequency questionnaire. HPI was operationalized as a daily protein intake ≥ 0.8 g/kg of body weight. AT was operationalized as the practice of running and/or swimming for 60 + minutes at least twice weekly during the previous year.ResultsThe mean age of the 3219 participants was 72.7 ± 5.7 years, and 55.2% were women. Adherence to AT combined with a HPI was negatively and independently associated with SPB (β: − 4.976; 95% confidence interval: − 9.8 to − 0.08). No other significant associations were observed.Discussion and conclusionsOur results indicate that AT combined with HPI was negatively associated with SBP in a large and relatively unselected sample of Italian older adults living in the community. These findings need confirmation by ad hoc designed studies.

Monrad Krohn s Dissociation between emotional and volitional facial paralysis with paradoxical hypermimia

This 40-year-old previously healthy man presented with sudden onset of cervical pain, vertigo, oscillopsia, and facial paralysis after swim practice.

Fatores fisiopatológicos, benefícios e recomendações na natação para asmático

Asthma is characterized by chronic inflammation of the airways that can be induced by contact with chemical products, cigarette smoke, dry and cold environments or intense exercise. Swimming is recommended for people with asthma because it is a sport that helps to improve lung function. The aim of this study was to analyze the benefits and recommendations for swimming in children diagnosed with asthma. The methodology adopted was a bibliographical review of articles published in PUBMED in the last five years. The results of the studies showed that at least 13 countries researched the relationship between asthma and swimming in this investigated period (Poland, Turkey, Japan, France, Belgium, Finland, Norway, USA, Sweden, Brazil, China, Nigeria and Italy). Research has shown that swimming is beneficial for asthmatics, among the advantages it can be mentioned the improvements for the practitioner: 1) conditions of the respiratory and cardiovascular system, 2) quality of life and psychosocial, 3) well-being, 4) physical resistance, 5) child growth and development, and 6) reduction in asthma symptoms and clinical picture. The recommendations for the practice of swimming for asthmatics were related to: 1) maintaining the adequate amount of water purification products (with chlorine), 2) avoiding places in the pool that have dry and cold environments, 3) managing the air quality in the pool area and waiting room, 4) adequately prescribe and monitor water exercise 5) avoid excessive submersion/diving. It can be concluded that swimming is a sport that provides the asthmatic with a decrease in symptoms and an improvement in the clinical picture, as there is a decrease in the intensity, duration and frequency of bronchospasm crises, improving respiratory capacity and strengthening the respiratory muscles, in addition to providing better motor, psychological and affective-social development. However, the possible contraindication of swimming for asthmatics may come from inadequate facilities, swimming pool, medication, prescription and class control. Thus, it is suggested that there is always periodic monitoring of students by physicians and teachers/professionals able to provide adequate prescriptions, in addition to monitoring external factors that may affect asthmatics.

Water Stories

This poetic article explores the relationship between water and ecology and how an embodied awareness and insights surface out of the practice of swimming. The connections between the inner and outer landscapes of waterways and the land are written into being as they nourish embodied resonances. Moving and writing are inextricably linked and open a syntax of poetry and prose founded in the rhythm of a swimming practice. Themes of yearning, longing, timelessness, existence, and creativity emerge out of these visceral explorations. The article integrates poetry and photographic images of the author’s swimming practice. Water stories is situated within the methodologies of embodied inquiry and poetic inquiry and supports the intersection and layers between what it means to think, move, and write in performative ways.

Stuve-wiedemann syndrome in a child: a case report

Introduction: Stüve-Wiedemann Syndrome was first described in 1971. However, this disease was considered a single entity only a few years later. The syndrome is now known to be an autosomal recessive disorder in which the patient has dysautonomia, bone dysplasia and respiratory distress and eating disorder. Objective: To report the case of a girl with Stuve-Wiedemann Syndrome. Case Description: A 7-year-old female SSG patient presented, at birth, with early neonatal sepsis, septic shock, pneumonia, respiratory acidosis, jaundice without the need for phototherapy, food intolerance, anemia, seizures, interstitial pulmonary edema, myositis and osteomyelitis of the right humerus. After 11 months of follow-up, she was referred to a maternal-fetal clinic for genetic testing to investigate the symptoms. The patient was diagnosed with Stüve-Wiedemann Syndrome. Final Considerations: This disease is considered a primary congenital bone dysplasia, characterized by skeletal and joint changes, bowing of the long bones, episodic hyperthermia, periodic respiratory infections, eating disorders and high mortality. These were facts found in the case of the child presented here. On the other hand, this disease can manifest other symptoms such as fissured tongue and episodes of hyperhidrosis, but it was not found in our patient's case. Rare diseases of genetic origin have a high negative impact on patients' quality of life. However, with the practice of physical activity, patients can have a healthy diet. Swimming practice by SSG presents itself as an extremely important activity for the physical and psychological development of this child, contributing to the improvement of her quality of life.

Impact of the Swimming Practice on the Postural Balance among Tunisian Athletes

Our Study aims were to test the impact of swimming practice on the development of postural stability among Tunisian Athletes. The analyses deal with the impact of the practice of swimming on the postural balance. They clarify the various constraints that influence the control mechanisms involved in maintaining the balance in the resort standing. Our study addresses 20 same age category male subjects (senior) returned in: an experimental group (10 swimmers, belonging to the Tunisian national team) and a control (no sports group 10). For this study we used the Neurocom version 8.0.2 system: scale Master® consisting of a flat form of force connected to a string of data to measure the speed of oscillation of the center of pressure in strong support bipedal, eyes open on ground. The results obtained showed no direct effect of the swimming practice on postural stability of Tunisian athletes. In fact swimming poses the need to evolve in an environment different from that in which any subject has built his balance, his motor skills of every day, the latter two are insured through the muscles; so balance follows the permanent integration of information transmitted by three receiving systems: Visual, proprioceptive and vestibular.

The Effect Of Fins Training On Leg Strength Of Freestyle Swimming In Beginner Swimmer At Garuda Laut Palopo

The research is based on the increasing interest in swimming in the community and trying to provide an understanding that there are methods that can be used to increase the swimmers’ leg strength, especially freestyle swimming, by training methods using fins tools. Fins are one of the tools commonly used in diving. Fins consist of various types, including kaki kayak. Kaki kayaks or fins are made of rubber with widened shapes at the ends of the feet. Fins are swimming tools with many benefits, such as increasing propulsion speed for swimming practice. By using fins, swimmers can train leg muscle strength and produce swimming speed rates on freestyle legs; these fins can optimally increase the power of the legs and flex freestyle leg swings. Fins can also train flexibility in the ankles. The research used is quantitative research using experimental methods and the Discovery Learning approach. Discovery Learning is a method that aims to guide students to gain concepts from various data found through observation and experimentation. The research design used in this study is a one-group pretest-posttest design to compare conditions before and after treatment. Subjects from This research is a beginner swimmer at Garuda Laut Palopo, and this practice is carried out in the Wae Kambass swimming pool. The sample in this study were novice swimmers at the Palopo Sea Garuda. The population of this study is all beginner swimmers who are members of the Palopo Laut Garuda Club, totaling 15 people. Samples were taken by setting the age criteria of 9-21 years; novice swimmers included in this criterion counted ten people. The results of the research and discussion of the data obtained using a statistical approach concluded that there was a "significant effect of training using fins aids on the strength of the 50-meter freestyle leg swimming for beginner swimmers, Garuda Laut Palopo. From the conclusions above, several suggestions can be conveyed, namely to generate strength in freestyle swimming, especially in the legs.

Artistic Swimming Injuries in Young Elite Athletes: An 11-year Follow-Up.

Artistic swimming is a highly challenging discipline, requiring physical skills and creativity. There are almost no published data on trauma. We aimed to assess the incidence and the nature of injuries in artistic swimmers. An 11-year retrospective single-center cohort study. Department of Sport Medicine of a University Hospital. One hundred and twenty-four elite female artistic swimmers aged 12.9 ± 1.6 years. The cohort was divided into 3 groups according to the competition categories (from 9 to 12 years old called "future", 12-15 years old called "youth", 15-19 years old called "junior"). Injury rate per season and per athlete was assessed. The injury rate was 0.95 injuries/season/athlete and 1.05 injuries/1000 hours of practice. The most frequent injuries were rotator cuff tendinopathy (13.6%), acute low back pain (13.6%), and patellofemoral syndrome (11.9%). Swimmers in the youth and junior categories had significantly more injuries than those in the future category (P = 0.009), possibly because of more training hours (P < 0.001). Twelve major injuries occurred, all in the same group of youth swimmers. This is the first study investigating trauma during artistic swimming practice. A better knowledge of the main injuries is necessary for the physician to provide optimal care for athletes and to develop prevention. Attention should be particularly paid to the swimmers' shoulders and knees.

Swimmers with Down Syndrome Are Healthier and Physically Fit than Their Untrained Peers

While there are positive benefits from physical activity participation for individuals with Down syndrome, little is known about the effects of swimming training. The aim of this study was to compare the body composition and physical fitness profile of competitive swimmers and moderately active (untrained) individuals with Down syndrome. The Eurofit Special test was applied to a group of competitive swimmers (n = 18) and a group of untrained individuals (n = 19), all with Down syndrome. In addition, measurements were taken to determine body composition characteristics. The results showed differences between swimmers and untrained subjects in height, sum of the four skinfolds, body fat %, fat mass index and all items of the Eurofit Special test. Swimmers with Down syndrome exhibited physical fitness levels near to the Eurofit standards, although lower fitness levels were attained by these persons when compared to athletes with intellectual disability. It can be concluded that the practice of competitive swimming seems to counteract the tendency for obesity in persons with Down syndrome and also helps to increase strength, speed and balance.

Is Real-Time Poolside Assessment of Upper Limb Errors in Front Crawl Swimming Technique Reliable and Equivalent to Video Analysis?

Swimming technique is widely believed to influence performance, but this relationship has rarely been tested objectively using a real-time poolside assessment. To determine the (1)test-retest reliability, interrater reliability, and criterion validity (live vs video) of real-time poolside assessment of upper limb (UL) errors in front crawl (FC) swimming technique and (2)the relationship between UL errors and FC swimming performance. Cross-sectional reliability, validity, and correlational study. Swim team practice at a college natatorium. Thirty-nine Division III college swimmers (21 women and 18 men, age = 19 [1]y, swimming experience = 11 [3]y). Seven UL errors in FC swimming technique, many of which involved unnecessary vertical and mediolateral motions, were assessed in real time from outside the pool during swim practice. Test-retest reliability, interrater reliability, and criterion validity were calculated using Cohen kappa (κ) and weighted kappa (κw). Swimming performance was determined by the participants' best FC events relative to the conference records. The correlation between total UL errors and FC swimming performance was assessed with Pearson r. Cohen κ and κw were moderate for the majority of errors, with the following ranges: 0.46 to 0.90 (test-retest), -0.01 to 1.00 (interrater), and 0.36 to 0.66 (criterion validity). There was a significant correlation between total UL errors and FC swimming performance: r(24) = -.59 (P = .001, R2 = .35). Reliability and validity were moderate for the majority of errors. The fewer UL errors swimmers made while practicing FC, the faster their best FC race times tended to be relative to the conference record. UL errors in FC swimming technique explained 35% of the variance in performance.

Bone Tissue Responsiveness To Mechanical Loading-Possible Long-Term Implications of Swimming on Bone Health and Bone Development.

To revisit the bone tissue mechanotransduction mechanisms behind the bone tissue response to mechanical loading and, within this context, explore the possible negative influence of regular swimming practice on bone health, particularly during the growth and development period. Bone is a dynamic tissue, responsive to mechanical loading and unloading, being these adaptative responses more intense during the growth and development period. Cross-sectional studies usually report a lower bone mass in swimmers compared to athletes engaged in weigh-bearing sports. However, studies with animal models show contradictory findings about the effect of swimming on bone health, highlighting the need for longitudinal studies. Due to its microgravity characteristics, swimming seems to impair bone mass, but mostly at the lower limbs. It is unkown if there is a causal relationship between swimming and low BMD or if other confounding factors, such as a natural selection whithin the sport, are the cause.

Pedagogical dimension of swim training as perceived by swimmers and their coach

This article presents the educational benefits and drawbacks of competitive swimming training as assessed by the surveyed swimmers and their coach. The paper addresses issues concerning the formation of moral, aesthetic, intellectual and health attitudes in competitive swimmers through sports training. The purpose of this study is to identify their opinions regarding the impact of competitive swimming on the development of selected character traits. The study included 33 competitive swimmers (14 - women, 19 - men) and the coach of the competitive swimming section of the AZS Politechnika Lodzka sports club. The training seniority of the subjects is: 16 athletes - 6 - 10 years and 17 athletes 11 -17 years. The competitive section of the surveyed swimmers carried out training at the swimming pool of the ACSD sports complex "Zatoka Sportu" in Lodz. The study was conducted using a quantitative diagnostic survey method and qualitative focus interview technique. . The tools that were used in the study for the survey questionnaire and interview questionnaire. The article presents the results of our own research along with the results of other authors' research for discussion. The results of the study indicate that the practice of swimming by competitive athletes affects their educational process, where one of the important factors is the specificity of the sport. The article presents only a part of the pilot study, the results of which form the basis for the study proper.

The quality of water: perception and senses of fluid movement

ABSTRACT This paper examines tactile sensory dimensions of immersion in water and is based on ethnographic fieldwork amongst competitive youth swimmers in the South East of England. It argues that youth swimmers’ perceptions of the qualities of water, in the pools where they train and compete, are sensuous productions of embodied knowledges and enskilled movements developed and refined through their swimming practice. Thus, it adds to the growing anthropological literature on the senses and physical movement practices by suggesting that the cultural sensory order developed in competitive swimming privileges touch sense modalities. Swimmers must develop a “feel for the water,” the skills and sensory perceptions to assess and assist their interaction with the medium of water. Learning to feel is an ongoing dialectic process of making sensory knowledge developed through an accumulation of regular immersion and occasional absence. This paper asserts that the making of “feel for the water” is an essential element in youth swimmers’ self formation, incorporating their growing and physically changing bodies as experienced through their immersion in a “mirror” environment in constant motion.