If your children are playing sports this fall, pay attention to six tips that could protect them from serious ankle injuries.

Every fall season, foot and ankle surgeons see an increase in ankle injuries among young athletes. Football, soccer and basketball are the sports most likely to lead to sprains, broken bones and other problems, says Kansas City foot and ankle surgeon James Good, DPM.

Although he sprained his ankle several times playing basketball in high school, Dr. Good got prompt medical care and followed his doctor’s rehabilitation plan. Now in his thirties, Good competes in triathlons. His top recommendation for parents is to get ankle injuries treated right away.

“What seems like a sprain is not always a sprain; in addition to cartilage injuries, your son or daughter might have injured other bones in the foot without knowing it. Have a qualified doctor examine the injury,” says Good. “The sooner rehabilitation starts, the sooner we can prevent long-term problems like instability or arthritis, and the sooner your child can get back into competition.”

Good, who is a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS), offers these additional tips for parents:

–Have old sprains checked by a doctor before the season starts. A medical check-up can reveal whether your child’s previously injured ankle might be vulnerable to sprains, and could possibly benefit from wearing a supportive ankle brace during competition.

–Buy the right shoe for the sport. Different sports require different shoe gear. Players shouldn’t mix baseball cleats with football shoes.

–Children should start the season with new shoes. Old shoes can wear down like a car tire and become uneven on the bottom, causing the ankle to tilt because the foot can’t lie flat.

–Check playing fields for dips, divots and holes. Most sports-related ankle sprains are caused by jumping and running on uneven surfaces. That’s why some surgeons recommend parents walk the field, especially when children compete in non-professional settings like public parks, for spots that could catch a player’s foot and throw them to the ground. Alert coaching officials to any irregularities.

–Encourage stretching and warm-up exercises. Calf stretches and light jogging before competition helps warm up ligaments and blood vessels, reducing the risk for ankle injuries.

For more information on treating ankle sprains, visit the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons’ patient information Web site, http://FootPhysicians.com.

The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons is a professional society of more than 6,000 foot and ankle surgeons. Founded in 1942, the College’s mission is to promote research and provide continuing education for the foot and ankle surgical specialty, and to educate the general public on foot health and conditions of the foot and ankle through its consumer Web site, http://FootPhysicians.com.

American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons
8725 W Higgins Rd., #555
Chicago, IL 60631
United States
http://www.acfas.org

Physical therapist Erik Moen, PT, CSCS, will be heading to as part of the US Paralympics Cycling team. As the team “soigneur,” he will perform therapy services such as therapeutic massage for the athletes. Moen will discuss his experiences in a blog featured on http://www.apta.org/consumer, the consumer Web page of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).

Moen, an APTA member, is a nationally recognized expert in the treatment of endurance athletes, specifically cyclists. He has assisted patients in bicycle performance coaching and positioning, retrofitting, injury treatment, exercise planning, and performance.

“I am extremely proud to be assisting the US Paralympics Cycling team,” Moen said. “This is an amazing opportunity that allows me to combine professional and personal goals, and I am excited about sharing these experiences with others.”

The Paralympics will take place in September 6-17. Moen’s blog will begin by August 29.

Physical therapists are health care professionals who diagnose and manage individuals of all ages, from newborns to elders, who have medical problems or other health-related conditions that limit their abilities to move and perform functional activities in their daily lives.

Physical therapists examine each individual and develop a plan of care using treatment techniques to promote the ability to move, reduce pain, restore function, and prevent disability. Physical therapists also work with individuals to prevent the loss of mobility by developing fitness- and wellness-oriented programs for healthier and more active lifestyles.

The American Physical Therapy Association is a national organization representing physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and students nationwide. Its goal is to foster advancements in physical therapist education, practice, and research. Consumers can visit http://www.findapt.us to find a physical therapist in their area, as well as http://www.apta.org/consumer for physical therapy news and information.

American Physical Therapy Association

The Australian Drug Foundation spoke out at the Australian Football League’s press conference in support of the AFL’s illicit drug policy.

‘The AFL’s illicit drug policy is one of the most rigorous drug policies in sport internationally, and we praise their commitment to the health and welfare of their players,’ said ADF Chief Executive, John Rogerson. ‘We’re pleased to see them take steps to continue to develop a culture which supports players, parents and other members of the community to reduce the likelihood of drug problems.’

‘The reality is this is a tough issue, and the AFL is one of only three sports in Australia to seriously tackle illicit drug use. They have gone above and beyond the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code, and their players, and the community will benefit as a result.’

Mr Rogerson urged parents to use the publicity around the AFL drugs policy to discuss drug issues with their children.

‘Children are always watching and listening to what is going on around them. This is a great opportunity to check in with them about what they think about drugs, why they think people use them, what they know about the damage that can be done to careers and personal lives by drug use’.

‘We know that having a strong relationship with an adult is a key protective factor for preventing a young person from developing a drug problem. This is the time to make sure that communication channels are open between you and your kids.’

Parents who want more information about drugs, or tips for starting these conversations can call 1300 85 85 84 or email druginfo@adf.org.au to request a copy of Young people and drugs: what parents need to know.

For information about talking to your child about drugs click through to the following DrugInfo Clearinghouse fact sheets:

Communicating with your teenager about drugs

Common questions parents ask

Australian Drug Foundation

Regular exercise can lower your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and even some forms of cancer. Yet many people still aren’t making physical activity a priority. In its first-ever single-topic special issue, the September 2008 Harvard Health Letter offers 27 tips to get your heart rate up without going to the gym. Its recommendations include these:

1. Take the faraway spot. Walking from the farthest corner of the parking lot will burn a few calories. If it’s a parking garage, head for the roof and use the stairs.

2. Get into the swing of it. Swinging your arms when you walk will help you reach the brisk pace of 3 to 4 miles per hour that is the most healthful.

3. Be part of the fun. Adults shouldn’t miss a chance to jump into the fray if kids are playing on a playground or splashing around in the water. Playing along will strengthen muscles and bones and set a good example.

4. Clean house. Even if you have a cleaning service, you can take responsibility for vacuuming a couple of rooms yourself. Fifteen minutes burns around 80 calories.

5. Adopt someone as your walking, jogging, or biking buddy… Adding a social element to exercise helps many people stick with it.

6. … even a buddy with four legs. Several studies have shown that dog owners get more exercise than the canineless.

7. Be a stair master. Taking the stairs is good for your legs, knees, and cardiovascular system. Don’t overdo; take one flight at a time.

Also in this special exercise-themed issue:

- Why we should exercise-and why we don’t
- Exercise gadgets
- Tracking exercise in metabolic equivalents (METs)
- Benefits of yoga
- Knee injuries in female athletes
- Discussion with I-Min Lee, Harvard activity and health expert

The Harvard Health Letter is available from Harvard Health Publications, the publishing division of Harvard Medical School, for $28 per year. Subscribe at http://www.health.harvard.edu/health or by calling 877-649-9457 (toll-free).

http://www.health.harvard.edu

A new dance craze is sweeping the country but this time it’s not driven by a song on the radio, but by prime-time shows on television. This fall at least five different networks* will run shows about dancing, and tens of millions of us will watch. Dancing has become so popular in the US, in fact, that it’s not only inspiring new shows but a whole new area of medicine.

Because they are so graceful and make it look so easy, it’s tempting to think of dancers as only performers. But spend anytime at all with them in rehearsal and you quickly begin to appreciate them as athletes.

Jamie Dee is a professional ballerina who spends at least 8 hours a day, every day, pushing her body to it’s limits, and occasionally, past them. Jamie recently suffered a stress fracture in her foot. “All I did was take one step. And it just didn’t feel right. And so I tried to keep dancing and push it a little but somehow my foot just wouldn’t respond,” says Jamie.

But her medical team did, one of the first in the country dedicated almost entirely to dancers. “We have an athletic trainer with them all the time, they get into see our sports medicine doctors, usually within the same day, and then we have all the specialists, right here,” says Robin Hunter, Ohio State University Medical Center.

Doctor Robin Hunter runs the program at Ohio State University Medical Center. From physical trainers to chiropractors, from nutritionists to bone specialists, this program doesn’t miss a step when it comes to dancers. Hunter refers to them as the ultimate athletes, and says for too long their talents have been underappreciated, and their needs overlooked.

“They have extremes of flexibility, endurance, strength, coordination, agility, and, of course, all of thebeautiful art work that goes into them being performing artists,” says Robin. “That’s why Ohio Statewanted to put attention to this very special group of athletes is because that have needs that are veryspecific for their particular art form and their athleticism.”

Ten years ago there were about 30 thousand professional dancers and choreographers in the US, tenyears from now that number will jump 50%**.

Experts say most of the injuries a dancer suffers come from over-use. Many professionals start dancing asyoung as age 4 and dance into their 30’s, creating unusual stress in places like their ankles and knees.

*Dance Floods TV, and Hollywood Jumps in with Characters Hoofing to Better Life
The Canadian Press, August 14, 2008
Click here to view article online
**Occupational Handbook 2008-2009, US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.gov

Ohio State University
Source
Media Source

Medical care for athletes competing at the Olympics involves more than just basic emergency care during the events. Pre-treatment and a thorough understanding of sports trauma, physiology, cardiology and biochemistry are all a requisite to ensure that the world’s top athletes are able to compete, safely and at the highest levels.

A new journal, SMARTT (Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy, Rehabilitation, Therapy and Technology) has been established to facilitate the rapid transmission of knowledge amongst the multidisciplinary community who support the health of athletes. This peer reviewed open access journal will inspire clinicians, practitioners, scientists and engineers to work together towards a common goal of improving the quality of life and performance of the international community of athletes.

Multidisciplinary research with collaboration amongst clinicians and scientists from different disciplines is becoming increasingly accepted as the best method to ensure safe participation in sport and healthy physical activity at all stages of life. SMARTT provides the ideal platform for this collaborative exchange of new clinical and scientific information.

SMARTT will cover the following disciplines:

Sports Medicine is itself a field that has cross-discipline dimensions and includes specific fields of sports traumatology, cardiology, endocrinology, accident and emergency medicine, physiology, biochemistry and biomechanics.

Arthroscopy is the key to minimally invasive interventions for sports trauma.

Rehabilitation entails a comprehensive program of treatment with the allied health professionals, performance optimization, preventive measures and outcome evaluation.

Therapy embraces all modalities of surgical treatment related to arthroplasty and sports injuries with specific reference to major joints such as knee, shoulder and ankle.

Technology is of vital importance to biomechanical and biological research areas of arthroplasty and sports medicine, allowing new ideas to be tested, developed and applied.

As an open access publication, SMARTT allows information sharing and cross-fertilization of ideas at an unprecedented level, ensuring that both practitioners and athletes alike have unrestricted access to the latest research.

SMARTT is currently open for submissions (details of where to go for more information etc)

BIOMED CENTRAL LIMITED
Middlesex House
34-42 Cleveland Street
London
W1T 4LB
http://www.biomedcentral.com

Physical training is part of the job of U.S. Army soldiers, but access to physical fitness facilities and training time may be limited during combat deployments. While limited training may result in a loss of fitness, the physical requirements of warfighting may offset some of the negative effects. According to a study released in the September issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise®, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the effects of deployment on fitness are not as large as expected.

In the context of the ongoing military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq, no previous study had assessed the effects of prolonged military deployment on body composition, physical fitness, and physical performance. Researcher Marilyn Sharp, M.S., and her team from the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine measured physical fitness levels in 110 infantry soldiers before and after a nine-month assignment to Afghanistan. Measurements included aerobic fitness, muscle strength, muscle power, and body composition.

Soldiers maintained strength and lower body power during deployment. They experienced small, but statistically significant, decreases of about 5 percent in both aerobic fitness and upper body power. Changes in body composition were both positive - a decrease in weight (2 percent) - and negative - a decrease in lean body mass (4 percent) and an increase in fat mass (8 percent).

“These findings are encouraging in that the body composition and physical performance changes were not large,” Sharp said. “However, it would be wise to track soldiers during longer deployments to ensure that no health or performance concerns arise.”

Reduced physical training time may be a contributing factor to the decline in aerobic fitness. For average healthy adults, ACSM and the American Heart Association recommend that healthy adults exercise for at least 30 minutes, five days per week, at a moderate intensity, or 20 minutes, three days per week, at a vigorous intensity. Prior to deployment, a majority of soldiers were meeting the recommendation, 80 percent of soldiers exercised three or more days per week, Though most soldiers reported having access to some form of aerobic and strength training equipment, only 35 percent exercised during deployment.

On a positive note, it is likely that the physical demands of military tasks helped soldiers to maintain physical fitness even in the face of reduced training time.

“The good news is that the negative effects of this deployment were minor and could be quickly ameliorated upon return with a directed physical training program,” Sharp said.

NOTE: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise® is the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, and is available from Lippincott Williams & Wilkins at 1-800-638-6423. For a complete copy of the research paper (Vol. 40, No. 9, pages 1687-1692) or to speak with a leading sports medicine expert on the topic, contact the Department of Communications and Public Information at 317-637-9200 ext. 127 or 133. Visit ACSM online at http://www.acsm.org.

The conclusions outlined in this news release are those of the researchers only, and should not be construed as an official statement of the American College of Sports Medicine.

American College of Sports Medicine

When Abhinav Bindra took home the gold medal in the 10 metres air rifle event at the Olympics, he not only earned the first individual medal ever for India, he also demonstrated how biofeedback training can be an integral part of performance optimization at the highest level.

Skills of a Shooter

Dead aim is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the skills needed to excel at shooting. In addition, shooters need controlled breathing and heart rate, no excess tension in their muscles, no interior monologue, and sharp focus and good reactions to trigger at the moment when the sight image is correct.

Sport psychologist Timothy Harkness used biofeedback training to help Bindra master control over all these areas. Using the a FlexComp Infiniti hardware system with BioGraph 4.0 software, Harkness joined a team of shooting coaches, a physician, chiropractor, dietician and physiotherapist to prepare Bandra for the 2008 competition. The result was that an already world-champion athlete was able to push his skills and focus even higher. He achieved his personal goal and earned the only medal for India during the 2008 games.

Biofeedback and Optimal Functioning

Biofeedback is a process that enables an individual to learn how to change physiological activity for the purposes of improving health and performance. Precise instruments measure physiological activity such as brainwaves, heart function, breathing, muscle activity, and skin temperature. These instruments rapidly and accurately “feed back” information to the user. The presentation of this information - often in conjunction with changes in thinking, emotions, and behavior - supports desired physiological changes. Over time, these changes can endure without continued use of an instrument.

Biofeedback is used primarily for treatment of various medical disorders, including ADD/ADHD, chronic pain, headaches, and other. But it is gaining prominence in a more proactive capacity as well. Individuals, ranging from athletes to artists to business leaders and more, are tapping into the benefits of biofeedback to optimize health, mental, physical, emotional and spiritual functioning, and peak performance fields.

Biofeedback training can help individuals optimize brain function for peak mental performance. It empowers people to achieve their goals, be they Olympic level or within day-to-day activities. It helps users manage their mental and emotional states and how these may help or hinder achievement of goals.

Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB)
10200 W 44th Ave., #304
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
United States
http://www.aapb.org

As millions of eyes around the globe turn to China to watch the world’s top athletes go for gold at the 2008 Olympic Games, those athletes will be relying on their own vision for an extra competitive edge. The Vision Care Institute™, LLC, a Johnson & Johnson company, announced that nearly 300 athletes worldwide have used The AchieveVision™ Program, a state-of-the-art visual skills assessment and optimizing program, in advance of the 2008 Olympic Games, to help ensure their vision is in peak condition for competition.

From baseball to badminton, visual skills such as anticipation timing, eye-hand coordination and peripheral awareness have emerged as key components to overall athletic performance. Research has shown the best athletes tend to have above average vision and superior visual skills.1 Realizing this, Olympic athletes and their coaches are working with The Vision Care Institute? to incorporate The AchieveVision™ Program into their training not only to help level the playing field for athletes who may have weaknesses in their visual system, but to help optimize visual skills for a competitive edge.

Teams from several countries, including China, France, the United Kingdom and the United States, have incorporated The AchieveVision™ Program into their training. Vision assessments have been customized to meet the different needs of various Olympic sports, including archery, badminton, boxing, BMX, decathlon, fencing, gymnastics, kayaking, shooting, soccer, softball, table tennis, taekwondo, track and field and volleyball.

Individual athlete highlights include:

— A top heptathlete found that training her visual skills could help improve her depth perception and reaction time. These skills are key in the heptathlon, especially hurdling.

— The AchieveVision™ Program identified deficiencies in a softball player’s vision that could be corrected. The vision in one of her eyes was poor, which impacts acuity and visual skills important in batting and fielding.

— The AchieveVision™ Program identified a problem with a badminton player’s binocular vision (how the two eyes function together), which was affecting her depth perception, the ability to observe where an object is in relation to its environment. A training program was developed to correct this problem in time for the Olympic Games.

— Table tennis players who have been training regularly with The AchieveVision™ Program were able to concentrate on visual skills such as convergence and focusing stamina. These skills are key in table tennis.

The AchieveVision™ Program supplements regular eye exams by moving beyond basic acuity to assess the visual skills that play a role in an athlete’s performance. The program is comprised of a suite of assessment and training tools that include computer-based systems and equipment that is physically challenging not only to the eyes, but to the whole body in order to simulate the visual demands in an athlete’s sport.

“As an Olympian myself, I know firsthand that an athlete’s vision and visual skills are critical tools, both on and off the field,” said Dr. Karin McCarthy, Principal Research Optometrist, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. “Vision is a critical component of overall physical health that makes a large contribution to overall performance. After having worked with a number of elite athletes, I am surprised how many are not seeing as well as they could. At this level of competition an athlete should not be squinting to focus on a ball, a hurdle, or a teammate on the field. If you are not seeing well, your reaction time is slower and that may impact your overall performance.”

To date, The Vision Care Institute™ has provided more than 600 athletes worldwide with a range of vision services as part of The AchieveVision™ Program. The Vision Care Institute™ found that many athletes needed basic vision correction or updated prescriptions. This emphasizes the need for improved vision care as part of national training programs. Through this program 250 athletes were fitted for contact lenses to sharpen their visual acuity in time for competition.

“Most people are familiar with 20/20 vision and do not realize that the limit of human vision is 20/08. Many elite athletes see better than 20/20, which is not surprising since the superior demands of competition require their visual systems to perform at the highest level,” said Dr. Daniel Laby, Assistant Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and member of The Worldwide AchieveVision™ Council. At every level of competition vision is emerging as an area that athletes can develop to improve their performance. The technology in The AchieveVision™ Program allows us to measure vision beyond that 20/20 mark and assess the different visual skills needed in each sport. This is a breakthrough that means we can customize vision care for each athlete, those who see exceptionally well and those who need basic vision correction, and incorporate it into their training.”

Supporting Olympic Athletes and Medical Staff

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care will provide vision services to Olympic athletes, coaches and staff onsite during the 2008 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games through The Olympic Village Polyclinic. The AchieveVision™ Program will be available to athletes at the Polyclinic, where they can learn how to maximize their visual skills.

“We’re honored to be entrusted with the vision care for the Olympic athletes and team staff while they are in ,” said Dr. John Ang, Vice President of Professional and Regulatory Affairs, Asia-Pacific Johnson & Johnson Vision Care. “Through the Olympic Village Polyclinic, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care will provide the athletes access to best-in-class vision care services and products to help them maintain visual health during competition. For some athletes who have limited access to vision care services, this may be their first opportunity to receive eye care and diagnostic services, which can have a significant impact on their everyday lives.”

Healthy Vision for Everyone

It is not just Olympic athletes who need to be concerned about the performance and health of their eyes to be at the top of their game. The Vision Care Institute™ recently commissioned a first-of-its-kind, large-scale global eye exam survey of 6,500 people across 13 countries and found that most people believe improved vision would help them to get the most out of life. Around the world, respondents agreed that it is important to get an eye exam on a regular basis and most (78 percent) rated sight as the most important of the five senses. Yet, half of respondents had never had a comprehensive eye exam by an eye doctor, and only a third are getting comprehensive eye exams on a regular basis (at least every two years). And, although more than 80 percent of parents around the world believe that improved vision would impact their child’s performance in school and sports, nearly half (46 percent) report that their child has never had any type of eye exam.2

The 2008 Olympic Games provide an excellent opportunity to raise awareness for the importance of vision care and eye health, not only for elite athletes but also for all of us who value our vision and are looking to do our best.

About the Johnson & Johnson Olympic Partnership

Johnson & Johnson is an Official Partner of the 2008 Olympic Games, Paralympic Games and a Worldwide Partner of the International Olympic Committee, through which Johnson & Johnson has partnerships with more than 200 National Olympic Committees around the world.

About The Vision Care Institute™

The Vision Care Institute™, LLC, a Johnson & Johnson company, is an innovative professional resource for eye care providers. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., the state-of-the-art facility gives participants a rare opportunity to experience the latest in vision diagnostic and treatment technologies through hands-on instruction, including training on contact lens fitting and prescribing.

Working in tandem with leading schools and associations since its launch in March 2004, The Vision Care Institute™ has hosted more than 2,500 students from all 19 of the schools and colleges of optometry throughout North America. The Vision Care Institute™ has sister facilities in China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Italy and Czech Republic, which offer eye care specialists around the world an opportunity to learn of new developments in the field under the leadership of top contact lens specialists. For more information, please visit http://www.tvciedu.com.

1 Laby et al. The visual function of professional baseball players, 1996. Am J Ophthalmol 122:476-485.

2 Global Eye Exam Survey, The Vision Care Institute, 2008 (TNS-GsK).

Johnson and Johnson
http://www.jnj.com

Fastskin suits significantly reduced drag, decreased energy cost and increased distance per stroke in competitive swimmers, according to a study published recently in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the official scientific journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Fastskin suits utilize woven or knitted fabric technologies, and have been designed to reduce friction and pressure drags. Previous studies have shown that these suits may reduce resistance in the water by as much as 10 percent. A reduction in passive drag (the resistance that has to be overcome) is thought to be beneficial for swimmers, possibly resulting in higher swimming velocity for the same energy cost, as well as reducing that energy cost for swimming at a given speed. Olympic swimmers have been allowed to wear drag-reducing suits since the 2000 Sydney Games.

The aim of the investigation was to compare the two most popular fastskin suits, one sleeveless full-body suit, the other covering the waist to ankle. The effects were tested in the 25- to 800-meter races to discover the degree to which the suits may affect performance at competition speed and decrease drag and energy cost in proportion to the body skin coverage.

In 14 competitive swimmers, the research team measured passive drag, oxygen uptake, blood lactate and perceived exertion. During the course of testing and compared to a normal suit, those that wore the full-body and the waist-to-ankle fastsuit experienced a performance benefit by up to 3 percent. Stroke distance improved significantly, and a significant reduction in drag resulting in a decreased energy cost was also found. A reduction was also notable in freestyle performance times.

“New-generation fastsuits may be a technological advantage for swimmers who wear them,” said Jean-Claude Chatard, Ph.D., lead author of the study. “This is similar conceptually to how engineers design cars for racing and how we can employ physics to compliment human performance. I think we all are eager to see how the swimmers in will utilize these suits to showcase their prowess and years of hard work and training.”

For more information on the sport science issues relevant to the 2008 Games, please visit ACSM’s coverage of the Games at http://www.acsm.org. The site features ACSM expert commentary, news articles and sport-specific information and resources.

The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 20,000 international, national, and regional members are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine.

NOTE: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise® is the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, and is available from Lippincott Williams & Wilkins at 1-800-638-6423. For a complete copy of the research paper (Vol. 40, No. 6, pages 1149-1154) or to speak with a leading sports medicine expert on the topic, contact the Department of Communications and Public Information at 317-637-9200 ext. 127 or 133. Visit ACSM online at http://www.acsm.org.

The conclusions outlined in this news release are those of the researchers only, and should not be construed as an official statement of the American College of Sports Medicine.

American College of Sports Medicine