Figure skating

CONTEXT: Figure skating requires power and stability for take-off and landing from multi-rotational jumps and various on-ice skills. Repetitive forces may cause overuse injuries distally making lumbopelvic-hip endurance, strength, and neuromuscular control imperative. OBJECTIVE: The purpose was to compare lumbopelvic-hip endurance and neuromuscular control in elite figure skaters between sex and limbs using common screening tests. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study...

A figure skating jump score is determined by the sum of the base value based on the difficulty and grade of execution (GOE) that indicates the performance quality. Therefore, performing a high-quality jump to obtain a high GOE is essential to win a competition. However, the relationship between the GOE and kinematic parameters remains unclear. We analysed the horizontal distance, vertical height, and landing speed of double axel jumps in the Ladies' Short Program at the 2019 World Championships. The highest GOE group had significantly larger horizontal distances than the middle and lower groups, while the landing speed and vertical height were not significantly different...

OBJECTIVES: In elite figure skaters, to determine if there was a difference in volumetric bone mineral density and bone strength between 1) figure skaters and population-based normative data, 2) single or pair skaters and ice dancers, and 3) the landing and takeoff legs. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. METHODS: Figure skaters had their non-dominant distal radius and bilateral tibia scanned using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography...

INTRODUCTION: Figure skating combines esthetic components with high impact, technically demanding elements requiring high volume repetitive training. The evidence base for the sport is limited, particularly regarding stress fracture injuries. This study aims to describe the prevalence and anatomical distribution of stress fracture injuries and assess for risk factors, as well as associations with acute fractures. METHODS: An online anonymous retrospective survey of competitive figure skaters was distributed through social media networks and e-mail for completion by skaters from all three disciplines of figure skating...

BACKGROUND: The bulk of relevant studies compare individual or very few sports and on small samples of athletes. This requires extensive analysing postural stability in various sports. RESEARCH QUESTION: The main objective of our study was to identify the features of postural stability in a normal vertical stance in athletes of various kinds. METHODS: This study compares postural stability in a normal bipedal stance with eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) conditions among athletes (n = 936, age: 6-47 years) from different sports and performance level...

Introduction: Although figure skating attracts several hundred thousand participants worldwide, there is little knowledge about physical health and sports injuries among young skaters. The present study aimed to describe the health status of a geographically defined Swedish population of licensed competitive figure skaters and to examine injury determinants. Methods: All licensed competitive skaters in the southeastern region of Sweden were in April 2019 invited to participate in a cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire...

Physical activity is known to be beneficial for bone; however, some athletes who train intensely are at risk of bone stress injury (BSI). Incidence in adolescent athlete populations is between 3.9 and 19% with recurrence rates as high as 21%. Participation in physical training can be highly skeletally demanding, particularly during periods of rapid growth in adolescence, and when competition and training demands are heaviest. Sports involving running and jumping are associated with a higher incidence of BSI and some athletes appear to be more susceptible than others...

OBJECTIVE: To describe the injury and illness characteristics among participating athletes during the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Winter Games (YOG 2020), 9-22 January 2020. METHODS: The daily number of athlete injuries and illnesses were recorded (1) through the reporting of all National Olympic Committee (NOC) medical teams and (2) in the polyclinic and medical venues by the Lausanne 2020 medical staff. RESULTS: In total, 1783 athletes from 79 NOCs were observed...

INTRODUCTION: Septic malleolar bursitis is a rare cause of ankle pain and swelling. It has been described in certain occupational and recreational activities that involve tight-fitting boots, such as figure skating. Court-ordered electronic monitoring devices are often worn on the ankle. It is not known whether these devices are a risk factor for the development of malleolar bursitis. CASE REPORT: We describe a 41-year-old male under house arrest with an electronic monitoring device on his right ankle who presented to our emergency department with several days of progressive pain and swelling over the medial malleolus...

Objective : 1) to determine the proportion of sport specialization among female figure skaters, 2) to compare proportion of low back injuries between specialized female figure skaters and non-specialized female figure skaters, and 3) to identify an independent risk factor(s) for low back injuries in female figure skaters. Methods : A cross-sectional questionnaire study was used. Young female figure skaters were asked questions related to sport specialization and any history of low back injuries. The primary outcome variables were status of sport specialization, weekly training hours, and low back injury...

Competitive figure skaters often suffer from overuse injuries, which may be due to the high impact forces endured during jump repetitions performed in practice and competition. However, to date, forces during on-ice figure skating have not been quantified due to technological limitations. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal calibration procedure for a previously developed instrumented figure skating blade (IceSense). Initial calibration was performed by collecting data from the blade while 11 skaters performed off-ice jumps, landing on a force plate in the lab...

The concept of time whether considered through the lenses of physics or physiology is a relative measure. Alterations in time perception can have serious implications in sport, fitness and work. Accurate perception of time is an important skill with many time constrained sports (i.e., basketball, North American football, tennis, gymnastics, figure skating, ice hockey, and others), and work environments (i.e., workers who need to synchronize their actions such as police and military). In addition, time distortions may play a role in exercise adherence...

PURPOSE: Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea secondary to low weight, excessive exercise, and/or high levels of stress is common among young women. Adolescence is a time in development that a positive energy balance is crucial for puberty, menarche, and regular menstruation. Disordered eating and eating disorders are the third most common chronic illness and tend to start during puberty. High-level athletes, specifically young girls participating in ballet, running, gymnastics, and figure skating, are at risk of developing hypothalamic amenorrhea from excessive exercise and inability to meet the energy needs of the body...

Background: Determining the prevalence of doping in sport might be useful for anti-doping authorities to gauge the effectiveness of anti-doping policies implemented to prevent positive attitudes toward doping. Using questionnaires and personal interviews, previous investigations have found that the prevalence of doping might be different among different sports disciplines; however, there is no sport-specific information about the proportion of adverse and atypical findings (AAF) in samples used for doping control...

Infants must learn to carve events at their joints to best understand who is doing what to whom or whether an object or agent has reached its intended goal. Recent behavioral research demonstrates that infants do not see the world as a movie devoid of meaning, but rather as a series of sub-events that include agents moving in different manners along paths from sources to goals. This research uses behavioral and electrophysiological methods to investigate infants' (10-14 months) attention to disruptions within relatively unfamiliar human action that does not rely on goal-objects to signal attainment (i...

"My favorite time of day is the sunrise in Southern California and Maui. In a spare hour, I watch ballet and figure skating …" Find out more about Yilin Hu in her Author Profile.

Chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) occurs when there is an increase in interstitial pressure within a non-compliant fascial compartment during exercise. The hallmark sign of CECS is a consistent onset of symptoms at a specific time, distance or intensity of activity followed by resolution of symptoms when the activity is stopped. Chronic exertional compartment syndrome commonly occurs in the lower legs, is bilateral 85% to 95% of the time and occurs most often in running athletes. The purpose of this case report is to describe the clinical presentation of unilateral chronic exertional compartment syndrome in a pediatric athlete that did not present with the hallmark signs for CECS and additionally participates in a sport where CECS is not common...

The effect of training on hamstring flexibility has been widely assessed through the measurement of the maximal range of motion or passive torque. However, these global measures do not provide direct information on the passive muscle mechanical properties of individual muscle. This characterization is crucial to better understand the effect of interventions as selective adaptations may occur among synergist muscles. Taking advantage of shear wave elastography, we aimed to determine whether elite sport athletes exhibit different passive shear modulus of hamstring heads compared to controls...

The sport of figure skating has evolved to include various disciplines and athletes continue to push the limits of the skills they perform, thus increasing the potential for injury in practice, as well as in competition. To provide optimal rink side coverage, health care professionals must be aware of the elements skaters perform and the injuries to be expected. Appropriate planning and coordination of medical services is required to ensure adequate and timely care of injured figure skaters. Protocols developed for local, national, and international events are available to assist in this process...

The study aims to highlight the impact of practicing recreational figure skating by evaluating the relationship between the perceptions of motor, mental and social benefits of practicing figure skating and the frequency and duration allocated for this recreational activity. The study included 143 students of physical education and sport specialization. The questionnaire was designed to evaluate the students' perception about the benefits of practicing recreational figure skating; it included 30 items divided in three parts: motor, mental and social benefits...