Journal of science and medicine in sport
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Comparative Study
Prevalence of hot weather conditions related to sports participation guidelines: a South Australian investigation.
There is scant guidance in the literature on the most appropriate Australian measures of, and thresholds for, extreme heat regarding giving advice on safe sports participation in hot weather. The purpose of this paper is to present a process for investigating two common measures of heat (air temperature, wet bulb globe temperature (WGBT)) in one state in Australia (South Australia), regarding their usefulness in making decisions regarding sports participation in the heat. ⋯ In SA, dry air temperature is an appropriate and robust measure of extreme heat related to sports participation, this measure providing as much information as WBGT in identifying extremely hot periods of weather. Dry air temperature can be readily measured by sports participants or officials irrespective of the geographical location in SA. Three SA regions demonstrated distinct differences in prevalence of extremely hot conditions, suggesting the need for site-specific interpretation of heat participation guidelines to ensure sports safety in hot weather. Other states in Australia could use the approach outlined in this paper to identify the most appropriate measure of extreme heat relevant to local conditions, and to assist in interpreting heat limit guidelines in a local context.
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To determine if there is any decrease in playing performance of athletes following return to sport after recovery from hamstring muscle strain injury. ⋯ Following return to sport from hamstring injury, player performance as assessed by the team coach is reduced. This suggests that some athletes may return to sport prior to complete resolution of the injury.