Purpose of the study: to scientifically substantiate, develop and test the effectiveness of sledge hockey as rehabilitation method for children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Methods: the study involved 12 boys aged 8–14 years with a diagnosis of CP, spastic diplegia, II and III levels of large motor functions development (according to Gross Motor Function Classifi cation System).

The pedagogical experiment was conducted on the basis of the charitable foundation “Eto chudo” in Kirov. Tests to determine the level of physical fitness and the development of fine motor skills were carried out. In addition, a questionnaire among parents, which is aimed at assessing the condition of a child with CP, was conducted.

Results: a comparison of the results of initial and final testing shows that the data is reliable. Th is indicates that the developed experimental method of rehabilitation of children with CP using sledge hockey is eff ective. Also, according to the results of the survey of parents, it was concluded that the child’s working capacity has increased; the child has become more balanced, and has fewer colds.

Conclusion: when using sledge hockey in the rehabilitation of children with CP, the level of physical fi tness and development of fi ne motor skills increased, as well as the quality of life of children with CP improved.

Purpose of the study: to study statistical data on the structure of diseases in participants of Russian national sports teams and to create a classification based on the prevalence of diseases in different sports.

Materials and methods: analysis of anonymized medical data of 15,464 participants of Russian national teams who underwent in-depth medical examination in the clinics of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency for the period 2021–2023. The data included various anthropometric, physiologic, and clinical characteristics of the athletes. Statistical processing and data visualization were performed using the R programming language.

Results: 6 classification clusters of sports were identified based on the analysis of the main groups of diseases most frequently encountered in top skill athletes. In each cluster, high incidence of diseases is specific to certain sports.

Conclusion: a classification of sports based on the prevalence of diseases in athletes of the national teams of the Russian Federation was developed. This classification approach can be the basis for the creation of individualized prevention and rehabilitation programs that take into account specific health risks associated with different sports.

Objective: Chocolate, renowned for its abundance of bioactive flavonoid compounds, is recognized as a delectable food option with purported benefits for both athletes and general population. Nevertheless, there is no consolidated overview detailing the effects of chocolate consumption specifically among football players. This review aims to elucidate the diverse impacts of chocolate consumption on football players.

Methods: A systematic search adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines studies that met the inclusion criteria was conducted in the databases of Google Scholar, PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science to April 01, 2024. Forthy-eight articles were retrieved, of which nine studies met the inclusion criteria.

Results: The findings of these studies indicate that chocolate consumption is associated with a decrease in diastolic blood pressure, mean blood pressure, plasma cholesterol, Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, malondialdehyde, urate, platelet count, mean platelet volume, and platelet distribution width. It was found to reduce intestinal permeability as well as muscle damage biomarkers such as creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase. Furthermore, chocolate consumption was associated with an increase in vitamin E/cholesterol ratio, antioxidant power, mean daily exercise time, heart rate, time to fatigue, physical performance, and improvement in redox status.

Conclusion: Despite the limited number of studies in this area, small sample sizes, and the presence of limitations in each study, chocolate consumption has demonstrated the potential to enhance athletic performance and recovery in football players. However, further research is essential to fully understand the scope of these effects.

Aim: To examine the effect of a single high dose of caffeine on visual reaction time (VRT) in young elite soccer players at rest and under different intensity physical exercise conditions.

Materials and methods: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized study with a balanced design, 54 soccer players from one of the leading Russian soccer academies, aged 15 to 17 years (n = 54, age — 15.9 ± 0.8 years, height — 180 ± 8.3 cm, weight — 69.5 ± 8.8 kg, BMI — 21.4 ± 1.4 kg/m²), participated. After a standardized warm-up, all participants completed a battery of tests, including a 30-meter sprint, countermovement jump, change-of-direction running, T-test, dribbling, and repeated sprint ability test.

Sixty minutes before VRT measurement, all participants received either 400 mg of caffeine, presented as caffeine or placebo, or placebo, presented as placebo or caffeine. VRT was measured four times: before caffeine intake, 60 minutes after intake (before warm-up), after the warm-up, and after completing the last test.

Results: No significant effect of caffeine on VRT was found after its administration in any of the groups (p > 0.05). When analyzing the changes in VRT throughout the testing process, from measurements taken before the warm-up to those taken after its completion, no significant differences were observed in any of the groups (p > 0.01).

Conclusion: A single oral intake of 400 mg of caffeine, and the belief that it was consumed, does not affect visual reaction time in young elite soccer players either at rest or after maximal intensity physical exercise.

Aim of the study: To study the quantitative dynamics of the myocardial damage marker troponin T (cTnT) in elite biathlonists as a response to the cyclic training aids used at the stages of the early season during the annual training cycle.

Methods: The study involved 23 biathlonists undergoing centralized training as members of the national team of the Russian Federation. Serum cTnT quantitation was performed by means of electrochemiluminescent assay using Elecsys Troponin T hs reagent kit (Roche Diagnostics, Germany).

Results: The mean group cTnT blood level in biathlonists did not exceed the upper limit of cardiac marker reference range established for healthy men (< 14 pg/ml). cTnT concentration of at the general preliminary stage was significantly higher than at the special preliminary stage (p < 0.05), whereas statistically significant differences between the special preliminary and precompetition stages were not found (p > 0.05). The maximum cTnT levels in the group of athletes were recorded in May and June, in July its concentration decreased at the trend level (p > 0.05), then from August to October a significant decrease was documented (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The low ALT and AST tissue specificity does nor reliably reveal functional myocardial overload as the response to physical exertion. In order to stratify the risk athletes with abnormal blood cTnT levels are recommended to diagnose the cardiovascular system within the in-depth biomedical observation, since it cannot be excluded that repeated bouts of endurance exercise, each causing subclinical effects, may have a cumulative effect on cardiac structure or function.

Objective: to study pathogenetic homeostasis changes in connective tissue dysplasia to substantiate its role in the predisposition to musculoskeletal injuries.

Materials and methods: the basis of this scientific-analytical review was the analysis of data from the electronic portals PubMed-NCBI, Google Academy, and Scientific electronic e-Library.ru.

Results: the presented literature review indicates that connective tissue dysplasia, based on polygenically determined and/or environmental factors-induced defects in the synthesis or remodeling of intercellular matrix components, manifested by the formation of deficient connective tissue and significant changes in its biomechanical properties. This is primarily affects the musculoskeletal structure and functions. Depending on the impaired metabolism stage, connective tissue dysplasia is manifested by a variety of clinical signs indicating pathology of skeletal bones and their joints, failure of connective tissue intermuscular layers and tendon-fascial complexes.

Conclusions: changes in the musculoskeletal structure and functions are manifested by its initially reduced adaptive capabilities and resistance to physical load, determining the predisposition to injury. A personalized approach to the choice of sports activity and training program in connective tissue dysplasia will help to preserve youth health, prevent re-traumatism and early disability.

Purpose of the study: Extreme volumes of swim training are endured by competitive swimmers, which can potentially cause overuse injury by overloading soft tissue structures. The aim of the study is to determine whether overuse injuries are more common during the training phase or competition phase among competitive swimmers.

Methods: This study used a prospective longitudinal design with training history and self-reported measures of overuse questionnaire once each fortnight for nine months, from March 2023 to November 2023. The study included the participation of 54 competitive swimmers ranging from various swimming clubs in India. The Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Overuse Injury Questionnaire was utilised to collect data on prevalence of substantial overuse injuries.

Results: The median (IQR) prevalence of shoulder substantial overuse injuries during training is 27.5 (16–38) and in competition is 0 (0–14) with a p value of 0.001. The mean (SD) of recovery session during training is 4.1 (0.3) and during competition is 4.5 (0.5). The mean (SD) of strength sessions during training period is 4.7 (0.6) and during competition is 2.7 (0.4).

Conclusion: Implementing an effective athlete monitoring system for load management can play a crucial role in reducing these injuries. It is critical to treat the root causes of an overuse injury after a diagnosis as it is important for the swimmer, their parents, coaches, team doctor and physiotherapist to work together to identify potential risk factors and formulate a plan to prevent injuries.