Theses and dissertations (Health Sciences)
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Item Sagittal spinal alignment in long-term surfers of eThekwini(2021-12-01) Mudge, Alexander; Pillay, Julian D.Background: Sagittal spinal alignment and posture deteriorate with age, but may be affected by physical activity. Surfers catch and ride breaking waves using a surfboard, which they paddle while prone with their spine extended. Spinal extension exercise is generally beneficial to postural development with age. This study aimed to investigate whether an association exists between long-term surfing and the progression of sagittal spinal alignment and posture i.e. cervical lordosis (C-angle (flex and Cobb)), thoracic kyphosis (T-angle (flex and Cobb)), lumbar lordosis (Langle (flex and Cobb)), and sagittal posture (Posture Number) in ostensibly healthy males over the age of 50. The objectives of this study included: 1) Assessing the. C, T, L-angles, and Posture Numbers in long-term male surfers and physically active non-surfer ; 2) Determining whether any significant differences exist between the selected sagittal spinal alignment and posture parameters within or between the surfing and non-surfing groups; and 3) Determining the association, if any, between age, years of surfing and selected spinal alignment parameters. Methodology: 52 males over the age of 50 underwent a case history and postural examination. Their C, T, and L-angles were plotted onto graph paper to analyse using BiomechFlex. Anterior and lateral full-body photographs were taken to analyse using Posture Pro version 8. The generated statistics were analysed using STATA version 16. The summary measures used included the mean, median, standard deviation, range and percentiles of spinal angle and posture variables, as well as the age, anthropometric variables, activity hours per week and activity years. Results: The mean body mass index (BMI) of the S group (24.9kg/m²) was significantly lower than the 27.6kg/m² mean of the NS group, p=0.00. The average time spent on activities per week was over 3 hours in both groups (S group - 3.28hrs and NS groups - 4.67hrs, p=0.0004). On average, the S group (45.6 years) had been practising surfing for significantly more years than the NS group (32 years) had been practising their respective primary activities, p=0.0008. There were no significant differences between the S and NS groups in terms of C- (flex p=0.6234), T- (flex p=0.5758 and Cobb p= 0.5518), or L-angles (flex p=0.6171 and Cobb p=0.6142), or Posture Number (p=0.5348). The T-angles (flex and Cobb) obtained from both NS and S groups were greater than 40⁰, which is classified as hyperkyphotic. There was a positive correlation between age and Posture Number in the S group (r = 0.4307 and p-value = 0.0316), but not the NS group. There was a significant association between Posture Number and T-angle (flex p=0.027 and Cobb p=0.026). The NS group had a 2.15⁰ (flex) and 2.09⁰ (Cobb) greater T-angles for any given posture Number. The NS group had an average of 2.9⁰ (flex) and 2.23⁰ (Cobb) lower Langles than the S group for any given BMI. Thus, surfing may suggest benefit of surfing to sagittal spinal alignment and posture. Conclusion: The results of this study show that long-term surfing is beneficial to the aging individual in terms of body composition. However, it is no more effective at mediating the effect of age on sagittal spinal alignment and posture than other forms of physical activity included in this study. Nevertheless, slight differences between the NS and S groups were present, which may indicate that the biomechanical or even postural effects/adaptations of long-term surfing differ from those of other activities. These subtle differences indicate the need for further research around physical activity, sagittal spinal alignment and posture.Item A retrospective profile of musculoskeletal injuries of ultra-endurance triathletes in South Africa(2019) Momberg, Courtney Dean; Matkovich, GrantAim The aim of this study was to determine the injury profile of ultra-endurance triathletes in South Africa. Background An ultra-endurance triathlon comprises a combination of swimming, cycling and running; the distances covered are a 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and a 42.2km run all in succession. Ultra-endurance triathlon has grown in popularity since its inception in the 1970s. However, there is insufficient data relating to injuries in the South African context especially related to age and gender. Methods This Institutional Research Ethics Committee of the Durban University of Technology approved study included 100 active members of My Training Day and ultra-endurance triathletes associated with My Training Day that were training and taking part in the 2017 South African ultra-endurance triathlon (2017 South African Ironman Race). After signing the informed consent form and letter of information, participants completed an online questionnaire on training and injury profiles. All data captured was anonymous and confidential. Data was described using frequency tables for categorical data and summary statistics for continuous data. Odds ratios were reported and a p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. For triathletes reporting injuries, linear regression was used for factors associated with injury severity. Results Questionnaires were returned by 86 ultra-endurance triathletes, of which 71 were deemed viable giving a response rate of 71%. The past and periodic (day of the race) prevalence of ultra-endurance triathlon-related musculoskeletal injury was 46.5% and 9.85% respectively. The most common site of injury in the year leading up to the 2017 ultra-endurance race was the posterior compartment of the lower limb, being the hamstring / calf (36.4%), while there was an equal split of injuries on race day with the shoulder, hamstring / calf, knee / quadriceps region all having the same percentage (28.6%). Of the 71 participants 66.2% were male and 33.8% were female. The most common age group was 30 to 34 years (25.7%). The majority of the participants started participating in ultra-endurance triathlons between 24 and 29 years of age (32.4%). There was no significant difference in age between those who had injuries prior to the event and those who did not (p = 0.079). There was no statistically significant difference in prior injury prevalence between males and females (p = 0.395). There was a borderline non-significant difference indicating younger athletes were at higher risk for injury on race day (p = 0.069). Females had a higher risk of injury on race day (p = 0.039). Conclusions and recommendations The results concur with previous research and add further insight into factors predisposing triathletes to injury. The most common injuries require investigation to develop preventative interventions to reduce injuries in triathletes. Further research into age and gender interactions as risk factors for injury is needed in South Africa. Health professionals require education about ultra-endurance triathlon-related injuries to improve preventative and curative interventions.