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CONTEXT: Borrowers burdened by high student debt generally experience financial constraints that can impact them both personally and professionally. To date no published data exists that profiles the education-related debt accrued by entry-level certified athletic trainers. OBJECTIVE: To assess the scope and scale of student debt associated with the completion of an entry-level athletic training degree. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Online web-based survey. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Participants were recruited with assistance from the National Athletic Trainers' Association, who disseminated the survey to 18,689 certified athletic trainers who were members in good standing and who had earned their certification between 2004 and 2022. A total of 2,271 individuals accessed the survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The overall amount of student debt incurred to complete an entry-level degree in athletic training and the initial monthly repayment amount were collected from survey respondents. Education-related debt-to-income ratio (DTIR) and monthly payment DTIR which are measures of financial health/stability were also calculated from the acquired survey data. RESULTS: Among athletic trainers who took out student loans, the average amount owed by entry-level athletic trainers for the period spanning 20042022 was $61,717, with an average initial monthly loan payment amount reported to be $453. The mean education related DTIR calculated from respondents was 169%, which exceeded the benchmark value of 100% recommended within the finance industry. Also, the average monthly payment DTIR calculated from study participants was .144, which approached the recommended acceptable upper-limit of .15. CONCLUSIONS: Education-related DTIR and monthly payment DTIR values reported by respondents suggests the potential for entry-level athletic trainers to experience financial challenges related to their student debt.

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INTRODUCTION: Kettlebell (KB) swing exercises have been proposed as a possible method to improve hip and spinal motor control as well as improve power, strength, and endurance. PURPOSE: To describe electromyographic (EMG) and sagittal plane kinematics during two KB exercises: the two-handed KB swing (THKS) and the single-handed KB swing (SHKS). In addition, the authors sought to investigate whether or not hip flexor length related to the muscular activity or the kinematics of the exercise. METHODS: Twenty-three healthy college age subjects participated in this study. Demographic information and passive hip flexor length were recorded for each subject. A maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of bilateral gluteus maximus (GMAX), gluteus medius (GMED), and biceps femoris (BF) muscles was recorded. EMG activity and sagittal plane video was recorded during both the THKS and SHKS in a randomized order. Normalized muscular activation of the three studied muscles was calculated from EMG data. RESULTS: During both SHKS and THKS, the average percent of peak MVIC for GMAX was 75.02% ± 55.38, GMED 55.47% ± 26.33, and BF 78.95% ± 53.29. Comparisons of the mean time to peak activation (TTP) for each muscle showed that the biceps femoris was the first muscle to activate during the swings. Statistically significant (p < .05), moderately positive correlations (r = .483 and .417) were found between passive hip flexor length and % MVIC for the GMax during the SHKS and THKS, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The THKS and SHKS provide sufficient muscular recruitment for strengthening of all of the muscles explored. This is the first study to show significant correlations between passive hip flexor length and muscular activation of hip extensors, particularly the GMax. Finally, the BF consistently reached peak activity before the GMax and GMed during the SHKS. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3.

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UNLABELLED: Musculoskeletal health benefits from flexibility training and maintaining a functional, or sport specific, range of motion is important to one's overall fitness. Commercial foam rollers are commonly used in gyms, therapy clinics and homes, yet data are lacking on the optimal rolling duration and effect on range of motion. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of varied durations of a commercial foam roller treatment on hamstring range of motion. METHODS: The knee extension range of motion of 33 college aged men and women (age= 20±1.5y, mass= 72.2±10.8 kg) was assessed after a short (2 sets of 10s) and long (4 sets of 30s) duration of hamstring self-administered myofascial release using a commercial foam roller. A one way ANOVA was performed to compare the mean knee extension angle for each condition to baseline measures. RESULTS: Results indicated that neither the short duration (67.30 ± 10.60 deg) nor long duration (67.41 ± 10.81 deg) rolling condition produced significant increases in knee extension compared to baseline (67.70 ± 9.90 deg). CONCLUSION: Self-administered foam rolling for a total duration of up to 2 minutes is not adequate to induce improvements in knee joint flexibility. Contributing factors may include the amount of pressure imparted by the commercial roller as well as duration of treatment.

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Weight training is a method commonly used to increase strength. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effect of breathing technique during weight training on heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP). After completing a health history questionnaire, 30 subjects (16 men: 21.25 +/- 1.21 years, 180.26 +/- 2.36 cm, 84.31 +/- 19.32 kg; and 14 women: 21.29 +/- 2.37 years, 170.08 +/- 2.15 cm, 137.36 +/- 62.31 kg) were familiarized and tested for an estimated 1 repetition maximum, on the chest press and leg press lifts using each of the 2 breathing techniques, hold breath (HB), and controlled breathing. Lifts were examined using each breathing technique with 1 set of 10 repetitions on separate days. Data were collected during the push phase on average of 3.72 times per set and again at 1 and 5 minutes post lift. Resting, during lift (peak, average); 1-minute and 5-minute post lift BP; and HR values were measured using the NIBP100A noninvasive BP system (Biopac Systems, Inc), for both breathing technique within each lift. The HB technique posted higher but statistically insignificant (p < 0.05) values for systolic BP (p = 0.420), diastolic BP (p = 0.531), and HR (p = 0.713) than the controlled breath technique. The HB technique used in this investigation produced minimal elevations in HR and BP and appears to be safe when performing the chest press and leg press lifts at a moderate resistance. Education on proper weight training techniques can help limit unwanted risks during these exercises.

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UNLABELLED: The trapezius muscle plays a crucial role in maintaining proper shoulder mechanics and is often considered a source of weakness and dysfunction in patients. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the activation patterns of the middle and lower trapezius during four prone horizontal abduction exercises of the glenohumeral joint (GHJ). METHODS: The muscle activation patterns of 19 female and 13 male volunteers were measured using surface EMG during horizontal arm abduction exercises commonly used in rehabilitative settings. Each subject performed 10 repetitions of horizontal abduction (ABD) at each position using only the weight of the arm. Function was assessed during shoulder horizontal abduction while positioned at: 75 degrees , 90 degrees , 125 degrees and 160 degrees of GHJ ABD. Electromyographic activity was collected during the concentric phase during each test repetition in the lower (LTRAP) and middle trapezius (MTRAP). A repeated measure ANOVA was performed followed by Bonferroni's post hoc test. RESULTS: The MTRAP had significantly greater recruitment at 90 degrees and 125 degrees , compared to 160 degrees . Similarly, results for the lower trapezius indicated that recruitment at 90 degrees and 125 degrees was significantly greater than 160 degrees . CONCLUSION: Most significant muscle activation for the middle and lower trapezius occurred at 90 degrees and 125 degrees of GHJ ABD. For the clinician, training at 90 degrees is easy to identify, and provides maximal activation, negating the need for multiple training angles.

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OBJECTIVE: To determine if there were differences in concentric peak torque/body-weight (PT/BW) ratios and concentric time to peak torque (TPT) of the dorsiflexors and evertors in uninjured and functionally unstable ankles using a stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) protocol on an isokinetic dynamometer. DESIGN AND SETTING: We employed a case-control study design to examine the test subjects in a climate-controlled athletic training/sports medicine research laboratory. SUBJECTS: Thirty subjects volunteered to participate in this study, 15 with unilateral functional ankle instability and 15 matched controls. MEASUREMENTS: Participants were assessed isokinetically using an SSC protocol for the dorsiflexors and evertors at 120 and 240 degrees.s(-1), bilaterally. Strength was assessed using PT values normalized for body mass. Concentric TPT measurements were also compared between the groups. RESULTS: No differences in concentric PT/BW ratios or concentric TPT were evident between the groups (P >.05). Additionally, there were no differences in these measurements between the ankles for the same motion and speed between the ankles in the subjects with functional instability. CONCLUSIONS: Using the SSC protocol as a measure of ankle function and the stretch-reflex phenomenon, we found no evidence to support the notion that differences in strength and TPT in the active, conscious state exist between those with functional ankle instability and a group of healthy control subjects.