Markers of Bone Health, Bone-Specific Physical Activities, Nutritional Intake, and Quality of Life of Professional Jockeys in Hong Kong

Workday Habits and Fatigue of American Jockeys

OBJECTIVE

The study aims to characterize the workday habits of American jockeys and evaluate the relationship between workday habits and fatigue through changes in postural stability (balance) across their workday.

METHODS

Thirty-seven jockeys participated in prerace and postrace day testing. Jockeys completed questionnaires on workday habits and a 2-minute balance test with triaxial accelerometers on the unstable surface and sacrum.

RESULTS

The median caloric intake during their workday was 263.8 kcal. Wilcoxon signed rank tests reported no significant changes in balance across the workday. Statistically significant ( P < 0.05) correlations existed between sleep (τ = -0.41) and number of races ridden (τ = 0.37) with balance variables.

CONCLUSIONS

American jockeys exhibit weight-cycling behaviors, primarily restricted caloric and fluid intake. No changes were evaluated in balance across the workday. Future research should focus on evaluating other fatigue mechanisms involving abdominal muscle fatigue and cognitive fatigue.

Factors associated with time to return to horse racing following a clavicle fracture in jockeys competing in Great Britain: A review and analysis of medical records

PURPOSE

Competitive horse racing is the second largest sport in Great Britain by spectator attendance, employability, and revenue. It is a lucrative yet hazardous sport, with high injury rates, particularly from falls. Clavicular fractures are one of the most common injuries reported, yet their management, especially regarding return to racing, is under-researched. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors associated with the time to return to competition following a clavicular fracture in jockeys competing in Great Britain.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This review of medical records utilised data from the British Horseracing Authority spanning 2011-2018, inclusive. Data included the jockey's age, sex, type of licence, race discipline, location of incident, and fracture management. Descriptive statistics and univariable and multivariable generalised linear models were constructed to analyse the impact of these factors on the time to return to racing.

RESULTS

Out of 212 records of clavicular fractures, 169 were analysed. The majority (82.8%) of fractures were managed conservatively, with the remainder requiring surgery. The median time to return to racing was 40 days, with an interquartile range of 34 days. Following a clavicular fracture, the results from the univariable and multivariable models indicated that the management approach, whether the fracture is displaced, and the type of race in which the injury occurred have the greatest influence on extending the time to return to racing. In contrast, professional, conditional and amateur licence types, as well as experiencing the injury at a racecourse, were associated with reduced time to return to racing, which may indicate greater risk-taking behaviour.

CONCLUSION

This study offers unique insights into key medical and contextual factors that influence the time to return to racing among jockeys in Great Britain, contributing to tailoring medical management and return to racing protocols to support jockeys' health and career longevity. Clinicians working within horse racing can use the findings of this study to provide return to racing guidance to trainers, riders and other medical professionals based on the key contextual information reported in this study.

The Quality of Life and the Bio-Molecular Profile in Working Environment: A Systematic Review

Working life is characterised by various requirements and degrees of control in meeting these demands. The imbalance of these elements with workers’ resources can result in work-related stress involving the repeated activation of stress response systems. Modifications in the bio-molecular profile may represent a biological signature of individuals’ life experiences and provide evidence on pathways through which such stressors can result in health outcomes. The aim of our systematic review is to characterize the quality of life (QOL) and the bio-molecular profile in the working population, to highlight if the alteration observed might be related to the working conditions. The article query was performed on PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL and results have been presented according to three molecular pathways involved in the stress response: oxidative stress, inflammation, and neuroendocrine activation. The epidemiological sample has been sub-grouped into “clinical” and “non-clinical” populations according to the presence of a diagnosis of psychological disorders. Besides some critical issues, the review highlights the importance of developing a valid array of biological indicators, measurable in non-invasive matrices, sensitive to both derangements from physiological conditions and stress reduction, useful for identifying those groups at higher risk of health outcomes and, eventually, promoting workers’ wellbeing.

Physiological Demands and Muscle Activity of “Track-Work” Riding in Apprentice Jockeys

Purpose: To enhance performance in race riding, knowledge of current training workload is required. The objectives of this study were to quantify the physiological demands and profile the muscle activity of jockeys riding track-work. Methods: Ten apprentice jockeys and 48 horses were instrumented with heart-rate monitors, accelerometers, and a surface electromyography BodySuit (recording 8 muscle groups: quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteal, lower back, obliques, abdominal, trapezial, and pectoral) that recorded continuously while riding their normal morning track-work. Data were extracted and time matched into 200-m sections for analysis once the jockey reached steady-state canter (6.9 m·s−1). Results: Jockeys rode a mean (±SD) of 6 (1) horses each morning over 2.5 hours, spending ∼30 minutes at a canter (8.8  [ 0.7] m·s−1), with mean heart rate of 129 (11) beats·min–1 and ratings of perceived exertion representing easy-/moderate-intensity exercise. Mean magnitude of horse (0.17 [0.01] m) and jockey center of mass (0.16 [0.02] m) displacement per stride differed from that of the jockey’s head (0.11 [0.01] m, P < .05). The majority of horse oscillation was damped in the upper body with a 3-fold reduction in the medio/lateral and fore/aft planes (P < .05), to minimize jockey head movement. Lower-body muscles absorbed horse motion, with core and upper-body muscles important for postural stabilization. Conclusions: The physiological demands of riding track-work were low, with no evidence of fatigue. Future research on jockeys in races as comparison would identify the specific requirements of a jockey-specific physical conditioning program.

Weight-Making Practices Among Jockeys: An Update and Review of the Emergent Scientific Literature

Numerous publications have described the behaviors employed by professional jockeys on a daily basis to achieve and maintain a minimum racing weight. This narrative review provides an update of recent publications that report on the impact of such practices. Although rapid weight-loss techniques such as calorie restriction and dehydration are commonly thought to be deleterious to jockeys, little evidence exists of enduring health consequences. There is evidence to suggest that jockey training behaviors and dietary choices are not aligned with optimum preparation for the physiological demands of the sport. Further research is necessary to better measure the health impact of jockey weight-making behaviors; such data might guide reforms of athlete behavior and regulatory practices within the global sport of horse racing.

Medicine in the Sport of Horse Racing

Horseracing is among the most popular and increasingly lucrative industry sports in the nation. The average jockey must control a thoroughbred horse 10 times their weight that may act unpredictably whether at rest or full gallop resulting in falls, kicks, or even biting injuries. Despite the risks, jockeys do not have access to the same quality of medical care that is standard in similarly profitable sports organizations. Beyond the mental and physical demands of training and performance endured by any professional athlete, jockeys are confronted with health challenges unique to their sport. In this review of the literature, we aim to educate sports medicine physicians regarding the underlying causes of injuries, describe injury management, and make recommendations for appropriate preventive strategies. Overall, there is a void of literature, and so our authors offer expert opinion and encourage others to get involved in making this a safer sport.

Weight loss practice, nutritional status, bone health, and injury history: A profile of professional jockeys in Korea

[Purpose]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of weight loss practices on nutritional status, bone health, and injury history among Korean professional jockeys.

[Methods]

Forty-three male jockeys completed a questionnaire to assess their weight loss practices. Of these, 10 jockeys were selected for in-depth assessment of their nutritional status, bone health, and injury history.

[Results]

The questionnaires revealed that 81.4% of jockeys lost weight every week mainly by dieting and/or exercising. None of the jockeys consumed enough food during the weight loss period. Two jockeys were diagnosed with osteopenia and one was diagnosed with osteoporosis. Only history of fracture showed a significant correlation with low bone mineral density. All jockeys had more than one injury experience throughout their career. Fracture was the most common type of injury, occurring during practice and/or competition and caused mainly by difficulties in handling the horses.

[Conclusion]

Professional jockeys in Korea use extreme weight loss methods. Their repeated periods of poor nutritional intake may result in seriously low bone mineral density, which may aggravate injuries sustained during horse races. Implementation of balanced dietary programs and delivery of health education on weight management are urgently required.

Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport in Male Athletes: A Commentary on Its Presentation Among Selected Groups of Male Athletes

Low energy availability (LEA) is a key element of the Female Athlete Triad. Causes of LEA include failure to match high exercise energy expenditure (unintentional) or pathological behaviors of disordered eating (compulsive) and overzealous weight control programs (misguided but intentional). Recognition of such scenarios in male athletes contributed to the pronouncement of the more inclusive Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) syndrome. This commentary describes the insights and experience of the current group of authors around the apparently heightened risk of LEA in some populations of male athletes: road cyclists, rowers (lightweight and open weight), athletes in combat sports, distance runners, and jockeys. The frequency, duration, and magnitude of the LEA state appear to vary between populations. Common risk factors include cyclical management of challenging body mass and composition targets (including "making weight") and the high energy cost of some training programs or events that is not easily matched by energy intake. However, additional factors such as food insecurity and lack of finances may also contribute to impaired nutrition in some populations. Collectively, these insights substantiate the concept of RED-S in male athletes and suggest that a specific understanding of a sport, subpopulation, or culture may identify a complex series of factors that can contribute to LEA and the type and severity of its outcomes. This commentary provides a perspective on the range of risk factors that should be addressed in future surveys of RED-S in athletic populations and targeted for specific investigation and modification.