The ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament, is one of the key ligaments that helps to stabilize your knee joint and connects your thighbone (femur) to your shinbone (tibia). It can become torn or injured during sports-related activity where you stop short, change directions quickly, jump, or land. The ACL also may be severely injured after external trauma to the knee caused by kicks, tackles, or falls.
Cardiometabolic conditions include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and kidney disease. Lifestyle choices such as physical inactivity, an unhealthy diet, and smoking are contributing factors of cardiometabolic conditions. The term “metabolic health” refers to how well you prevent or control these conditions. When they are out of control, your risk for heart disease and stroke increases.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) refer to illnesses of the heart and blood vessels within the body, such as heart attack, stroke, heart rhythm irregularities (like Afib), blood clots, heart failure, and more. Some CVD can be in-born or genetic; however, the most common CVDs are associated with lifestyle factors like decreased physical activity, unhealthy diets, tobacco usage, and heavy alcohol consumption.
Cognitive impairment is most often characterized by difficulty remembering, concentrating, making decisions, or learning new things. Symptoms can be mild with small changes in daily functioning or severe resulting in loss of independence due to an inability to perform daily functions. These are hallmarks of diseases like dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and motor skill disorders.
Symptoms of cognitive impairment include confusion, poor motor coordination, short- or long-term memory problems, confusion in identifying items or people, and impaired judgement.
Concussions are a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by a bump, hit, or blow to the head or body which causes the head to move rapidly back and forth. Not every hit will result in a concussion. Signs of concussions include appearing dazed, moving clumsily, speaking slowly, and inability to recall events before or after the hit. Symptoms of a concussion include headaches, nausea, sensitivity to light or noise, blurry vision, balance problems, feeling hazy or foggy, and trouble concentrating.
Intervention research is a type of research study that focuses on measuring what happens after the researchers “intervene” by introducing a change for the person or group involved in the research (like changing diets, giving a medication, undergoing a therapy, etc.).
For example, in a study investigating heart health, researchers may require participants to follow a specific diet. The investigators will take certain cardiovascular measurements before applying the diet (baseline) and after. These measurements may be taken several times throughout the length of the study, and researchers will use this data to examine how the diet affected participants’ heart health.
A joint is a part of the skeleton where two or more bones meet to allow certain movements. Joints come in different shapes which determine the specific movement allowed. Without joints, flexibility and bodily movement would be impossible.
Socioeconomic status is the overall standing of a specific group of people as it relates to a combination of social and economic factors. These factors include income, wealth, education, occupation, race, and others. Socioeconomic status differences often drive severe inequities in access to resources across groups, and are a leading cause of health disparities in the US.
Apnea is defined as a temporary cessation of breathing. It is often most mentioned in terms of sleep disorders, where breathing may repeatedly stop and start while asleep. Sleep apnea is considered a potentially serious sleep disorder with complications including restlessness, cardiovascular problems, metabolic issues, liver problems, and more. There are three main types: obstructive (caused by a narrowing of your airway), central (caused when your brain isn’t sending the right signals to your breathing muscles), and complex (a combination of both obstructive and central sleep apneas).