Branka Matkovic- PhD, MD
- Professor Emeritus at University of Zagreb
Branka Matkovic
- PhD, MD
- Professor Emeritus at University of Zagreb
About
54
Publications
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Introduction
physiology of sport and exercise
Skills and Expertise
Current institution
Additional affiliations
July 1979 - present
Publications
Publications (54)
Recent data suggest that general practitioners (GPs) are insufficiently familiar with health risks associated with ionising radiation and radiation doses. The aim of our cross-sectional study was therefore to see if this holds true for Croatian GPs. To do that, we distributed a questionnaire about ionising radiation and doses used in various radiol...
Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the elbow mainly occurs in overhead athletes (OHAs). This narrative review aimed to comprehensively analyze the epidemiological data, etiological factors, clinical and imaging features, treatment options, and outcomes of OHAs with the diagnosis of elbow OCD. A literature search was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE, Sco...
Cardiorespiratory endurance is one of the most important fitness qualities for all populations including healthy individuals, the elderly, patients with chronic illness, recreational runners, and elite athletes. The uptake of oxygen by body tissues increases by increasing the activity or exercise intensity, also known as oxygen uptake (VO2). When t...
Introduction: This study investigated the differences in ACTN3, ACE and ADRB3 variants in top-level soccer players who entered the Croatian National Team and the ones who did not but played for two best Croatian teams. Material and Methods: The buccal swabs were collected from 56 soccer players playing for the Croatian National Team (N = 31) and/or...
The complexity of skiing movements urges recreational alpine skiers and competitors to undertake many specific skill trainings not only during the season but also during the off-season using alternative sports. In AS, the role of the outside leg is crucial for successful turn performance. By measuring kinematic and kinetic parameters, we could defi...
Findings of the studies on the relationship between isometric handgrip contraction and changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) are contradictory. The aim of the study was to evaluate CBF changes during one minute of a maximal handgrip isometric contraction. Our main hypothesis was that the maximal handgrip test will cause a decrease in CBF related to...
The main objective of this research was to determine whether progressive physiological load affects changes in certain kinematic parameters while performing jump shots in basketball. This study primarily examined the effect of fatigue on changes in angular velocities of joints of the lower and upper extremities, however, the relationship of the men...
During a soccer match players perform a substantial number of explosive activities such as jumps, duels, shots and dribblings, accelerations, decelerations, changes of direction and sprints. Precisely such repetitive eccentric contractions are related to muscle damage (exercise-induced muscle damage) that is, two or three days after the match, clin...
Plyometric training is an important part of athletic conditioning with many significant benefits,
including improved motor abilities and performance, but it can also increase the serum indices of muscle
damage, collagen breakdown, muscle swelling, and soreness. Due to the physical characteristics of water,
plyometric training in water presents less...
High-altitude tourism is becoming increasingly popular among non-athletic population, but its potential impact on health is often neglected. This study investigated the changes in male sex hormones after the trek at altitudes between 1400 m and 6476 m. Seventeen recreational lowland men (age 48±11 years) participated in a 26-day Himalayan trek, wit...
During pregnancy there are increased biomechanical demands on women affecting gait parameters. The purpose of this study was to analyze changes in vertical ground reaction force (GRF), normalized by body mass, during advancing phases of pregnancy. Nine pregnant subjects participated in this study at three pregnancy stages. To determine in-shoe pres...
1 Kineziološki fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu 2 Specijalna bolnica za medicinsku rehabilitaciju Naftalan 3 Klinički zavod za dijagnostičku i intervencijsku radiologiju, KB Merkur, Zagreb 67 Hrvat. Športskomed. Vjesn. 2015; 30: 67-77 SAŽETAK Pjenasti valjak postao je često korišteno sredstvo u pripremi za tjelesnu aktivnost, ali i u oporavku nakon n...
We conducted a longitudinal study to examine changes in the respiratory exchange ratio (RER) during progressively increasing body exertion in children and adolescents of female sex. In this analysis we only included 23 examinees for which we had all yearly measurements from examinee's age 9 years until 18 years of age. The data were analyzed accord...
Sport coaches are a population with its specific characteristics and because of their association with the athletes, especially young ones, their lifestyle habits deserve attention. The aim of this study was to determine the habits related to alcohol consumption and smoking in the Croatian sport coaches. The study was conducted on 56 women and 147...
The importance of regular physical activity (PA) in improving and maintaining health has been recognized. Future professions of the female students from the selected faculties are oriented toward preservation of health and passing of such habits to children and adults. The aim of this research was to determine the level of PA of female students fro...
The importance of regular physical activity (PA) in improving and maintaining health has been recognized. Future professions of the female students from the selected faculties are oriented toward preservation of health and passing of such habits to children and adults. The aim of this research was to determine the level of PA of female students fro...
The aim of this study was to identify the efficacy of three different teaching methods existing in contemporary sport: the analytical, synthetic and situational methods. The sample of subjects comprised 90 boys, 9 – 10 years of age, who were beginners in basketball. A six-month program was implemented that, regarding the groups analyzed, varied onl...
The aim of this study was to identify the efficacy of three different teaching methods existing in contemporary sport: the analytical, synthetic and situational methods. The sample of subjects comprised 90 boys, 9 - 10 years of age, who were beginners in basketball. A six-month program was implemented that, regarding the groups analyzed, varied onl...
The main object of this research was to determine the existance of statistically significant differ-ences in physiological load of the referees concidering the period of the basketball game. The sample of subjects consisted of 31 referees, avarage age of 33.35 ± 5.17, from the A referee list of the 1st Croatian Basketball League in the contest seas...
Introduction Soccer players in most world leagues have very condensed schedule and these games are played at high intensity. Dupont with his coworkers (2010) showed that recovery time between two soccer matches appears to be sufficient for maintaining the level of physical performance but is not long enough to secure a low injury rate. The injuries...
Glavni cilj u ovom istraživanju bio je utvrditi postoje li statistički značajne razlike u fiziološkom opterećenju sudija s obzirom na period košarkaške utakmice. Uzorak ispitanika sastojao se od 31 sudije, prosječne dobi 33,35±5,17 godina koji su se nalazili na A listi sudija I. Hrvatske košarkaške lige u takmičarskoj sezoni 2008/2009. Uzorak varij...
The aim of this study was to determine the level of physical activity in adolescent
girls and differences in their physical activity with respect to birth year, nutrition
level and secondary school type. The level of physical activity was measured by
the Fels physical activity questionnaire for children. The results indicate that there
are only 33%...
The sample of twenty adult (senior) male tennis players (ten ranked on the ATP ranking list and ten ranked among the first 25 players on Croatian national ranking list), where measured by 23 morphology anthropometric measures and 11 measures assessing work capacities (functional abilities) of the tennis players. The collected data were processed by...
Among other, job of sport trainers and pedagogues includes giving dietary advice to young athletes. The primary aim of our research was to investigate the nutrition knowledge of students from Sport faculties in Zagreb and Bratislava. The secondary aim was to determine and compare the dietary habits of the two student groups as well as to examine th...
During competitive soccer match play, elite players are subdued to vigorous physical and psychological strains. Thus, some changes in overall physical fitness can be expected. The objective of this paper was to determine whether official games influence physical fitness in soccer players.
The participants were divided according to the number of min...
On the sample of 83 top Slovenian athletes we have studied the frequency of injuries among table tennis, tennis and badminton players, types of injuries and severity of injuries--the latter based on data of players absences from training and/or competition processes. The most liable parts to injuries are shoulder girdle (17.27%), spine (16.55%) and...
The aim of this study was to establish whether there are any electromyographic (EMG) differences after two different surgical techniques in two years follow-up after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Study participants were divided into three groups. The control group included healthy athletes (C), the first study group (E1) consiste...
The aim of our research was to define the most efficient 7-day alpine-ski learning program forthe ski-beginners. The research included 126 alpine ski naïve students, randomized into twoequally-sized groups, at the study start not differing according to morphological characteristics ormotor abilities. Participants of one group were taught alpine ski...
The aim of our research was to define the most efficient 7-day alpine-ski learning program forthe ski-beginners. The research included 126 alpine ski naïve students, randomized into twoequally-sized groups, at the study start not differing according to morphological characteristics ormotor abilities. Participants of one group were taught alpine ski...
In this study, we evaluated the extent to which 2000-m rowing ergometer performance times predicted final rankings at the World Rowing Championships in a sample of 638 rowers of both sexes and body-mass classifications (i.e., open-category and lightweight rowers). Rowing ergometer performance times were examined using a questionnaire, and in 17 of...
In this study we present the morphological characteristics of 54 Croatian national level track-and-field athletes. 21 anthropometric body measures were taken on a sample of 15 sprinters (S), 16 endurance sprinters (S4), 10 middle-distance runners (MD) and 13 long-distance runners (LD). Body fat percentage, body mass index and somatotype were also c...
The aim of this investigation was to determine objectivity and homogeneity of judges involved in the skiing knowledge grading process of college students. The knowledge of alpine skiing of 126 students was determined by five independent judges, by attributing grades from one to five for the demonstration of five representative elements of alpine sk...
To evaluate the effects of the designed regime encompassing high volume-low intensity physical activity programme on glycemic control in diabetic children, 20 subjects (age 12.81 +/- 2.14) spent 2 weeks in a controlled environment of a summer camp.
An exercise physiologist and a kinesiology specialist programme and conducted the three exercise sess...
Injuries are part of the modern competitive sport and as a result of increasing participation, intensity, demands and longer training periods, the potential risk of injuries in sport increase. For coach that’s why it is necessary to understand what factors have to be involved in an injury-prevention strategy for table tennis and tennis. On the samp...
The aim of this study was to compare tennis players’ physiological demands on different tennis surfaces: clay court and hard court. The study included twenty senior players aged 21.45±3.45, from ATP (from 400 ATP) to national level (to 25th place in Croatia’s national rankings). They played 20 matches, 10 on a clay court and 10 on a hard court. Sam...
The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of the lower extremity muscle fatigue on the proprioceptive sensitivity of the motor control in knee joint. METHODS: Controlled motor tests of the landing as well as functional strain at the treadmill were applied. The test subject consisted of a control (n=10) and an experimental group (n=10...
The study investigated differences in morphological, motor and functional abilities between folk and ballet dancers. The sample comprised 51 female subjects: Croatian National Ballet (N=30) and Croatian National Folk Ensemble "LADO" (N=21). The data regarding menstrual cycle, menarche, number of births and smoking habit were collected and the morph...
Ballet, rhythmic gymnastics, and figure skating are disciplines that are begun early in childhood and pose high demands on the performers' functional and energy capacities, which may influence the development of the body's physique and composition. This study investigated whether differences in the body's physique and composition were preexistent i...
A test on 300 yards at two time points, by the end of the first and the beginning of second competition period, has been performed on the 33 players in two clubs of the 1 st Croatian football league. On the basis of results received, level of glicolitical abilities has been analysed along with the analysis of the difference in the level of football...
The study presents the results of the EUROFIT CROATIA project that was conducted according to the instructions of Council of Europe. The aim of the study was evaluation of fitness level of the employed Croatian population. The measurements comprised EUROFIT battery of tests as well as Baecke's questionnaire for evaluation of habitual physical activ...
To determine the possible influence of high physical load in the workplace on the physical fitness of employees.
The subjects (494 men) were tested by means of Baecke's questionnaire for evaluation of the Work Index, measuring occupational physical load. The EUROFIT battery of tests was used for testing the functional and motor abilities of the sub...
To determine antiandrogen effects on muscle strength gain and fat-free mass increase during exercise in women using hormonal contraception with antiandrogen content.
The study included 50 women (age range, 18-30 years; mean-/+SD, 26-/+3) using hormonal contraception for at least 12 months before the beginning of the study. They were divided into tw...
Team position is of extreme importance in interpretation of morphological data because there are specific demands for a specific play position. The aim of the study was the analysis of morphological characteristics and body composition of elite Croatian soccer players with respect to their team position. The measurements were performed on 57 soccer...
The objective of this research was to determine the variability of the sample of professional ballerinas in the space of characteristics of their body composition and some functional characteristics according to the requirements of their roles in ballet. The sample of examinees was comprised of 30 professional ballerinas, members of the Croatian Na...
To review the results of the management of chronic post-traumatic osteomyelitis and infected non-union with bone defects of femur using the Ilizarov technique with a modified apparatus assembly.
Thirty patients treated by the Ilizarov method because of chronic fistulous osteomyelitis and infected pseudoarthroses of the femur were included in the pr...
To assess the level of physical activity of an urban population according to gender, age, smoking, and educational differences.
The sample comprised 594 men and women living and working in Zagreb, Croatia. Work, sport, and leisure-time activity indices were obtained by the Baecke's questionnaire. Significance of differences was tested by the Studen...
Sport coaches are part of the population that has its own specificities and because of their connection to athletes, especially young ones, their way of life deserves to be researched. As sports have a very important role in many nations worldwide, and even though for that the athletes take most of the credits the coaches are of great importance al...
Modern basketball play is characterised by high activity intensity during all 40 minutes and puts high demands on basketball players. There is necessity for broad range of basic and specific functional and motoric abilities. It is almost impossible to isolate one that is not important for the success in the game. This work deals with physiological...
