Attractiveness and gender dynamics in surgical specialties: a comparative analysis of French medical graduates (2017-2022).

BACKGROUND: French medical graduates undertake a national examination at the end of their studies with a subsequent national ranking. Specialty is then chosen by each candidate according to their ranking. This study aims to describe the attractiveness of surgical specialties and the evolution of the male-female distribution among French medical graduates (FMG) from 2017 to 2022. METHODS: Our database included the candidates' ranking, sex and choice of specialty from 2017 to 2022. It included all French medical graduates from 2017 to 2022 and all French medical schools. A linear regression was performed to predict future trends. Dependent variables were mean rankings and the percentage of women. The independent variable was year of application. A Pearson correlation was performed to examine any relationship with mean workweek. RESULTS: A total number of 5270 residents chose a surgical programme between 2017 and 2022. The number of residents who were assigned their desired surgical programme held stable at 878 surgical residents per year. Plastic and reconstructive surgery remained the most frequently chosen surgical programme. Thoracic and cardiovascular surgery was the least frequently chosen surgical programme between 2017 and 2022. The mean ranking for a candidate choosing a surgical programme rose significantly by 9% from 2017 to 2022 (p < 0.01). Neurosurgery exhibited the greatest fall as a surgical specialty as its rankings decreased by 163.6% (p < 0.01). Maxillo-facial surgery was the only specialty with a statistically significant increase in its rankings by 35.9% (p < 0.05). The overall proportion of women was 51.1%. Obstetrics-and-gynecology was the highest represented specialty among female candidates, with a mean of 83.9% of women. Orthopedic surgery was the lowest represented, being composed of a mean of 28.6% of women. The number of female surgical residents increased significantly over the six-year period, by 7.6% (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: More and more medical school graduates decide not to choose surgery for their residency programme. Some specialties continue to be attractive while many are losing their appeal. While there does appear to be progress towards gender equity, further investigation is necessary to assess its actual implementation.

Vertical Center-of-Mass Braking and Motor Performance during Gait Initiation in Young Healthy Adults, Elderly Healthy Adults, and Patients with Parkinson's Disease: A Comparison of Force-Plate and Markerless Motion Capture Systems.

BACKGROUND: This study tested the agreement between a markerless motion capture system and force-plate system ("gold standard") to quantify stability control and motor performance during gait initiation. METHODS: Healthy adults (young and elderly) and patients with Parkinson's disease performed gait initiation series at spontaneous and maximal velocity on a system of two force-plates placed in series while being filmed by a markerless motion capture system. Signals from both systems were used to compute the peak of forward center-of-mass velocity (indicator of motor performance) and the braking index (indicator of stability control). RESULTS: Descriptive statistics indicated that both systems detected between-group differences and velocity effects similarly, while a Bland-Altman plot analysis showed that mean biases of both biomechanical indicators were virtually zero in all groups and conditions. Bayes factor 01 indicated strong (braking index) and moderate (motor performance) evidence that both systems provided equivalent values. However, a trial-by-trial analysis of Bland-Altman plots revealed the possibility of differences >10% between the two systems. CONCLUSION: Although non-negligible differences do occur, a markerless motion capture system appears to be as efficient as a force-plate system in detecting Parkinson's disease and velocity condition effects on the braking index and motor performance.

Evaluation of the Margin of Stability during Gait Initiation in Young Healthy Adults, Elderly Healthy Adults and Patients with Parkinson's Disease: A Comparison of Force Plate and Markerless Motion Capture Systems.

Gait initiation (GI) is a functional task classically used in the literature to evaluate the capacity of individuals to maintain postural stability. Postural stability during GI can be evaluated through the "margin of stability" (MoS), a variable that is often computed from force plate recordings. The markerless motion capture system (MLS) is a recent innovative technology based on deep learning that has the potential to compute the MoS. This study tested the agreement between a force plate measurement system (FPS, gold standard) and an MLS to compute the MoS during GI. Healthy adults (young [YH] and elderly [EH]) and Parkinson's disease patients (PD) performed GI series at spontaneous (SVC) and maximum velocity (MVC) on an FPS while being filmed by a MLS. Descriptive statistics revealed a significant effect of the group (YH vs. EH vs. PD) and velocity condition (SVC vs. MVC) on the MoS but failed to reveal any significant effect of the system (MLS vs. PFS) or interaction between factors. Bland-Altman plot analysis further showed that mean MoS biases were zero in all groups and velocity conditions, while the Bayes factor 01 indicated "moderate evidence" that both systems provided equivalent MoS. Trial-by-trial analysis of Bland-Altman plots, however, revealed that differences of >20% between the two systems did occur. Globally taken, these findings suggest that the two systems are similarly effective in detecting an effect of the group and velocity on the MoS. These findings may have important implications in both clinical and laboratory settings due to the ease of use of the MLS compared to the FPS.

Principal Component Analysis Enhanced with Bootstrapped Confidence Interval for the Classification of Parkinsonian Patients Using Gaussian Mixture Model and Gait Initiation Parameters.

Parkinson's disease is one of the major neurodegenerative diseases that affects the postural stability of patients, especially during gait initiation. There is actually an increasing demand for the development of new non-pharmacological tools that can easily classify healthy/affected patients as well as the degree of evolution of the disease. The experimental characterization of gait initiation (GI) is usually done through the simultaneous acquisition of about 20 variables, resulting in very large datasets. Dimension reduction tools are therefore suitable, considering the complexity of the physiological processes involved. The principal Component Analysis (PCA) is very powerful at reducing the dimensionality of large datasets and emphasizing correlations between variables. In this paper, the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was enhanced with bootstrapping and applied to the study of the GI to identify the 3 majors sets of variables influencing the postural control disability of Parkinsonian patients during GI. We show that the combination of these methods can lead to a significant improvement in the unsupervised classification of healthy/affected patients using a Gaussian mixture model, since it leads to a reduced confidence interval on the estimated parameters. The benefits of this method for the identification and study of the efficiency of potential treatments is not addressed in this paper but could be addressed in future works.

Effects of Manual Therapy on Parkinson's Gait: A Systematic Review.

Manual therapy (MT) is commonly used in rehabilitation to deal with motor impairments in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, is MT an efficient method to improve gait in PD? To answer the question, a systematic review of clinical controlled trials was conducted. Estimates of effect sizes (reported as standard mean difference (SMD)) with their respective 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were reported for each outcome when sufficient data were available. If data were lacking, p values were reported. The PEDro scale was used for the quality assessment. Three studies were included in the review. MT improved Dynamic Gait Index (SMD = 1.47; 95% CI: 0.62, 2.32; PEDro score: 5/10, moderate level of evidence). MT also improved gait performances in terms of stride length, velocity of arm movements, linear velocities of the shoulder and the hip (p < 0.05; PEDro score: 2/10, limited level of evidence). There was no significant difference between groups after MT for any joint's range of motion during gait (p > 0.05; PEDro score: 6/10, moderate level of evidence). There is no strong level of evidence supporting the beneficial effect of MT to improve gait in PD. Further randomized controlled trials are needed to understand the impact of MT on gait in PD.

Effect of a Concurrent Cognitive Task, with Stabilizing Visual Information and Withdrawal, on Body Sway Adaptation of Parkinsonian's Patients in an Off-Medication State: A Controlled Study.

Background: In persons with Parkinson's disease (pwPD) any additional somatosensory or distractor interference can influence the posture. When deprivation of vision and dual-task are associated, the effect on biomechanical performance is less consistent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of the visual deprivation and a cognitive task on the static balance in earlier stage PD subjects. Methods: Fifteen off-medication state pwPD (9 women and 6 men), 67.7 ± 7.3 years old, diagnosed PD since 5.4 ± 3.4 years, only Hoehn and Yahr state 2 and fifteen young control adults (7 women and 8 men) aged 24.9 ± 4.9 years, performed semi-tandem task under four randomized experimental conditions: eyes opened single-task, eyes closed single-task, eyes opened dual-task and eyes closed dual-task. The center of pressure (COP) was measured using a force plate and electromyography signals (EMG) of the ankle/hip muscles were recorded. Traditional parameters, including COP pathway length, ellipse area, mediolateral/anteroposterior root-mean-square and non-linear measurements were computed. The effect of vision privation, cognitive task, and vision X cognitive was investigated by a 2 (eyes opened/eyes closed) × 2 (postural task alone/with cognitive task) repeated-measures ANOVA after application of a Bonferroni pairwise correction for multiple comparisons. Significant interactions were further analyzed using post-hoc tests. Results: In pwPD, both COP pathway length (p < 0.01), ellipse area (p < 0.01) and mediolateral/anteroposterior root-mean-square (p < 0.01) were increased with the eyes closed, while the dual-task had no significant effect when compared to the single-task condition. Comparable results were observed in the control group for who COP pathway was longer in all conditions compared to eyes opened single-task (p < 0.01) and longer in conditions with eyes closed compared to eyes opened dual-task (p < 0.01). Similarly, all differences in EMG activity of pwPD were exclusively observed between eyes opened vs. eyes closed conditions, and especially for the forward leg's soleus (p < 0.01) and backward tibialis anterior (p < 0.01). Conclusions: These results in pwPD without noticeable impairment of static balance encourage the assessment of both visual occlusion and dual-task conditions when the appearance of significant alteration during the dual-task could reveal the subtle worsening onset of the balance control.

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns on the education and mental health of physiotherapy students in France: a descriptive cross-sectional study with national online survey.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic and lockdowns on the mental health status, training, perceptions of the physiotherapy profession, and career plans of French physiotherapy students. DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted, representing the first and only survey of its kind, using a national online survey. SUBJECTS: A total of 2678 French physiotherapy students participated in the study. METHODS: Mental health status was assessed using the validated French versions of established depression, anxiety, and insomnia scales. RESULTS: The survey revealed that female sex, age below 21 years, living alone, and having a psychiatric history or COVID-19 risk factors were associated with more severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and insomnia in the surveyed students. In addition, stress, anxiety, and depression induced by the COVID-19 crisis were linked to apprehension about continuing practical training in physiotherapy. These factors also affected students' perceptions of the profession and the initially envisioned mode of practice, particularly among fifth-year students (odds ratio (OR) = 2.25, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = (1.69, 2.99), p < 0.001). Notably, the pandemic significantly reduced the desire of these students to pursue a career as physiotherapists (adjusted OR (aOR) 1.41 (1.06, 1.86)). CONCLUSION: French physiotherapy students, especially those in their fifth year, have experienced significant impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting their mental health, education, perceptions of the physiotherapy profession, and career plans.

Accessibility and satisfaction's analysis of simulation-based training in surgery for residents and surgical fellows in France.

BACKGROUND: In surgery, simulated-based training improves the knowledge and interpersonal skills needed for surgeons to improve their performance and meet the "never the first time on a patient" imperative. The objective is to evaluate the effects of a 2017 reform on surgeon's accessibility to simulation-based training, five years after the implementation of the program, and to gauge surgeon satisfaction. METHODS: A 27-item national online survey was sent to all surgical residents and fellows in the 13 surgical specialties. RESULTS: Among 523 responses, 405 (77.4%) were residents and 118 (22.6%) were surgical fellows. Two hundred forty-seven (47.2%) of surgical residents and fellows stated they did not have a simulation structure or simulation program in the town of their university hospital center. Two hundred thirty-five (44.9%) reported having simulation training programs and 41 (7.8%) reported having easy and free access to their simulation structure. Regarding simulation-based training, 44.6% of surgical residents and fellows had never received training in technical skills on simulators, 82.2% had never received training in teamwork or interprofessional skills and 76.1% had never received training in behavioral or relational skills. There was a significant difference between the degree of satisfaction of residents at the beginning and at the end of the study (P=0.02). CONCLUSION: Simulation is a well-established educational tool, but there are still strong inequalities between universities. Despite the national deployment of simulation-based teaching programs and institutional efforts, surgical simulation is insufficiently developed in France, and learner satisfaction is poor.

Pedagogical impact of integration of musculoskeletal anatomy blended learning on physiotherapy education.

Background: In physiotherapy education, blended learning is recognized to be more effective compared to traditional teaching. The aim of this study was to assess the consequences of a musculoskeletal anatomy blended learning program on skills developed by students. Methods: We conducted an observational retrospective monocentric study in a French physiotherapy school named "X." Ninety-two first-year students in the 2017-18 baseline group (students with traditional face-to-face learning), and ninety-eight first-year students and ninety-five second-year students in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 blended learning experimental groups was included. A success rate of the anatomy final written exam, defined by the percentage of students scoring 50% or above, was analyzed between 2017 and 2020. We also evaluated the pedagogical value of musculoskeletal e-learning and its usefulness for preparing the student for their anatomy final written exam at «X¼. Results: We observed an improvement in the success rate of the anatomy final written exam between the 2017-18 baseline group, 2018-19 and 2019-2020 experimental groups during first (Kruskal-Wallis = 74.06, df = 2, p < 0.001) and second semester (Kruskal-Wallis = 173.6, df = 2, p < 0.001). We obtained a data survey and questionnaire response rate of 74% (n = 89/120) for the 2018-19 and 62% (n = 72/116) for the 2019-20 experimental groups. Concerning questionnaire response, they were no significant statistical difference between 2018-19 and 2019-20 experimental groups. Conclusion: Blended learning could improve student success rate of the anatomy final written exam and learning of professional physiotherapy skills.

Dual-task versus single-task gait rehabilitation after stroke: the protocol of the cognitive-motor synergy multicenter, randomized, controlled superiority trial (SYNCOMOT).

BACKGROUND: Gait disorders and cognitive impairments are prime causes of disability and institutionalization after stroke. We hypothesized that relative to single-task gait rehabilitation (ST GR), cognitive-motor dual-task (DT) GR initiated at the subacute stage would be associated with greater improvements in ST and DT gait, balance, and cognitive performance, personal autonomy, disability, and quality of life in the short, medium and long terms after stroke. METHODS: This multicenter (n=12), two-arm, parallel-group, randomized (1:1), controlled clinical study is a superiority trial. With p<0.05, a power of 80%, and an expected loss to follow-up rate of 10%, the inclusion of 300 patients will be required to evidence a 0.1-m.s-1 gain in gait speed. Trial will include adult patients (18-90 years) in the subacute phase (0 to 6 months after a hemispheric stroke) and who are able to walk for 10 m (with or without a technical aid). Registered physiotherapists will deliver a standardized GR program (30 min three times a week, for 4 weeks). The GR program will comprise various DTs (phasic, executive function, praxis, memory, and spatial cognition tasks during gait) in the DT (experimental) group and gait exercises only in the ST (control) group. The primary outcome measure is gait speed 6 months after inclusion. The secondary outcomes are post-stroke impairments (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and the motor part of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of the lower extremity), gait speed (10-m walking test), mobility and dynamic balance (timed up-and-go test), ST and DT cognitive function (the French adaptation of the harmonization standards neuropsychological battery, and eight cognitive-motor DTs), personal autonomy (functional independence measure), restrictions in participation (structured interview and the modified Rankin score), and health-related quality of life (on a visual analog scale). These variables will be assessed immediately after the end of the protocol (probing the short-term effect), 1 month thereafter (the medium-term effect), and 5 months thereafter (the long-term effect). DISCUSSION: The main study limitation is the open design. The trial will focus on a new GR program applicable at various stages after stroke and during neurological disease. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03009773 . Registered on January 4, 2017.

Postural Organization of Gait Initiation for Biomechanical Analysis Using Force Platform Recordings.

Gait initiation (GI), the transient phase between orthograde posture and steady-state locomotion, is a functional task and an experimental paradigm that is classically used in the literature to obtain insight into the basic postural mechanisms underlying body motion and balance control. Investigating GI has also contributed to a better understanding of the physiopathology of postural disorders in elderly and neurological participants (e.g., patients with Parkinson's disease). As such, it is recognized to have important clinical implications, especially in terms of fall prevention. This paper aims to provide scholars, clinicians, and higher education students information on the material and method developed to investigate GI postural organization via a biomechanical approach. The method is based on force platform recordings and the direct principle of mechanics to compute the kinematics of the center of gravity and center of pressure. The interaction between these two virtual points is a key element in this method since it determines the conditions of stability and whole-body progression. The protocol involves the participant initially standing immobile in an upright posture and starting to walk until the end of an at least 5 m track. It is recommended to vary the GI velocity (slow, spontaneous, fast) and the level of temporal pressure - gait may be initiated as soon as possible after the deliverance of a departure signal (high level of temporal pressure) or when the participant feels ready (low level of temporal pressure). Biomechanical parameters obtained with this method (e.g., duration and amplitude of anticipatory postural adjustments, step length/width, performance, and stability) are defined, and their computation method is detailed. In addition, typical values obtained in healthy young adults are provided. Finally, critical steps, limitations, and significance of the method with respect to the alternative method (motion capture system) are discussed.

Walking speed at the acute and subacute stroke stage: A descriptive meta-analysis.

Gait disorders are one of the leading patient complaints at the sub-acute stroke stage (SSS) and a main determinant of disability. Walking speed (WS) is a major vital and functional index, and the Ten-Meter Walk Test is considered the gold standard after stroke. Based on a systematic review of the literature, studies published between January 2000 and November 2021 were selected when WS was reported (ten-meter walk test for short distance and/or 6-min walking distance for long distance) within 6 months following a first ischemic and/or hemorrhagic stroke (SSS) in adults prior to receiving specific walking rehabilitation. Following PRISMA guidelines, a meta-analysis was conducted on two kinds of WS: the principal criterion focused on short-distance WS (ten-meter walking test) and the secondary criteria focused on long-distance WS (6-min test) and meta-regressions to study the association of WS with balance, cognitive disorders and autonomy. Nine studies comprising a total of 939 data on post-stroke patients were selected. The weighted average age was 61 years [95% IC [55-67] and males represented 62% ± 2.7 of patients [57-67]. Average short-distance WS was 0.36 ± 0.06 m.s-1 [95% CI (0.23-0.49)]. Average long-distance WS was 0.46 ± 0.1 m.s-1 [95% CI (0.26-0.66)]. The funnel plot revealed asymmetry of publication bias and high heterogeneity of the nine studies (I 2 index 98.7% and Q-test p < 0.0001). Meta-regressions of secondary endpoints could not be performed due to a lack of study data. At the SSS, WS would be lower than data in general population published in literature, but above all, lower than the WS required for safe daily autonomy and community ambulation after stroke. WS must be a priority objective of stroke rehabilitation to increase walking function but also for survival, autonomy, social participation and health-related quality of life.

In Patients With Parkinson's Disease in an OFF-Medication State, Does Bilateral Electrostimulation of Tibialis Anterior Improve Anticipatory Postural Adjustments During Gait Initiation?

A complete lack of bilateral activation of tibialis anterior (TA) during gait initiation (GI), along with bradykinetic anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs), often occurs in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) in their OFF-medication state. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a non-pharmacological method frequently used in neurorehabilitation to optimize the effect of L-DOPA on locomotor function in this population. The present study tested the potential of bilateral application of FES on TA to improve GI in PD patients. Fourteen PD patients (OFF-medication state, Hoehn and Yahr state 2-3) participated in this study. They performed series of 10 GI trials on a force-plate under the following experimental conditions: (1) GI without FES (control group), (2) GI with 2Hz-FES (considered as a very low FES frequency condition without biomechanical effect; placebo group) and (3) GI with 40Hz-FES (test group). In (2) and (3), FES was applied bilaterally to the TA during APAs (300 mA intensity/300 µs pulse width). Main results showed that the peak of anticipatory backward center of pressure shift, the forward center of mass (COM) velocity and shift at foot off were significantly larger in the 40 Hz FES condition than in the control condition, while the duration of step execution was significantly shorter. In contrast, the capacity of participants to brake the fall of their COM remained unchanged across conditions. Globally taken, these results suggest that acute application of 40-Hz FES to the TA may improve the capacity of PD patients to generate APAs during GI, without altering their balance capacity. Future studies are required before considering that TA FES application might be a valuable tool to improve GI in PD patients and be relevant to optimize the effects of L-DOPA medication on locomotor function.

Acute effects of short-term stretching of the triceps surae on ankle mobility and gait initiation in patients with Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND: Ankle mobility is known to be of uttermost importance to generate propulsive forces and control balance during gait initiation. Impaired mobility of the postural chain occurs with normal ageing and is exacerbated in patients with Parkinson's disease. This study questions whether short-term stretching session applied to the triceps surae improves ankle mobility and, consequently, dynamical postural control in patients with Parkinson's disease performing gait initiation. METHOD: Nineteen patients with Parkinson's disease participated in this study and were randomly assigned to an "intervention group" or a "sham group". In the intervention group, patients were exposed to a 4 × 60 seconds triceps surae stretching. In the sham group, they were exposed to forearm stretching. Additionally, ten age-matched healthy elderly, who were not exposed to any stretching-treatment, were assigned to a "control group". Participants performed series of gait initiation on a force-plate before and after their treatment. FINDINGS: Ankle mobility was improved in the intervention group after triceps surae stretching. The forward velocity of the center-of-mass at heel-off and motor performance related-parameters (progression velocity, center-of-mass velocity at foot-contact and swing phase duration) were also improved in the intervention group, with large effect sizes (d ≥ 0.8). None of the stability parameters were modified by the treatments. INTERPRETATION: Short-term triceps surae stretching is an efficient method to increase ankle mobility and improve the capacity to generate forward propulsive forces in patients with Parkinson's disease. These findings are congruent with the "posturo-kinetics capacity" theory according to which dynamical postural control depends on postural chain mobility.

The Level of Aggressiveness During Karate Practice of Inmates in Correctional Settings.

Karate is known to enhance cognitive functioning, emotional well-being, and self-regulation and to contribute to an overall behavior rehabilitation process. However, few data are available on the impact of practicing karate in adult prison inmates. The main objective of this research was to evaluate aggressive behavior, comparing prison inmates and club practitioners during karate practice. The level of aggressiveness was rated by observers during defined elements and training situations in karate classes held in France. Data were collected during 77 observations of 75 prison inmates (55 male and 20 female) in a prison setting, and 188 observations of 117 club practitioners (80 male and 37 female) in a club setting over a period of 26 months. Licit aggressiveness was graded by observers during launched actions, kiais, and bows, and the practice level (belts) was also considered. Interrater reliability of the observational measure was highly acceptable (Cohen κ = 1). Comparisons between female and male prison inmates and club practitioners were made using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-test for independent samples. The results revealed that a higher level of aggressiveness was observed in both male and female club practitioners during launched actions and kiais than in prison inmate practitioners (p < 0.001, small effect size). However, prison inmates (of both genders) showed a higher level of aggressiveness during bows (p < 0.001, medium effect size). While the analyses showed no significant differences between genders, the level of karate practice was associated with distinct changes. Significant differences in observed aggressiveness were present only in beginners and in those with a low level of karate practice, whereas no differences in aggressiveness between prison or club practitioners were observed during karate practice in those with a high level of karate practice (black belt). However, these results must be interpreted with caution as there was no way to control the multiple factors that might also affect inmate behaviors in a correctional setting. We suggest that karate practice in prison may positively contribute to interactional behaviors.

Effects of stretching exercises on human gait: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Stretching is commonly used in physical therapy as a rehabilitation tool to improve range of motion and motor function. However, is stretching an efficient method to improve gait, and if so, for which patient category? Methods: A systematic review of randomized and non-randomized controlled trials with meta-analysis was conducted using relevant databases. Every patient category and every type of stretching programs were included without multicomponent programs. Data were meta-analysed where possible. Estimates of effect sizes (reported as standard mean difference (SMD)) with their respective 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were reported for each outcome. The PEDro scale was used for the quality assessment. Results: Twelve studies were included in the analysis. Stretching improved gait performance as assessed by walking speed and stride length only in a study with a frail elderly population, with small effect sizes (both SMD= 0.49; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.96; PEDro score: 3/10). The total distance and the continuous walking distance of the six-minute walking test were also improved only in a study in an elderly population who had symptomatic peripheral artery disease, with large effect sizes (SMD= 1.56; 95% CI: 0.66, 2.45 and SMD= 3.05; 95% CI: 1.86, 4.23, respectively; PEDro score: 5/10). The results were conflicting in healthy older adults or no benefit was found for most of the performance, spatiotemporal, kinetic and angular related variables. Only one study (PEDro score: 6/10) showed improvements in stance phase duration (SMD=-1.92; 95% CI: -3.04, -0.81), swing phase duration (SMD=1.92; 95 CI: 0.81, 3.04), double support phase duration (SMD= -1.69; 95% CI: -2.76, -0.62) and step length (SMD=1.37; 95% CI: 0.36, 2.38) with large effect sizes. Conclusions: There is no strong evidence supporting the beneficial effect of using stretching to improve gait. Further randomized controlled trials are needed to understand the impact of stretching on human gait.

Strategy and Decision Making in Karate.

Karate will be included in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo as an additional sport. The inner logic of this activity includes a specific scoring system and way of modeling. Three hundred and nine bouts were observed in the competition context, which resulted in new perspectives on training and competition. The scoring of punches (43.7% of total scored points) and face kicks (37.9%) appears to be more significant (p ≤ 0.01) than that of body kicks (15.3%, p ≤ 0.01) and leg-sweeping (3.1%, p = 0.31). Penalties appear to be very significant and associated with victory when "scored" by the competitor against himself or herself (p ≤ 0.01). Competitors must score points and penalties. This zero-sum game induces a simple rivalry, whose purpose is domination and which must rely on a predefined strategy and initiative. Karatekas have to make decisions, such as when taking the risk to score points and penalties, whether or not they lead the score. Karatekas may decide to expose or protect themselves, create situations, or simply remain realistic and adhere to the plan. The question of decision making, which is central to this work, forces us to focus our future work on the notions of expectations and self-fulfilling prophecies.

Self-Myofascial Release Effect With Foam Rolling on Recovery After High-Intensity Interval Training.

The goal of this experiment was to assess the impact of self-myofascial massage with the aid of a foam roller on a lower limb immediately after high-intensity interval training (HIIT), using the Tabata protocol (20 s work/10 s rest, repeated 8 times), according to selected recovery variables. The method used Tabata squats (20 s of air squats/10 s of rest, repeated 8 times), after which the subject performed three series of self-myofascial massage with a foam roller on one leg, the other leg being used as the control. Biomechanical lower limb performance was assessed through a squat jump, a countermovement jump, and a hopping on the spot test. Flexibility was assessed through the active and passive range of motion at the hip, knee, and ankle. Pain was measured by recording the delay of muscle soreness (DOMS). Measurements were recorded immediately after the workout, then 24 and 48 h later. Twenty healthy males participated in the study. The results revealed no effect on jumping performance, in terms of height, leg stiffness, power or force output. Additionally, HIIT had a significant impact on muscle damage, as revealed by the reduction in performance 48 h later (-9.7% for the countermovement height). The self-myofascial release decreased DOMS by 50% for the massaged leg compared with 20% for the control leg and increased the hip range of motion by approximately 4.2% for the massaged leg in comparison with the unmassaged leg. This experiment reveals the poor effect of self-myofascial release on regaining the initial value of performance but could be useful for reducing DOMS after high-intensity interval training.

Anticipatory Postural Adjustments During Gait Initiation in Stroke Patients.

Prior to gait initiation (GI), anticipatory postural adjustments (GI-APA) are activated in order to reorganize posture, favorably for gait. In healthy subjects, the center of pressure (CoP) is displaced backward during GI-APA, bilaterally by reducing soleus activities and activating the tibialis anterior (TA) muscles, and laterally in the direction of the leading leg, by activating hip abductors. In post-stroke hemiparetic patients, TA, soleus and hip abductor activities are impaired on the paretic side. Reduction in non-affected triceps surae activity can also be observed. These may result in a decreased ability to execute GI-APA and to generate propulsion forces during step execution. A systematic review was conducted to provide an overview of the reorganization which occurs in GI-APA following stroke as well as of the most effective strategies for tailoring gait-rehabilitation to these patients. Sixteen articles were included, providing gait data from a total of 220 patients. Stroke patients show a decrease in the TA activity associated with difficulties in silencing soleus muscle activity of the paretic leg, a decreased CoP shift, lower propulsive anterior forces and a longer preparatory phase. Regarding possible gait-rehabilitation strategies, the selected studies show that initiating gait with the paretic leg provides poor balance. The use of the non-paretic as the leading leg can be a useful exercise to stimulate the paretic postural muscles.

Acute Effects of Whole-Body Vibration on the Postural Organization of Gait Initiation in Young Adults and Elderly: A Randomized Sham Intervention Study.

Whole-body vibration (WBV) is a training method that exposes the entire body to mechanical oscillations while standing erect or seated on a vibrating platform. This method is nowadays commonly used by clinicians to improve specific motor outcomes in various sub-populations such as elderly and young healthy adults, either sedentary or well-trained. The present study investigated the effects of acute WBV application on the balance control mechanisms during gait initiation (GI) in young healthy adults and elderly. It was hypothesized that the balance control mechanisms at play during gait initiation may compensate each other in case one or several components are perturbed following acute WBV application, so that postural stability and/or motor performance can be maintained or even improved. It is further hypothesized that this capacity of adaptation is altered with aging. Main results showed that the effects of acute WBV application on the GI postural organization depended on the age of participants. Specifically, a positive effect was observed on dynamic stability in the young adults, while no effect was observed in the elderly. An increased stance leg stiffness was also observed in the young adults only. The positive effect of WBV on dynamic stability was ascribed to an increase in the mediolateral amplitude of "anticipatory postural adjustments" following WBV application, which did overcompensate the potentially destabilizing effect of the increased stance leg stiffness. In elderly, no such anticipatory (nor corrective) postural adaptation was required since acute WBV application did not elicit any change in the stance leg stiffness. These results suggest that WBV application may be effective in improving dynamic stability but at the condition that participants are able to develop adaptive changes in balance control mechanisms, as did the young adults. Globally, these findings are thus in agreement with the hypothesis that balance control mechanisms are interdependent within the postural system, i.e., they may compensate each other in case one component (here the leg stiffness) is perturbed.