Response of Knee Extensor Muscle-Tendon Unit Stiffness to Unaccustomed and Repeated High-Volume Eccentric Exercise.

The purposes of this study were to investigate the muscle-tendon unit stiffness response and to compare the stiffness with those of other indirect markers induced by two bouts of unaccustomed eccentric exercise. Eleven untrained men performed two bouts of 200 maximal eccentric contractions of the right quadriceps 4 weeks apart. Changes in stiffness, pain evoked by stretching and pressure, plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity, and muscle thickness were followed for 7 days after each bout. Stiffness and pain peaked immediately and 1 day after the first exercise bout, whereas CK and thickness were highest 4 and 7 days after the first exercise bout, respectively (p < 0.05 for all). Muscular pain, thickness, and stiffness responses were lower by 53.3%, 99%, and 11.6%, respectively, after the repeated bout compared to after the first bout (p < 0.05 for all), while CK activity response did not differ significantly between bouts. High responders for an increase in muscle-tendon unit stiffness showed a repeated-bout effect for stiffness, pain, and CK activity (by 29%, 65%, and 98%, p < 0.05 for all), but the repeated-bout effect was not that clear in low responders. These findings suggest that a repeated eccentric exercise bout effect on stiffness in quadriceps is mostly not associated with muscle pain and CK activity, but there are large individual differences.

Dynamics of pelvic floor muscle functional parameters and their correlations with urinary incontinence in men after radical prostatectomy.

AIMS: To evaluate the dynamics of pelvic floor muscle strength, endurance, and urinary incontinence in a 6-month period in men after radical prostatectomy and to determine correlations between pelvic floor muscle strength, endurance, and urinary incontinence. METHODS: Forty-two men with prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy participated in the study. Pelvic floor muscles parameters were evaluated using the anal perineometer. An 8-hour pad test was used with the catheter removed. RESULTS: The greatest change in strength occurred during the last 3 months, i.e., from the third to the sixth month following surgery (P ≤ 0.05). The average amount of urinary incontinence on the day of catheter removal was approximately 311 g per 8 hr. Urinary incontinence decreased by 93.6% from the day of catheter removal 6 months later. A strong correlation (P ≤ 0.001) of reverse dependence was determined between pelvic floor muscle strength before surgery and the amount of urinary incontinence 6 months following surgery. CONCLUSION: The greatest change of pelvic floor muscles strength and endurance occurred during the third to the sixth month following surgery. The greatest change in urinary incontinence occurred during the first month following surgery. Pelvic floor muscle strength causes a greater decrease in urinary incontinence than endurance. The greater the pelvic floor muscle strength before surgery, the lower the amount of urinary incontinence. Age also affects pelvic floor muscle strength and endurance; this relation gradually weakens and with age disappears. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:126-131, 2017. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[Impact of intensive and traditional rehabilitation on quadriceps strength after anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery]. / Intensyviosios ir iprastines reabilitacijos poveikis blauzdos tiesiamuju raumenu jegai atlikus priekinio kryzminio raiscio rekonstruojamaja operacija.

UNLABELLED: After knee anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery, the recovery of the former level of physical activity takes from 3 to 12 months. Such a wide range of recovery period of physical activity suggests that rehabilitation in most cases is not optimal. According to the majority of authors, after the surgery, a patient can resume intensive physical activity, when the difference in muscle strength between the operated lower extremity and another extremity is not greater than 10-15%. The aim of this study was to compare the impact of intensive and normal rehabilitations on the recovery of knee extensor muscle strength after the surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 40 patients were enrolled in this study. The subjects were divided into two groups. Both groups were engaged in physical activity. The mean age of patients (16 men and 4 women) in the first group at the time of surgery was 26.4+/-8.1 years, mean height - 179.8+/-8.5 cm, and mean weight - 76.0+/-14.0 kg. An intensive rehabilitation was applied for the first group of the patients studied. The second group consisted of 13 men and 7 women who were engaged in moderate physical activity. Their mean age at the time of surgery was 27.0+/-9.3 years, mean height - 173.2+/-6.2 cm, and mean weight - 71.0+/-9.0 kg. A traditional rehabilitation was applied to this group. Muscle strength was measured in the patients of both groups studied approximately 5.2 months following surgery using the Biodex isokinetic dynamometer. RESULTS: The patients undergoing an intensive rehabilitation achieved higher levels of knee extensor muscle strength than those patients undergoing a traditional rehabilitation program. Applying an aggressive rehabilitation program, knee extensor muscles recover more quickly than using a traditional rehabilitation program. The comparison of intensive and traditional rehabilitation programs applied to the operated and unoperated lower extremities has shown that the indexes of knee extensor muscle strength differed by 11.51-12.74%. Applying a traditional rehabilitation, a 23.68-49.42% difference in knee flexor muscle strength between operated and unoperated extremities was noted. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of intensive rehabilitation aimed at strength recovery of knee extensor muscles after anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery is greater than after ordinary rehabilitation.