Load distribution on the foot and lofstrand crutches of amputee football players.

BACKGROUND: Amputee football is a worldwide popular sport with positive physical and psychological effects on the disabled. Amputee players use their hands dominantly for locomotion. However, the effect of using upper extremity which is not accommodated to loading is not very well known. RESEARCH QUESTION: The objective of this study was to determine the load distribution of amputee football players during walking, running and kicking the ball. METHODS: This study was conducted with 15 certified amputee football players (age 24.5 ±â€¯5.8 years, body weight 62.3 ±â€¯10.9 kg, height 171.6 ±â€¯7.7 cm). The loads on their non-amputated lower extremity were measured with F-Scan mobile system sensors inserted in their shoes, and the loads on their upper extremities were measured with F-Grip system sensors affixed to the gloves. The participants were asked to walk, run and kick the ball using Lofstrand Crutches. RESULTS: The maximum loading on the upper extremities during walking, running and kicking the ball varied between 111% and 175% of the body weight. While loading during walking and running was similar, the loading on the upper extremity during kicking the ball exceeded that of walking by 58.1% and running by 47.4%. The maximum loading on the non-amputated lower extremity varied between 134% and 196% of the body weight. Loading during running was 46.2% higher than that of walking. The loading on the foot during kicking the ball was 45.7% higher than that of walking. The loading on the foot during running and kicking were similar. SIGNIFICANCE: Walking-running-kicking the ball with LC resulted in unusual loading particularly on the upper extremity. During running, the increased loading was transferred to the foot rather than the hands. During kicking, the loading increased extremely and was mainly transferred to the hands. The frequent repetition of kicking during the game may therefore increase the incidence of upper extremity injuries.

Physical and cardiovascular performance in cases with acromegaly after regular short-term exercise.

OBJECTIVE: Impaired physical performance is a disturbing complication of acromegaly. We aimed to evaluate the role of regular exercise in amelioration of the impaired physical performance in acromegaly. METHODS: Patients with acromegaly were divided into two groups according to their participation in a prescheduled programme of exercise. Participants in the study group were exercised 3 days a week for 3 consecutive months. Exercise tolerance was evaluated by maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max) and time (T) taken to complete the Bruce protocol, muscle flexibility by the sit and reach test (SRT) and muscle strength by the hand grip strength test (HGST). Concomitantly, anthropometric assessment was performed using body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), skinfold measurements from 8 points, percentage body fat (PBF), fat mass (FM) and lean body mass (LBM). RESULTS: After 3 months of exercise, VO2 max and T were higher in cases that exercised than in cases that did not (P = 0.004 and P = 0.001). Over 3 months, within the exercise group, VO2 max and T of the Bruce protocol increased (P = 0.003 and P = 0.004) and heart rate during warming decreased (P = 0.04). SRT increased within the exercise group after 3 months (P = 0.004). HGSRT did not change significantly (right P = 0.06 and left P = 0.2). The sum of skinfolds, BMI, WHR and LBM remained stable over the study period (P = 0.1, P = 0.08, P = 0.3 and P = 0.09). PBF decreased slightly and FM decreased significantly over 3 months (P = 0.05 and P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Even short-term exercise may improve impaired physical performance, muscle activity and disturbed body fat composition in acromegaly.

The effectiveness of shin guards used by football players.

In football, injuries from opponent contact occur commonly in the lower extremities. FIFA the world's governing body for football requires players to wear shin guards. The aim of this study was to compare the protective effectiveness of polypropylene based shin guards with custom-made carbon fiber ones. Three commercial polypropylene shin guards (Adidas Predator™, Adidas UCL™, and Nike Mercurial™) and two custom-made carbon fiber shin guards were examined. The experimental setup had the following parts: 1) A pendulum attached a load cell at the tip (CAS Corp., Korea) and a fixed prosthetic foot equipped with a cleat to simulate an attacker's foot. 2) An artificial tibia prepared by condensed foam and reinforced by carbon fibers protected with soft clothing. 3) A multifunctional sensor system (Tekscan Corp., F-Socket System, Turkey) to record the impact on the tibia. In the low impact force trials, only 2.79-9.63 % of the load was transmitted to the sensors. When comparing for mean force, peak force and impulse, both carbon fiber shin guards performed better than the commercial ones (Adidas Predator™, Adidas UCL™, and Nike Mercurial™) (p = 0.000). Based on these same parameters, the Nike Mercurial™ provided better protection than the Adidas Predator™ and the Adidas UCL™ (p = 0.000). In the high impact force trials, only 5.16-10.90 % of the load was transmitted to the sensors. For peak force and impulse, the carbon fiber shin guards provided better protection than all the others. Carbon fiber shin guards possess protective qualities superior to those of commercial polypropylene shin guards. Key PointsShin guards decrease the risk of serious injuries.Carbon shin guards provide sufficient protection against high impact forces.Commercially available Polypropylene based shin guards do not provide sufficient protection against high impact forces.

Impact of exercise on quality of life and body-self perception of patients with acromegaly.

In acromegaly the impact of therapy on well-being and self-perception of patients is not clearly defined. The data existing on the effect of treatment on health-related quality of life in patients with acromegaly is inconclusive. In this study we addressed the effect of exercise on health-related quality of life, symptoms of depression and perception of body image in patients with acromegaly. Patients with acromegaly were stratified into two groups according to their participation in a prescheduled program of exercise. Participants in the study group performed exercise for 75 min a day for 3 days a week during cosecutive 3 months. Warming, cardio, strength, balance and stretching moves applied in every course. Both the exercise group and control group were asked to complete a questionnaire on quality of life, symptoms of depression and self-perception of body image. Each questionnaire was answered by both groups before the beginning of the exercise program (at month-0) and after the completion of the program (at month-3). In exercise group after the completion of exercise period there was a tendency towards decreament in body mass index and IGF-I, although not statistically significant (p = 0.08 and p = 0.09). Self-assessment of body image improved significantly after participation in the exercise program (p = 0.01). Present findings support that exercise may be an adjunctive method for patients with acromegaly to improve self esteem and perception.