The Acute Effect of Tissue Flossing on Pain, Function, and Perception of Movement: A Pilot Study.

Tissue flossing (TF) is a novel device that has been shown to cause peripheral compression and concurrent change in joint range of motion, perception of mobility and muscular performance. However, the effect of tissue flossing on pain, perception of mobility and function at the elbow joint has not been thoroughly investigated. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the acute effect of TF on pain and upper extremity functional performance in subjects with musculoskeletal-related complaints of pain surrounding the elbow joint. We utilized a randomized crossover design. Nine resistance trained participants (8 men/1 woman) mean age 35.6 ± 10.7 took part in this study. We measured the following outcome measures; Pain Visual Analog Scale, Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire II, pain-pressure threshold and hand grip dynamometry (HHD) pre and post and a Likert scale for movement ability questionnaire, posttest only, following a TF and placebo condition for each participant. TF resulted in significant improvement in all test measures, except HHD, pre to post (p ≤ 0.05). All pre to post changes were associated with large effect sizes for TF compared to the placebo condition applied to the elbow improves pain quality and intensity, perception of mobility and pain-pressure threshold in resistance trained individuals with a history of musculoskeletal pain for greater than 1 month. The results of this pilot study suggest that TF may function as an adjunct to treatment in the management of musculoskeletal pathologies at the elbow joint.

Effects of phosphatidic acid supplementation on muscle thickness and strength in resistance-trained men.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of phosphatidic acid (PA) supplementation on muscle thickness and strength following an 8 week supervised resistance-training program. Fifteen resistance trained men (22.8 ± 3.5 years; 80.6 ± 8.7 kg; 178.1 ± 5.6 cm; 14.6% ± 8.8% body fat) were randomly assigned to a group that either consumed 750 mg of PA or a placebo (PL). Testing was carried out before (PRE) and after (POST) training/supplementation for muscle thickness and strength. Muscle thickness of the rectus femoris (RF), vastus lateralis (VL), biceps brachii (BB), and triceps brachii (TB) muscles were measured via ultrasonography, along with 1 repetition maximum (1RM) of squat, deadlift, and bench press. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), using PRE values as the covariate, did not reveal any group differences for measures of muscle thickness in the RF (PA: 3.6% ± 5.2%; PL: 3.2% ± 4.2%, p = 0.97), VL (PA: 23.4% ± 18.1%, PL: 12.5% ± 15.4%, p = 0.37), BB (PA: 3.7% ± 6.4%, PL: 9.6% ± 12.4%, p = 0.86), or TB (PA: 15.1% ± 17.9%, PL: 10.7% ± 19.3%, p = 0.79). Likewise, no group differences were observed in changes in squat (PA: 8.4% ± 4.1%, PL: 8.1% ± 4.2%, p = 0.79), deadlift (PA: 10.1% ± 10.1%, PL: 8.9% ± 9.5%, p = 0.66), or bench press (PA: 5.7% ± 5.5%, PL: 5.1% ± 3.0%, p = 0.76) exercises. Collectively, however, all participants experienced significant (p < 0.05) improvements in each measure of muscle thickness and strength. Results of this study suggest that PA supplementation, in combination with a 3 days·week-1 resistance-training program for 8 weeks, did not have a differential effect compared with PL on changes in muscle thickness or 1RM strength.

Muscle activation during resistance exercise at 70% and 90% 1-repetition maximum in resistance-trained men.

INTRODUCTION: Muscle activation was investigated during resistance exercise with 2 relatively high-intensity loads. METHODS: Ten resistance-trained men performed the leg press exercise to repetition failure: a set at 70% of 1-repetition maximum (1RM) and a set at 90% of 1RM. Surface electromyography (EMG) was used to assess peak and mean muscle activation of the vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, and vastus medialis. RESULTS: Peak and mean EMG remained greater at 90% than 70% 1RM across all repetitions (P = 0.03 and P = 0.02, respectively). Main effects for trial were also significant for mean EMG activity of the final common repetitions (P = 0.03) favoring 90% 1RM; however, peak EMG activity was similar during the final common repetitions of the 70% and 90% 1RM sets. CONCLUSIONS: Across all repetitions, 90% 1RM appears to produce greater muscle activation during the leg press exercise, but similar peak EMG was observed during the final common repetitions of each set. Muscle Nerve 56: 505-509, 2017.