Chronic low back pain and muscle activity in women during the sit-to-stand task: A cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: The ability to stand up and sit down is important. Due to the large number of repetitions of these activities during the day and the demand that the task requires, it is cited as painful in the presence of low back pain (LBP). Individuals with LBP present alterations in muscle activation, however, this statement needs to be verified during everyday situations like the sit-to-stand task (STST). Therefore, the objective was to evaluate the muscle recruitment of women with and without LBP during the STST. METHODS: 35 women were evaluated, and allocated into the control group (CG n = 15) and the low back pain group (LBPG n = 20). The protocol consisted of clinical evaluation and the sit-to-stand task (STST). Electromyographic signals of the lumbar multifidus (LM), internal oblique (IO) and external oblique (EO), rectus abdominis (RA), and lumbar iliocostalis (LI) were carried out concomitantly with the STST. To verify normality, the Shapiro-Wilk test was used. For the characterization of the sample, the MANOVA test was chosen and the MANCOVA test was also chosen to compare the characteristics of the participants. RESULTS: Regarding the data analysis of the electromyographic signals, higher values were seen in the RA (moments 2 and 3) in the LBPG in the STST. CONCLUSION: The present study showed that women with chronic LBP present higher muscle activation of the rectus abdominis in the sit-to-stand task.

Comparison of muscle activity of hamstrings as knee flexors and hip extensors and effect of tibial and hip rotation on the contribution of hamstrings.

BACKGROUND: Limited studies have compared the muscle activity of the medial and lateral hamstrings as knee flexors with tibial internal and external rotation and hip extensors with hip internal and external rotation. In particular, hamstring activity during hip extension with hip rotation has rarely been investigated. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the muscle activity of the medial and lateral hamstrings as knee flexors and hip extensors and to compare the activity of these muscles according to tibial rotation during isometric knee flexion and hip rotation during isometric hip extension. METHODS: A total of 23 healthy adults participated in the study. The electromyographic (EMG) activity of the hamstrings was measured during maximal isometric knee flexion and maximal isometric hip extension. In addition, tibial rotation was applied actively during maximal isometric knee flexion, whereas hip rotation was applied actively during maximal isometric hip extension. RESULTS: EMG activity during maximal isometric knee flexion with tibial internal and external rotation was significantly higher than that during maximal isometric hip extension with hip internal and external rotation, respectively. For EMG activity according to tibial and hip rotation, there was no significant difference between tibial internal and external rotation during maximal isometric knee flexion, whereas there was a significant difference between hip internal and external rotation during maximal isometric hip extension. CONCLUSION: Hamstring activity was higher for knee flexors than for hip extensors. However, hip rotation during maximal isometric hip extension is an effective intervention for selective muscle activation of the medial and lateral hamstrings.

A scoping review of the contralateral effects of unilateral peripheral stimulation on neuromuscular function.

It is known that resistance exercise using one limb can affect motor function of both the exercised limb and the unexercised contralateral limb, a phenomenon termed cross-education. It has been suggested that cross-education has clinical implications, e.g. in rehabilitation for orthopaedic conditions or post-stroke paresis. Much of the research on the contralateral effect of unilateral intervention on motor output is based on voluntary exercise. This scoping review aimed to map the characteristics of current literature on the cross-education caused by three most frequently utilised peripheral neuromuscular stimulation modalities in this context: electrical stimulation, mechanical vibration and percutaneous needling, that may direct future research and translate to clinical practice. A systematic search of relevant databases (Ebsco, ProQuest, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science) through to the end of 2020 was conducted following the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Review. Empirical studies on human participants that applied a unilateral peripheral neuromuscular stimulation and assessed neuromuscular function of the stimulated and/or the unstimulated side were selected. By reading the full text, the demographic characteristics, context, design, methods and major findings of the studies were synthesised. The results found that 83 studies were eligible for the review, with the majority (53) utilised electrical stimulation whilst those applied vibration (18) or needling (12) were emerging. Although the contralateral effects appeared to be robust, only 31 studies claimed to be in the context of cross-education, and 25 investigated on clinical patients. The underlying mechanism for the contralateral effects induced by unilateral peripheral stimulation remains unclear. The findings suggest a need to enhance the awareness of cross-education caused by peripheral stimulation, to help improve the translation of theoretical concepts to clinical practice, and aid in developing well-designed clinical trials to determine the efficacy of cross-education therapies.

Physiotherapy for limitation of ankle dorsiflexion - New concept of classification and improvement strategies.

This article describes the intervention for improvement of the limitation of range of ankle dorsiflexion. The limitation of range of ankle dorsiflexion has close relation to an ankle motion axis displacement. And its displacement is related to a shortening of the soft tissue around ankle joint at typical parts. These parts were identified as the D-point. A normalizing of the ankle axis is an important strategy in physiotherapy for the limitation of the range of ankle dorsal flexion. A compression and a stretching to the D-point normalize an ankle motion axis displacement.

Deep fascia as a potential source of pain: A narrative review.

BACKGROUND: The fascial component of the myofascial pain syndrome and the contribution of the deep fascia to various painful conditions has not been well-described and is still less understood. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to evaluate the possible role of the deep fascia on musculoskeletal pain, focusing on findings from histological and experimental studies; and to assess the nociceptive and associated responses of the deep fascia to experimentally-induced irritation. METHODS: Narrative review of the English scientific literature. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Different components of the deep fascia, both in humans and animals are richly innervated, with some differences between body segments. These fascial components usually exhibit dense innervation, encompassing amongst others, nociceptive afferents. The application of different types of stimuli, i.e., electrical, mechanical, and chemical to these fascial components produces long-lasting pain responses. In some cases, the intensity and severity of pain produced by the stimulation of fascia were higher than ones produced by the stimulation of the related muscular tissue. These observations may denote that the deep fascia and its various components could be a source of pain in different pathologies and various pain syndromes.

Quantification of muscles activations and joints range of motions during oil palm fresh fruit bunch harvesting and loose fruit collection.

Although global demand for palm oil has been increasing, most activities in the oil palm plantations still rely heavily on manual labour, which includes fresh fruit bunch (FFB) harvesting and loose fruit (LF) collection. As a result, harvesters and/or collectors face ergonomic risks resulting in musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) due to awkward, extreme and repetitive posture during their daily work routines. Traditionally, indirect approaches were adopted to assess these risks using a survey or manual visual observations. In this study, a direct measurement approach was performed using Inertial Measurement Units, and surface Electromyography sensors. The instruments were attached to different body parts of the plantation workers to quantify their muscle activities and assess the ergonomics risks during FFB harvesting and LF collection. The results revealed that the workers generally displayed poor and discomfort posture in both activities. Biceps, multifidus and longissimus muscles were found to be heavily used during FFB harvesting. Longissimus, iliocostalis, and multifidus muscles were the most used muscles during LF collection. These findings can be beneficial in the design of various assistive tools which could improve workers' posture, reduce the risk of injury and MSD, and potentially improve their overall productivity and quality of life.

Effects of Manual Therapy on the Diaphragm in the Musculoskeletal System: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the effects at the musculoskeletal level of manual treatment of the diaphragm muscle in adults. DATA SOURCES: Systematic review using 4 databases: PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, and Scopus. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: Two independent reviewers applied the selection criteria and assessed the quality of the studies using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale for experimental studies. A third reviewer intervened in cases where a consensus had not been reached. A total of 9 studies were included in the review. DATA SYNTHESIS: Manual therapy directed to the diaphragm has been shown to be effective in terms of the immediate increase in diaphragmatic mobility and thoracoabdominal expansion. The immediate improvement in the posterior muscle chain flexibility test is another of the most frequently found findings in the evaluated studies. Limited studies show improvements at the lumbar and cervical level in the range of motion and in pain. CONCLUSION: Manual diaphragm therapy has shown an immediate significant effect on parameters related to costal, spinal, and posterior muscle chain mobility. Further studies are needed, not only to demonstrate the effectiveness of manual diaphragm therapy in the long-term and in symptomatic populations, but also to investigate the specific neurophysiological mechanisms involved in this type of therapy.

Technology-based methods for the assessment of fine and gross motor skill in children: A systematic overview of available solutions and future steps for effective in-field use.

The present review aims at providing researchers and practitioners with a holistic overview of technology-based methods for the assessment of fine and gross motor skill in children. We conducted a search of electronic databases using Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar, including studies published up to March 2020, that assessed fine and/or gross motor skills, and utilized technological assessment of varying study design. A total of 739 papers were initially retrieved, and after title/abstract screening, removal of duplicates, and full-text screening, 47 were included. Results suggest that motor skills can be quantitatively estimated using objective methods based on a wearable- and/or laboratory-based technology, for typically developing (TD) and non-TD children. Fine motor skill assessment solutions were; force transducers, instrumented tablets and pens, surface electromyography, and optoelectronic systems. Gross motor skill assessment solutions were; inertial measurements units, optoelectronic systems, baropodometric mats, and force platforms. This review provides a guide in identifying and evaluating the plethora of available technological solutions to motor skill assessment. Although promising, there is still a need for large-scale studies to validate these approaches in terms of accuracy, repeatability, and usability, where interdisciplinary collaborations between researchers and practitioners and transparent reporting practices should be advocated.

Biocultural evidence of precise manual activities in an Early Holocene individual of the high-altitude Peruvian Andes.

OBJECTIVES: Cuncaicha, a rockshelter site in the southern Peruvian Andes, has yielded archaeological evidence for human occupation at high elevation (4,480 masl) during the Terminal Pleistocene (12,500-11,200 cal BP), Early Holocene (9,500-9,000 cal BP), and later periods. One of the excavated human burials (Feature 15-06), corresponding to a middle-aged female dated to ~8,500 cal BP, exhibits skeletal osteoarthritic lesions previously proposed to reflect habitual loading and specialized crafting labor. Three small tools found in association with this burial are hypothesized to be associated with precise manual dexterity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Here, we tested this functional hypothesis through the application of a novel multivariate methodology for the three-dimensional analysis of muscle attachment surfaces (entheses). This original approach has been recently validated on both lifelong-documented anthropological samples as well as experimental studies in nonhuman laboratory samples. Additionally, we analyzed the three-dimensional entheseal shape and resulting moment arms for muscle opponens pollicis. RESULTS: Results show that Cuncaicha individual 15-06 shows a distinctive entheseal pattern associated with habitual precision grasping via thumb-index finger coordination, which is shared exclusively with documented long-term precision workers from recent historical collections. The separate geometric morphometric analysis revealed that the individual's opponens pollicis enthesis presents a highly projecting morphology, which was found to strongly correlate with long joint moment arms (a fundamental component of force-producing capacity), closely resembling the form of Paleolithic hunter-gatherers from diverse geo-chronological contexts of Eurasia and North Africa. DISCUSSION: Overall, our findings provide the first biocultural evidence to confirm that the lifestyle of some of the earliest Andean inhabitants relied on habitual and forceful precision grasping tasks.

Muscle excitation, force response, and efficiency during explosive force production after diacutaneous fibrolysis on lateral gastrocnemius of recreational athletes.

OBJECTIVE: Fibrous adhesions impair normal muscle mechanics. The present study aimed to assess lateral gastrocnemius muscle excitation, isometric force response, and neuromuscular efficiency during explosive force in plantarflexion before and after diacutaneous fibrolysis. METHODS: Thirty-five recreational athletes were allocated in the intervention group (n = 20) treated with diacutaneous fibrolysis, while the sham group (n = 15) was treated with placebo diacutaneous fibrolysis. Force response synchronized with surface electromyography during a plantarflexion task was collected. RESULTS: Differences between Pre- and Post-diacutaneous fibrolysis were observed for all variables, except for the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: Diacutaneous fibrolysis was effective to increase force, muscle excitation, and neuromuscular efficiency on lateral gastrocnemius.

Effectiveness of nutritional countermeasures in microgravity and its ground-based analogues to ameliorate musculoskeletal and cardiopulmonary deconditioning-A Systematic Review.

A systematic review was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of nutrition as a standalone countermeasure to ameliorate the physiological adaptations of the musculoskeletal and cardiopulmonary systems associated with prolonged exposure to microgravity. A search strategy was developed to find all astronaut or human space flight bed rest simulation studies that compared individual nutritional countermeasures with non-intervention control groups. This systematic review followed the guidelines of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews and tools created by the Aerospace Medicine Systematic Review Group for data extraction, quality assessment of studies and effect size. To ensure adequate reporting this systematic review followed the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses. A structured search was performed to screen for relevant articles. The initial search yielded 4031 studies of which 10 studies were eligible for final inclusion. Overall, the effect of nutritional countermeasure interventions on the investigated outcomes revealed that only one outcome was in favor of the intervention group, whereas six outcomes were in favor of the control group, and 43 outcomes showed no meaningful effect of nutritional countermeasure interventions at all. The main findings of this study were: (1) the heterogeneity of reported outcomes across studies, (2) the inconsistency of the methodology of the included studies (3) an absence of meaningful effects of standalone nutritional countermeasure interventions on musculoskeletal and cardiovascular outcomes, with a tendency towards detrimental effects on specific muscle outcomes associated with power in the lower extremities. This systematic review highlights the limited amount of studies investigating the effect of nutrition as a standalone countermeasure on operationally relevant outcome parameters. Therefore, based on the data available from the included studies in this systematic review, it cannot be expected that nutrition alone will be effective in maintaining musculoskeletal and cardiopulmonary integrity during space flight and bed rest.

Effects of static stretching as compared to autogenic inhibition and reciprocal inhibition muscle energy techniques in the management of mechanical neck pain: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of static stretching with autogenic inhibition and reciprocal inhibition muscle energy techniques on pain, disability and range of motion in patients with mechanical neck pain. METHODS: A parallel design randomised controlled trial was conducted at Fauji Foundation Hospital and Railway-General Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from April to November, 2017, and comprised of patients aged 18-70 years with neck pain of moderate intensity scoring 4-8 on numeric pain rating scale with limited or painful range of motion. The patients were randomly allocated via lottery method into static stretching group, autogenic inhibition muscle energy technique group and reciprocal inhibition muscle energy technique group. All the subjects received five consecutive treatments sessions. Outcome measurements included numeric pain rating scale score, neck disability index score and goniometry for cervical range of motion. Data was collected at baseline and after first and fifth sessions, and was analysed using SPSS 21. RESULTS: Of the 78 subjects, there were 26(33.3%) in each of the three groups. Of them 7 were lost to follow-up and the study was completed by 71(91%) subjects. The overall mean age was 41.55±11.89 years (p>0.05). There was no significant difference between the groups at baseline (p>0.05). However, at first and second follow-up, there was a significant difference (p<0.05) between the groups in terms of immediate and short-term relief, except for immediate effects related to range of motion (p=0.056). CONCLUSIONS: Significant difference existed among static stretching, autogenic inhibition and reciprocal inhibition groups in terms of pain, disability and range of motion in patients with mechanical neck pain.

Quantifying exploration in reward-based motor learning.

Exploration in reward-based motor learning is observable in experimental data as increased variability. In order to quantify exploration, we compare three methods for estimating other sources of variability: sensorimotor noise. We use a task in which participants could receive stochastic binary reward feedback following a target-directed weight shift. Participants first performed six baseline blocks without feedback, and next twenty blocks alternating with and without feedback. Variability was assessed based on trial-to-trial changes in movement endpoint. We estimated sensorimotor noise by the median squared trial-to-trial change in movement endpoint for trials in which no exploration is expected. We identified three types of such trials: trials in baseline blocks, trials in the blocks without feedback, and rewarded trials in the blocks with feedback. We estimated exploration by the median squared trial-to-trial change following non-rewarded trials minus sensorimotor noise. As expected, variability was larger following non-rewarded trials than following rewarded trials. This indicates that our reward-based weight-shifting task successfully induced exploration. Most importantly, our three estimates of sensorimotor noise differed: the estimate based on rewarded trials was significantly lower than the estimates based on the two types of trials without feedback. Consequently, the estimates of exploration also differed. We conclude that the quantification of exploration depends critically on the type of trials used to estimate sensorimotor noise. We recommend the use of variability following rewarded trials.

Guided Hands-On Activities Can Improve Student Learning in a Lecture-Based Qualitative Biomechanics Course.

A qualitative biomechanics (functional anatomy) course is a typical course in kinesiology curriculum. Most evidence suggests that biomechanics learning could be improved with the inclusion of laboratory experiences. However, implementing laboratories into biomechanics curriculum is difficult due to cost and time constraints. This study was conducted to evaluate whether hands-on activities in lecture improve qualitative biomechanics learning. A lecture format was compared to the same course with guided and unguided hands-on activities included during lecture. Test performance and student evaluations were compared between lecture formats to determine if hands-on experiences improve learning. The hands-on group performed better on the same test questions and they evaluated their overall course activities as beneficial to their learning. The findings suggest that guided hands-on experiences may improve learning compared to unguided activities. The hands-on experiences seem to provide an embodied cognitive learning experience, facilitating retention of learned material through three-dimensional and tactile mental representations. Findings from this research are currently shaping how biomechanics is taught to students at this university and could at other universities as well.

Role of Oral Nutritional Supplements Enriched with ß-Hydroxy-ß-Methylbutyrate in Maintaining Muscle Function and Improving Clinical Outcomes in Various Clinical Settings.

Aging and disease-related malnutrition are well associated with loss of muscle mass and function. Muscle mass loss may lead to increased health complications and associated increase in health care costs, especially in hospitalized individuals. High protein oral nutritional supplements enriched with ß-hydroxy-ß-methylbutyrate (HP-ONS+HMB) have been suggested to provide benefits such as improving body composition, maintaining muscle mass and function and even decreasing mortality rates. The present review aimed to examine current evidence on the effect of HP-ONS+HMB on muscle-related clinical outcomes both in community and peri-hospitalization patients. Overall, current evidence suggests that therapeutic nutrition such as HP-ONS+HMB seems to be a promising tool to mitigate the decline in muscle mass and preserve muscle function, especially during hospital rehabilitation and recovery.

Does Roller Massage With a Foam Roll Change Pressure Pain Threshold of the Ipsilateral Lower Extremity Antagonist and Contralateral Muscle Groups? An Exploratory Study.

CONTEXT: Foam rolling is a popular intervention used by allied health professionals and the general population. Current research suggests that foam rolling may have an effect on the ipsilateral antagonist muscle group and produce a cross-over effect in the muscles of the contralateral limb. The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of foam rolling to the left quadriceps on ipsilateral antagonist hamstrings and contralateral quadriceps muscle group pressure pain threshold (PPT). Through this research, we sought to gather data to further develop the methodology for future studies of this intervention. DESIGN: A pretest-posttest exploratory study. SETTING: University kinesiology laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: 21 healthy adults (age = 27.52 ± 8.9 y). INTERVENTION: Video-guided foam roll intervention on the left quadriceps musculature. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Ipsilateral hamstring (antagonist) and contralateral quadriceps muscle PPT. RESULTS: A significant difference was found between pretest to posttest measures for the ipsilateral hamstrings (t[20] = -6.2, P < 0.001) and contralateral quadriceps (t[20] = -9.1, P < 0.001) suggesting an increase in PPT. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that foam rolling of the quadriceps musculature may have an acute effect on the PPT of the ipsilateral hamstrings and contralateral quadriceps muscles. Clinicians should consider these results to be exploratory and future investigations examining this intervention on PPT is warranted.

Dose- and Ion-Dependent Effects in the Oxidative Stress Response to Space-Like Radiation Exposure in the Skeletal System.

Space radiation may pose a risk to skeletal health during subsequent aging. Irradiation acutely stimulates bone remodeling in mice, although the long-term influence of space radiation on bone-forming potential (osteoblastogenesis) and possible adaptive mechanisms are not well understood. We hypothesized that ionizing radiation impairs osteoblastogenesis in an ion-type specific manner, with low doses capable of modulating expression of redox-related genes. 16-weeks old, male, C57BL6/J mice were exposed to low linear-energy-transfer (LET) protons (150 MeV/n) or high-LET 56Fe ions (600 MeV/n) using either low (5 or 10 cGy) or high (50 or 200 cGy) doses at NASA's Space Radiation Lab. Five weeks or one year after irradiation, tissues were harvested and analyzed by microcomputed tomography for cancellous microarchitecture and cortical geometry. Marrow-derived, adherent cells were grown under osteoblastogenic culture conditions. Cell lysates were analyzed by RT-PCR during the proliferative or mineralizing phase of growth, and differentiation was analyzed by imaging mineralized nodules. As expected, a high dose (200 cGy), but not lower doses, of either 56Fe or protons caused a loss of cancellous bone volume/total volume. Marrow cells produced mineralized nodules ex vivo regardless of radiation type or dose; 56Fe (200 cGy) inhibited osteoblastogenesis by more than 90% (5 weeks and 1 year post-IR). After 5 weeks, irradiation (protons or 56Fe) caused few changes in gene expression levels during osteoblastogenesis, although a high dose 56Fe (200 cGy) increased Catalase and Gadd45. The addition of exogenous superoxide dismutase (SOD) protected marrow-derived osteoprogenitors from the damaging effects of exposure to low-LET (137Cs γ) when irradiated in vitro, but had limited protective effects on high-LET 56Fe-exposed cells. In sum, either protons or 56Fe at a relatively high dose (200 cGy) caused persistent bone loss, whereas only high-LET 56Fe increased redox-related gene expression, albeit to a limited extent, and inhibited osteoblastogenesis. Doses below 50 cGy did not elicit widespread responses in any parameter measured. We conclude that high-LET irradiation at 200 cGy impaired osteoblastogenesis and regulated steady-state gene expression of select redox-related genes during osteoblastogenesis, which may contribute to persistent bone loss.

Posture and posturology, anatomical and physiological profiles: overview and current state of art.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF WORK: posture is the position of the body in the space, and is controlled by a set of anatomical structures. The maintenance and the control of posture are a set of interactions between muscle-skeletal, visual, vestibular, and skin system. Lately there are numerous studies that correlate the muscle-skeletal and the maintenance of posture. In particular, the correction of defects and obstruction of temporomandibular disorders, seem to have an impact on posture. The aim of this work is to collect information in literature on posture and the influence of the stomatognathic system on postural system. METHODS: Comparison of the literature on posture and posturology by consulting books and scientific sites. RESULTS: the results obtained from the comparison of the literature show a discrepancy between the thesis. Some studies support the correlation between stomatognathic system and posture, while others deny such a correlation. CONCLUSIONS: further studies are necessary to be able to confirm one or the other argument.

Vitamin D: Musculoskeletal health.

Perhaps the role of Vitamin D supplementation has been most exhaustively studied in calcium absorption, skeletal wellbeing, muscular potency, balance and risk of falling. Nonetheless, new data has emerged and the recent research on sarcopenia makes the topic increasingly interesting. Given the socioeconomic burden of the musculoskeletal consequences of hypovitaminosis D it is vital to keep abreast with the latest literature in the field. The recommended Vitamin D supplementation dose should suffice to increase the serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D level to 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L) and this level should be optimally maintained with a maintenance dose, particularly for those diagnosed with osteoporosis.