Analysis of changes in brain morphological structure of taekwondo athletes by diffusion tensor imaging.

OBJECTIVE: Taekwondo, which is the most preferred sport among the martial arts, is known to improve individuals physically, spiritually and mentally. The aim of this study is to reveal the effect of teakwondo sport on the brain and brain structures. DESIGN;: 30 taekwondo athletes and 15 control groups were included in this study. Diffusion tensor MR images of each participant were taken. The information was obtained by the self-declaration of the athletes, whether they were sports years, amateur or elite. METHOD: Total brain volume and volumes of white matter, gray matter, frontal lobe, precentral gyrus, corticospinal tract, basal nuclei, postcentral gyrus, hippocampus and amigdala and the ratio of these volumes to total brain volume were evaluated statistically between the groups using MriCloud software and ROIEditor program. RESULTS: An increase in total brain volume, gray matter, frontal lobe and precentral gyrus volume in athletes was associated with taekwondo training. When the ratio of brain parts to total brain volume was examined, it was determined that there was a difference in the ratio of gray matter, white matter volumes in amateur athletes, right frontal lobe, left corticospinal tract, right postcentral gyrus volumes in elite athletes, and left postcentral gyrus volumes of both athletes compared to sedentary individuals. CONCLUSIONS: The increase in the volume of gray matter, frontal lobe, postcentral gyrus and corticospinal tract together with the brain volume shows that taekwondo exercise contributes to physical, spiritual and mental development.

Masseter Muscle Thickness And Elasticity in Bruxism After Exercise Treatment: A Comparison Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of Rocabado's 6 × 6 exercises on masseter muscle thickness, muscle elasticity, and pain scores in patients with bruxism. METHODS: A total of 58 participants with bruxism were divided into 2 groups as the exercise group (EG) and control group (CG). A self-care program was applied for the participants in the CG. For those in the EG, in addition to the self-care program, an exercise treatment was performed for 6 days per week for a total of 8 weeks. Using ultrasonography, bilateral masseter muscle thickness and elasticity were assessed before and after treatment. Pain was measured using a visual analog scale. Changes over time within the groups and group-time interactions for continuous variables were assessed using mixed 2-way repeated measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: The improvement in muscle elasticity (P = .015; P = .004) and pain values (P = .049; P = .040) were greater in the EG compared with the CG. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups for masseter muscle thickness (P > .05). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that Rocabado's 6 × 6 exercises are effective in the treatment of muscle elasticity and pain values in participants with bruxism.

Determination of Biodex Balance System Cutoff Scores in Older People With Nonspecific Back Pain: A Cross-sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine cutoff scores for the Biodex Balance System (BBS) and verify if they could be used to discriminate older people with nonspecific low back pain (NSLBP) with poor postural performance from those with good postural performance. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 52 participants with NSLBP older than 65 years. One level of stability (level 5; intraclass correlation ≥0.70) and 2 conditions (eyes open and eyes closed) were selected for the testing procedure. Anterior-posterior stability index (APSI), medial-lateral stability index (MLSI), and overall stability index (OSI) scores were calculated. The participants were classified into 2 groups: high risk of falling and low risk of falling. Both the receiver operating characteristic and the area under the curve were used to determine the best BBS cutoff values. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the ability of BBS scores to predict risk of falling. RESULTS: BBS cutoff scores in the eyes-open condition (APSI = 2.60, MLSI = 1.95, OSI = 2.95) and eyes-closed condition (APSI = 3.05, MLSI = 2.17, OSI = 3.25) were found to be sensitive and specific in determining postural performance. Participants with index values lower than the cutoff scores had, respectively, 6.42, 4.20, and 3.72 times lower risk of falling in the eyes-open condition and 3.33, 5.50, and 3.00 times lower risk of falling in the eyes-closed condition. The predictive characteristics of the models for risk analysis were excellent and good to excellent. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that BBS cutoff scores are sensitive and specific in distinguishing between poor and good postural performance in older people with NSLBP.

Effect of respiratory muscle training on pulmonary function and aerobic endurance in soccer players.

BACKGROUND: Few studies investigated the effects of the respiratory muscle training (RMT) in soccer although exhaustive high intensity exercise is known to lead to muscle fatigue in respiratory muscles. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of RMT on pulmonary function and aerobic endurance in soccer players. METHODS: Eighteen male soccer players (mean age 22.2±1.4 years) participated in this study. Participants were assigned randomly to either an RMT or a control (CON) group. The RMT group performed a 15-minute endurance training of respiratory muscles twice a week for 5 weeks. The CON group did not receive RMT during this period. All participants were evaluated for aerobic endurance using 20-meter shuttle run test (20-MST), pulmonary function, maximal inspiratory mouth pressure (MIP), and maximal expiratory mouth pressure (MEP) using spirometry. RESULTS: There was a significant improvement in RMT group (14%) as compared to CON group (4%) in MIP measurement (P=0.04). No significant differences were observed in forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV), and MEP after a five week of RMT (P>0.05). Similarly, there was no difference in 20-MST in the RMT group compared to CON group (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that a five week of RMT increased MIP, but FVC, FEV1, MVV, MEP and aerobic endurance did not improve in soccer players. The RMT in addition to soccer training may improve MIP but not the tolerance to high intensity exercise.

The effect of kinesio taping versus stretching techniques on muscle soreness, and flexibility during recovery from nordic hamstring exercise.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of static stretching, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching, or kinesio taping (KT) on muscle soreness and flexibility during recovery from exercise. Sixty-five females were randomly assigned to four groups: PNF stretching (n = 15), static stretching (n = 16), KT (n = 17), and control (n = 17). All participants performed nordic hamstring exercise (5 sets of 8 repetitions). In all groups, hamstring flexibility at 24 h and 48 h was not changed from baseline (p > .05). The muscle soreness was measured higher at 48 h post-exercise compared with baseline in the control group (p = .04) and at 24 h post-exercise compared with baseline in the PNF group (p < .01). No significant differences were found for intervention groups compared with control group in all measurements (p > .05). The KT application and pre-exercise stretching have no contribute to flexibility at 24 h and 48 h after exercise, but may attenuate muscle soreness.