Movement Clearing Screens for Service Member Musculoskeletal Injury Risk Identification.

CONTEXT: Pain during movement screens is a risk factor for musculoskeletal injury (MSKI). Movement screens often require specialized/clinical expertise and large amounts of time to administer. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate if self-reported pain 1) with movement clearing screens is a risk factor for any MSKI, 2) with movement clearing screens is a risk factor for body region-specific MSKIs, and 3) with a greater number of movement clearing screens progressively increases MSKI risk. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Field-based. PARTICIPANTS: Military Service members (n=4,222). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Active-duty Service members self-reported pain during movement clearing screens (Shoulder Clearing, Spinal Extension, Squat-Jump-Land). MSKI data were abstracted up to 180-days post-screening. A Traffic Light Model grouped Service members if they self-reported pain during 0 (Green), 1 (Amber), 2 (Red), or 3 (Black) movement clearing screens. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for age, gender, body mass index, and prior MSKI determined the relationships between pain during movement clearing screens with any and body region-specific MSKIs. RESULTS: Service members self-reporting pain during the Shoulder Clearing (adjusted-Hazard Ratio and 95% confidence interval (HRadj [95%CI]) =1.58 [1.37, 1.82]), Spinal Extension (HRadj=1.48 [1.28, 1.87]), or Squat- Jump-Land (HRadj=2.04 [1.79, 2.32]) tests were more likely to experience any MSKI compared to Service members reporting no pain. Service members with pain during the Shoulder Clearing (HRadj=3.28 [2.57, 4.19]), Spinal Extension (HRadj=2.80 [2.26, 3.49]), or Squat-Jump-Land (HRadj=2.07 [1.76, 2.43]) tests were more likely to experience an upper extremity, spine, back, and torso, or lower extremity MSKI, respectively, compared to Service members reporting no pain. The Amber (HRadj=1.69 [1.48, 1.93]), Red (HRadj=2.07 [1.73, 2.48]), and Black (HRadj=2.31 [1.81, 2.95]) cohorts were more likely to experience an MSKI compared to the Green cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Self-report movement clearing screens in combination with a Traffic Light Model provide clinician/non-clinician-friendly, expedient means to identify Service members at MSKI risk.

Feasibility of home-based exercise training in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Home-based training increases accessibility to exercise and mitigates the side effects of hormone therapy for prostate cancer (PC). However, it is unknown if men with more advanced disease are willing to partake in such interventions. PURPOSE: To determine the feasibility of a home-based exercise intervention in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). METHODS: mCRPC patients on androgen receptor signaling inhibitors (ARSI) were prescribed a 12-week, home-based exercise intervention using resistance bands and walking. Feasibility was assessed using recruitment, retention, adherence, and outcome capture. Physiological changes and patient reported outcomes were assessed before and after the intervention. RESULTS: Of the 62 referrals, 47 were eligible with 22 men performing baseline testing (47% recruitment rate) and 16 completing the intervention (73% retention). Task completion was >86% for all physiological tests. Walking adherence was 80% and resistance training was 63%, the latter falling short of the study target (75%). Training increased thigh muscle cross-sectional area by 22%, time to exhaustion by 19% (both p < 0.05) and peak oxygen uptake by 6% (p = 0.057). Improvements in short physical performance battery scores and 400 m walk demonstrated moderate effect sizes that did not reach significance. CONCLUSIONS: Home-based exercise is feasible during ARSI treatment for mCRPC. Greater endurance capacity and localized hypertrophy appear as the primary improvements following training. These preliminary findings suggest home-based training may increase exercise accessibility, with important lessons that will inform subsequent trials investigating the efficacy of home-based exercise interventions during mCRPC.

Body composition, physical function and quality of life in healthy men and across different stages of prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer (PC) has detrimental effects on physical function and quality of life (QoL), but the addition of androgen receptor signalling inhibitors (ARSI) on these outcomes is unclear. PURPOSE: To compare body composition, physical function, and QoL across progressive stages of PC and non-cancer controls (CON). METHODS: In men with hormone sensitive PC (HSPC, n = 43) or metastatic castration-resistant PC (mCRPC, n = 22) or CON (n = 37), relative and absolute lean and fat mass, physical function (6 m walk, chair stands, timed up and go [TUG], stair climb), and QoL were determined. RESULTS: Relative body composition differed amongst all groups, along with ~39% greater absolute fat mass in mCRPC vs. CON. TUG and chair stands were ~71% and ~33% slower in mCRPC compared to both CON and HSPC, whereas stair climb was ~29% and 6 m walk was ~18% slower in mCRPC vs. CON. Relative body composition was correlated with physical function (r = 0.259-0.385). Clinically relevant differences for mCRPC were observed for overall QoL and several subscales vs. CON, although body composition and physical function did not influence QoL. CONCLUSIONS: PC progression is associated with deteriorations in body composition and physical function. As ADT length was similar between groups, ARSI use for mCRPC likely contributed in part to these changes. Given the difficulties of improving lean mass during ADT, interventions that reduce adiposity may lessen the side effects of hormone therapy.