A Simple Equation to Estimate Maximal Oxygen Uptake in Older Adults Using the 6 min Walk Test, Sex, Age and Body Mass Index.

PURPOSE: The 6 min walk test (6MWT) is used in clinical and epidemiological practice as a simple tool to evaluate the maximal aerobic exercise capacity (VO2max). To date, little evidence has been provided regarding regression equation models to predict VO2max in older adults. Therefore, the main purpose of the study was to develop a reference equation to estimate objectively measured VO2max, based on the 6MWT, sex, age and body mass index (BMI). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this observational prospective study, we collected the data from 233 asymptomatic participants aged 60-80 years (52.4% women). VO2max and the 6MWT were measured using standardized protocols. BMI was calculated as weight (kg) divided by height squared (m2). To be able to develop the predictive equation for VO2max, we used linear generalized estimating equations (GEE). RESULTS: Older men performed better in VO2max (30.9 ± 8.8 vs. 26.3 ± 6.3 mL/kg/min, p < 0.001) and the 6MWT (673.9 ± 58.7 vs. 642.3 ± 48.0 m, p < 0.001), compared to women. VO2max was correlated with the 6MWT (r = 0.71, p < 0.001), sex (r = -0.29, p < 0.001), age (r = -0.62, p < 0.001) and BMI (r = -0.38, p < 0.001). The model to predict VO2max included: VO2max (mL/kg/min) = 59.44 - 3.83 *, sex (1-men; 2-women) - 0.56 *, age (years) - 0.48 *, BMI (kg/m2) + 0.04 *, and the 6MWT (m) (R = 0.85; R2 = 72.3%, SEE = 3.99 mL/kg/min, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The newly developed regression equation can be a guideline in clinical and epidemiological practice to predict the VO2max in apparently healthy older adults.

Are flat feet a disadvantage in performing unilateral and bilateral explosive power and dynamic balance tests in boys? A school-based study.

BACKGROUND: Little evidence has been provided regarding physical performance and flat-footedness in school-age children. Although flat feet may decrease the level of motor performance, findings remain inconsistent. Therefore, the main purpose of the study was to determine whether children with flat feet had poorer physical task performance, compared to normal-footed children. METHODS: A total of 208 primary school boys were included in the study (107 normal-footed and 101 flatfooted boys). Flat footedness (< 42°) was determined using Clark's method. The children were tested by a set of unilateral and bilateral tests selected from the area of ​​explosive power and dynamic balance which included: (i) countermovement jump, (ii) standing broad jump, (iii) the triple crossover hop for distance test, (iv) maximal sprinting speed over 10, 20 and 40 m and (v) the Star Excursion Balance Test. Differences were adjusted for age, body mass index, peak height velocity and physical activity. RESULTS: Flat footed children exhibited significantly poorer results in bilateral standing broad jump (effect size [ES] = 0.34), unilateral standing broad jump for dominant (ES = 0.31) and non-dominant leg (ES = 0.20), the triple crossover hop for distance test for dominant (ES = 0.24) and non-dominant leg (ES = 0.23) and the Star Excursion Balance Test (ES = 0.23-0.43) and were slower in maximal sprinting speed test over 20 m (ES = 0.25) and 40 m (ES = 0.30). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that children with flat feet performed poorer in some physical performance tasks, compared to the normal feet counterparts.

The Effect of High Nicotine Dose on Maximum Anaerobic Performance and Perceived Pain in Healthy Non-Smoking Athletes: Crossover Pilot Study.

Background: In recent years, there has been intensive discussion about the positive effect of nicotine usage on enhancing sports performance. It is frequently applied through a non-burned tobacco form before physical activity. Nicotine is under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2021 monitoring program. Therefore, study results that reveal either positive or negative effects are expected. This is the pilot study that reports the effect of 8 mg dose of nicotine on performance and perceived pain. Material and Methods: This research aimed to explore the oral intake effect of a high-nicotine dose (8 mg) on the maximum anaerobic performance and other selected physical performance parameters in healthy, well-trained adult athletes (n = 15, age 30.7 ± 3.6, BMI 25.3 ± 1.7). The cross-sectional study protocol included the oral administration of either sublingual nicotine or placebo tablets before the anaerobic load assessed by a standardized 30 s Wingate test of the lower limbs. Afterward, the Borg subjective perception of pain (CR 10) and Borg rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were evaluated. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for the analysis of data with a 0.05 level of significance. Results: The results revealed that oral administration of an 8 mg nicotine dose does not significantly improve any of the physical performance parameters monitored. We only reported the statistically significant positive effect in RPE (p = 0.03). Conclusion: Lower perception of pain intensity that we reported after nicotine application might be an important factor that affects performance. However, we did not report any improvement in physical performance parameters.

The Effect of Early Applied Robot-Assisted Physiotherapy on Functional Independence Measure Score in Post-Myocardial Infarction Patients.

Robot-assisted training has been widely used in rehabilitation programs, but no significant clinical evidence about its use in productive working-age cardiac patients was demonstrated. Thus, we hypothesized that early applied robot-assisted physiotherapy might provide additional treatment benefits in the rehabilitation of post-myocardial infarction (MI) patients. A total of 92 (50 men, 42 women) hospitalized post-MI patients with the age of 60.9 ± 2.32 participated in the research. An early intensive physiotherapy program (7×/week, 2×/day) was applied for each patient with an average time of 45 min per session. Patients were consecutively assigned to Experimental group (EG) and Control group (CG). Then, 20 min of robot-assisted training by Motomed letto 2 or Thera-Trainer tigo was included in all EG physiotherapy sessions. The Functional Independence Measures (FIM) score at the admission and after 14 days of rehabilitation was used for an assessment. When analyzing time * group effect by repeated-measures ANOVA, we reported that EG showed a higher effect in ADL (p = 0.00), and Motor indicators (p = 0.00). There was no statistically significant effect reported in the Social indicator (p = 0.35). Early rehabilitation programs for post-MI patients might be enhanced by robotic tools, such as THERA-Trainer tigo, and Motomed letto 2. The improvement was particularly noticeable in mobility and ADLs.

Positive Effect of Kinesiotape on 1 km Run Performance in University-Level Males: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: The kinesiotape (KT) method is used to exert a positive effect on muscular, nervous, and organ systems, recognizing the importance of muscle movement. It is widely applied in runners for performance enhancement. However, there is no scientific background to use it as a running speed modulator. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to verify the KT effect on running performance in university-level students while speed is considered. The 1 km run and 40 m shuttle run were investigated. Participants were highly motivated to run as fast as possible since the research was part of the graded fitness test. Students wanted to perform as well as possible to get good marks. Methods: A total of 150 students aged 19.93 ± 0.85 with BMIs of 26.93 ± 0.98 were randomly distributed to the experimental (EG), placebo (PG), and control group (CG). In the EG, 50 students were measured pre-test (no KT) and post-test (KT applied). In the PG, 50 students were measured the same way using the placebo application post-test. In the CG, 50 students were measured without any intervention pre-test or post-test. The application area was the triceps surae muscle bilaterally with KT tension of 75%. The Kruskal−Wallis test and repeated measures ANOVA were used for analysis with a 0.05 level of significance. Results: A statistically significant group effect was reported in the EG (<0.05) in the 1 km run discipline. The time results obtained were significantly shorter than in the PG and the CG. There was no statistically significant difference (0.717) reported in the 40 m shuttle run discipline between the groups. Conclusions: Applying KT with a tension of 75% on the triceps surae muscle bilaterally might be useful to increase the performance of medium or longer distance runs but may not be effective in improving sprinting ability. We recommend applying the KT in the overall muscle and tendon area with a tension of 75% if there is a focus on performance enhancement.

Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip: Prevalence and Correlation with Other Diagnoses in Physiotherapy Practice-A 5-Year Retrospective Review.

(1) Background: The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) as a primary or secondary diagnosis during physiotherapy practice. No other studies have investigated the prevalence and associations of DDH within the practice of pediatric rehabilitation. (2) Methods: This retrospective review was performed on 12,225 physiotherapy referrals to the King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital (KASCH), Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from May 2016 to October 2021. Only DDH referrals for conservative treatment were included in the study. The plan for brace treatment was carried out by the pediatric orthopedics clinic in KASCH. The diagnostic methods were either a pelvic radiograph or ultrasound, depending on the participant's age. DDH is considered one of the most common secondary complications for children with other medical diagnoses. (3) Results: The most common indication for referral was neurological diagnosis (44%), followed by orthopedic (28%), genetic (19%), cardiac (5%), ophthalmologic (3%), dermatologic (1%) and rheumatologic (0.5%) diagnoses. (4) Conclusion: The prevalence of DDH among all referrals in this study was 6%. In physiotherapy practice, neurologic, genetic, and orthopedic primary or secondary diagnoses were the most prevalent when DDH referrals were investigated. A relatively high prevalence of DDH in the pediatric rehabilitation clinic at KASCH in Riyadh was reported in this study.

Self-Esteem, Individual versus Team Sports.

On the basis of the integrative concept of self-esteem discussed in sport-related literature, various studies refer to its importance in the context of sports activities. Self-esteem is often understood as a personality trait because it tends to be durable and stable. No accurate description is available regarding the types of sports in which subjects participated. The main purpose of the research was to identify and compare the levels of self-esteem and self-confidence of athletes practicing individual and team sports. The self-esteem and self-confidence levels were measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg 1979) and the Self-Confidence Test (Romek, 2000). All participants were males. Subjects were divided into two categories: 40 for individual sports and 40 for team sports. There were two evaluation periods: P1, the beginning of the preparation period, and P2, the beginning of the competition period. There were statistically significant differences for P1 (p < 0.002) and P2 (p < 0.003). The differences between the average values of the two periods were 5.8 points and 3.8 points, both favorable to the group of athletes who practiced individual sports. There were significant differences between the individual and team athletes in self-esteem level. Individual athletes presented a higher level of self-esteem.

Back Pain Prevalence, Intensity, and Associated Risk Factors among Female Teachers in Slovakia during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Significant back pain prevalence and intensity are reported in female pedagogues. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have been exposed to remote working conditions, higher psychological demands, and stress. Our objective was to evaluate the back pain prevalence, intensity, and related risk factors in female teachers from Slovak regions in the context of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. An electronic questionnaire was applied for data collection. A total of 782 adult female teachers (age 43.11 ± 0.36, BMI 34.94 ± 5.94) from primary, secondary, and tertiary schools from Slovak regions were included in the survey. Of these, 74% reported cervical pain, 67% lower back pain, and 60% pain in more than one vertebral region. The highest pain intensities were reported in the following cohorts (pain scale 1-5, 1 = no pain, and 5 = extreme pain): pedagogues from the Presov region (3.74), those working in the special education sector (3.83), those who gave five online classes a week (3.58), those who performed no physical activity (PA, 3.86), pedagogues who did not work in compliance with ergonomic recommendations (3.59), those with moderate or severe stress (3.66), and those who were sitting all or most of the time (3.62). The main risk factors identified were: no PA performed, no compliance with ergonomic recommendations, and stress.

Impact of COVID-19Quarantine on Low Back Pain Intensity, Prevalence, and Associated Risk Factors among Adult Citizens Residing in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia): A Cross-Sectional Study.

This study aimed to estimate the effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) quarantine on low back pain (LBP) intensity, prevalence, and associated risk factors among adults in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). A total of 463 adults (259 males and 204 females) aged between 18 and 64 years and residing in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) participated in this cross-sectional study. A self-administered structured questionnaire composed of 20 questions regarding demographic characteristics, work- and academic-related aspects, physical activity (PA), daily habits and tasks, and pain-related aspects was used. The LBP point prevalence before the quarantine was 38.8%, and 43.8% after the quarantine. The LBP intensity significantly increased during the quarantine. The low back was also the most common musculoskeletal pain area. Furthermore, during the quarantine, a significantly higher LBP intensity was reported by those individuals who (a) were aged between 35 and 49 years old, (b) had a body mass index equal to or exceeding 30, (c) underwent higher levels of stress, (d) did not comply with the ergonomic recommendations, (e) were sitting for long periods, (f) did not practice enough physical activity (PA), and (g) underwent teleworking or distance learning. No significant differences were found between genders. The COVID-19 quarantine resulted in a significant increase in LBP intensity, point prevalence, and most associated risk factors.