Emerging Technology for Healthy Lifestyle of the Middle-Age and Elderly: A Scoping Review.

Background: Emerging technology research focusing on promoting healthy lifestyles for the middle-aged and elderly is paramount in recent literature. However, limited evidence is available for the middle-aged population. This paper reviews how emerging technologies can help in promoting a healthy lifestyle for the middle-aged and elderly. Methods: A scoping literature review method was employed. Articles were extracted from online databases published within 2010-2021. Overall, 3,152 articles related to the topic were obtained and 2979 articles were archived via different search procedures. Moreover, 173 articles that met the inclusion criteria underwent qualitative synthesize for conclusive inferences. Results: Most studies focused on people aged 60 and up, leaving the middle-aged population under-studied and unprepared to age. Older adults have high technology anxiety and resistance to change. Limited studies are available to support technology-based healthy lifestyle promotion for middle-aged people. The emerging technologies that are useful in promoting healthy lifestyle behavior among middle-aged people include: robotics, virtual reality, wearables, artificial intelligence, smart textiles, as well as centralized health information systems. Conclusion: This review sets as a pace-setter for future research on how emerging technologies can aid in the development of healthy lifestyles for the middle-aged and elderly population, allowing them to live a quality life as they age.

A comparison of low and high dose of moderate intensity aerobic exercise on heart rate recovery of the sedentary adults: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Heart rate recovery (HRR) has been used as a prognostication marker of health. A slower drop in HRR is linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality. Since aerobic exercise has been shown to have favorable effects on HRR, we aimed to compare the effects of two different aerobic exercise doses on HRR among a sedentary adult population. METHODS: A pragmatic randomised controlled trial was conducted on 29 healthy sedentary adults (seven males and 22 females) in a 12-week exercise program. They were randomly assigned to group A (75 min/week, N.=15) or group B (150 min/week, N.=14) of moderate intensity aerobic exercise groups. HRR at 1-minute (HRR1), HRR at 2-minute (HRR2), and peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) were measured pre- and post-intervention. RESULTS: The improvements of HRR1 and HRR2 were seen in both groups but was only significant (P<0.05) for group A with HRR1, -4.07 bpm (post 24.47±6.42 - pre 20.40±5.51, P=0.018) and HHR2, -3.93 bpm (post 43.40±13.61 - pre 39.47±10.68, P=0.046). Group B showed increment of HRR1, -1.14 bpm (post 21.14±5.35 - pre 20.00±6.30, P=0.286) and HRR2, -2.5 bpm, (post 39.36±8.01 - pre 36.86±9.57, P=0.221). Improvement of the VO2peak was only significant in group B with an increment of 1.52±2.61 (P=0.049). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our study suggests that improvements in heart rate recovery (HRR1 and HRR2) among sedentary healthy adults can be achieved by engaging in moderate intensity exercise at a dose lower than the current recommended guidelines. The lower dose seems to be more attainable and may encourage exercise compliance. Future studies should further explore the effects of different exercise volumes on HRR in a larger sample size and also by controlling for BMI or gender.

Efficacy of prolotherapy in comparison to other therapies for chronic soft tissue injuries: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Prolotherapy and other injections, primarily acting on pathways associated with maladaptive tissue repair, are recommended for recalcitrant chronic soft tissue injuries (CSTI). However, selection of injection is challenging due to mixed results. This network meta-analysis (NMA) aimed to compare prolotherapy with other therapies, particularly injections, for CSTI and establish robustness of the results. METHODOLOGY: Pubmed, Medline, SPORTDiscus and Google scholar were searched from inception to 4th January 2021 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) involving injection therapies (e.g. blood derivatives, corticosteroid, hyaluronic acid, botulinum toxin) for CSTI. The primary and secondary outcomes were pain and function, respectively, at (or nearest to) 6 months. Effect size (ES) was presented as standardised mean difference with 95% confidence interval (CI). Frequentist random effect NMA was used to generate the overall estimates, subgroup estimates (by region and measurement time point) and sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: A total of 91 articles (87 RCTs; 5859 participants) involving upper limb (74%), lower limb (23%) and truncal/hip (3%) injuries were included. At all time points, prolotherapy had no statistically significant pain benefits over other therapies. This observation remained unchanged when tested under various assumptions and with exclusion of studies with high risk of bias. Although prolotherapy did not offer statistically significant functional improvement compared to most therapies, its ES was consistently better than non-injections and corticosteroid injection for both outcomes. At selected time points and for selected injuries, prolotherapy demonstrated potentially better pain improvement over placebo (<4 months: shoulder [ES 0.65; 95% CI 0.00 to 1.30]; 4-8 months: elbow [ES 0.91; 95% CI 0.12 to 1.70]; >8 months: shoulder [ES 2.08; 95% CI 1.49, to 2.68]). Injections generally produced greater ES when combined with non-injection therapy. CONCLUSION: While clinical outcomes were generally comparable across types of injection therapy, prolotherapy may be used preferentially for selected conditions at selected times.

Effects of lateral ankle sprain on range of motion, strength and postural balance in competitive basketball players: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Lateral ankle sprain is the most common injury in basketball, and many of these sprains resulted in residual functional deficits. This study aimed to compare ankle strength and range of motion, and postural balance between competitive basketball players with and without lateral ankle sprain. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study involving 42 male competitive basketball players. Subjects were divided into the injured and uninjured groups based on self-reported questionnaires. Ankle range of motion (ROM) was measured using a goniometer, ankle isokinetic strength testing performed using Biodex System 4 PRO, and single-leg stability tests performed using Biodex Balance System SD. RESULTS: Between the injured and uninjured ankles, there was a decrease in plantarflexion ROM (44.89±6.85 vs. 50.75±9.31, P<0.05) and an increase in eversion ROM (14.50±5.63 vs. 11.74±4.53, P<0.05). There was a reduction in inversion and plantarflexion strength at 30°/s peak torque and 120 °/s peak torque (P<0.05). However, no significant difference observed in the postural stability indexes between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study proves that there are residual ROM and strength deficits after an ankle sprain, however, these deficits do not affect their balance ability.

Plasma antioxidants and oxidative stress status in obese women: correlation with cardiopulmonary response.

INTRODUCTION: A high body fat coupled with low cardiopulmonary fitness and an increase in oxidative stress has been connoted as contributing factors in developing cardiovascular comorbidities. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between antioxidants and oxidative stress status with cardiopulmonary responses in women of different body mass index (BMI). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Eighty female adults were recruited and divided into three groups; normal weight (n = 23), overweight (n = 28) and obese (n = 29), according to their BMI. Blood samples were obtained prior to cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Plasma samples were separated by centrifugation and analysed for enzymatic antioxidant activity including catalase, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase. Non-enzymatic antioxidant activities were assessed using 2, 2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging and ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) assays. To evaluate the oxidative stress status of subjects, levels of reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde, the by-product of lipid peroxidation, were measured. Cardiopulmonary responses were analysed using cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) which involved 15 various parameters such as peak oxygen consumption, metabolic equivalents and respiratory exchange ratio. RESULTS: The obese group had significantly lower ABTS radical scavenging and FRAP activities than the normal weight group. A higher catalase activity was observed in the obese group than the normal weight group. Spearman's correlation showed an inverse relationship between catalase and peak oxygen consumption, while partial correlation analysis showed inverse correlations between superoxide dismutase and respiratory frequency, ABTS activity and oxygen pulse, and between ABTS activity and cardiac output. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate a lower cardiovascular fitness and antioxidant capacity in obese women; the higher catalase activity may be a compensatory mechanism. The negative correlations found between these two parameters may indicate the potential effect of antioxidants on the cardiopulmonary system and deserve further analysis in a larger population. Nevertheless, this study provides the basis for future studies to further explore the relationships between redox status and cardiopulmonary responses. This can potentially be used to predict future risk of developing diseases associated with oxidative stress, especially pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases.

The correlation between clinical and ultrasound evaluation of anterior talofibular ligament and calcaneofibular ligament tears in athletes.

BACKGROUND: The objectives of this study were to find correlation between the clinical and ultrasound grading in anterior talofibular ligament and calcaneofibular ligament tear, and to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the two stability tests among the athletes. Subsequently, we would like to propose a new grading criterion for an ultrasound examination. METHODS: Two blinded assessors examined thirty-five patients with a history of recent lateral ankle sprain. The first assessor performed physical examination on the injured ankle by using the anterior drawer test and talar tilt test, and the second assessor performed dynamic and static ultrasound assessment for anterior talofibular ligament and calcaneofibular ligament. The clinical laxity grading and sonographic extent of ligamentous injury was graded into a three-point scale. RESULTS: There was a moderate positive correlation between clinical test and ultrasound grading of anterior talofibular ligament and calcaneofibular ligament with Spearman's correlation coefficient values of 0.58 and 0.66 respectively. Clinical grading of anterior drawer test had 59.1% sensitivity (95% CI: 0.36-0.79) while ultrasound grading had 100.0% specificity (95% CI: 0.75-1.00), with positive likelihood ratio of 0.77 and negative likelihood ratio of 0.44 in detecting a complete (grade 3) anterior talofibular ligament tear (P<0.05). Meanwhile, the clinical grading of talar tilt test had 54.5% sensitivity (95% CI: 0.23-0.83) and ultrasound grading had 100.0% specificity (95% CI: 0.85-1.00), with positive likelihood ratio of 1.0 and negative likelihood ratio of 0.45 in detecting a complete grade 3 calcaneofibular ligament tear (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The dynamic ultrasound is recommended to determine the actual degree of disruption of the ligament especially when clinical grading under-grades the degree of tear. Grade 2 tears can vary from 10% tear to 90% tear causing the clinical correlation to become less strong. We recommend a new classification for ultrasound grading of grade 2 tears, which could result in a stronger correlation between clinical and ultrasound grading.

Doping in sports among Malaysian universities athlete: survey of the knowledge, beliefs, and perception during Malaysian universities games in Kuala Lumpur 2014.

BACKGROUND: Doping in young athletes at present is on escalation. A few doping cases involving athletes from South East Asia (SEA) countries have been reported. The objective of this study is to determine current perceived doping and antidoping climate in Malaysia through an exploration of doping-related knowledge, perception and beliefs among the university athletes. METHODS: A survey was conducted during the Malaysian Universities Games in Kuala Lumpur 2014. A total of 614 athletes completed the questionnaires on perception, specific knowledge, environment, behavior and beliefs towards doping. RESULTS: From this survey, we found that their knowledge about doping and antidoping was poor, they have misguided beliefs and perception about doping, and their environment seems to be favorable for performance enhancing substances usage in the future. We grouped the athletes based on their doping's environment into ultraclean, potential and high-risk group; and the results showed that they have a significant relationship with their knowledge, beliefs and perception about doping in sports, P<0.001. About 1.5-1.8% of the studied athletes have positive behavior towards doping practice; doping use, χ2 =24.6(2) P<0.001 and doping willingness, χ2 =17.15(2) P<0.001. CONCLUSIONS: Doping behavior and doping risks in this region are still under-studied. Hence, we recommended that every South East Asia countries would identify the potential risks of doping among their young athletes, and collectively collaborating in managing doping issues involving this region. Special attention should be given to doping environment as it has negative influences on athletes behavior towards doping.

Validation of smartphone free heart rate monitoring application during treadmill exercise / Validação de aplicativo gratuito de smartphone para monitoramento da frequência cardíaca durante exercício em esteira / Validación de aplicación gratuita de smartphone para monitorización de la frecuencia cardíaca durante ejercicio en cinta

ABSTRACT Objective: The number of people participating in leisure sports activities and amateur competitions has been rising sharply. Free smartphone heart rate monitoring applications are readily available for use; however, information on their accuracy during exercise is still limited. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to validate a smartphone free heart rate monitoring application during treadmill exercise in healthy individuals. Methods: This was a prospective experimental study testing the free heart rate app 'INSTANT HEART RATE: AZUMIO.' Twenty-seven healthy participants were requested to perform the treadmill task with four different workloads: walking at 2.0 mph, walking at 3.5 mph, jogging at 4.5 mph and running at 6.0 mph. Participants had to perform the exercises for 3 minutes for each workload, and heart rates were recorded using the smartphone app and ECG at rest, during the exercise and recovery periods at each 60-second interval. Results: Heart rates measured using the free smartphone app at rest, walking at 2.0 mph, brisk walking at 3.5 mph, slow jogging at 4.5 mph and recovery stage were accurate with correlation coefficient value ≥0.95 and standard error of estimate <1 bpm. However, the correlation values during running at 6 mph were inconsistent with a standard error of estimate >5 bpm. Conclusion: The free smartphone app that we tested accurately estimates heart rate at rest, during low to moderate intensity exercise and the recovery period, but becomes less consistent during high-intensity exercise, making this app suitable for use during indoor activities of low to moderate intensity. Level of evidence II; Diagnostic Studies - Investigating a diagnostic test.

RESUMO Objetivo: O número de pessoas que participam em atividades esportivas de lazer e competições amadoras aumentou acentuadamente nos últimos anos. Os aplicativos gratuitos para monitoramento da frequência cardíaca para smartphone estão disponíveis para uso; no entanto, as informações sobre sua precisão durante o exercício ainda são limitadas. Assim, nosso objetivo foi validar o aplicativo para monitoramento da frequência cardíaca para smartphone durante exercícios em esteira em indivíduos saudáveis. Métodos: Estudo experimental prospectivo que testou um aplicativo gratuito para monitoramento da frequência cardíaca "INSTANT HEART RATE: AZUMIO". Vinte e sete participantes saudáveis foram solicitados a realizar a tarefa em esteira em quatro diferentes cargas de trabalho: caminhada a 3,0 km/h, caminhada rápida a 5,0 km/h, jogging a 7,0 km/h e corrida a 9,0km/h. Os participantes realizaram os exercícios por 3 minutos para cada carga de trabalho, e a frequência cardíaca foi registrada usando o aplicativo para smartphone e ECG em repouso, durante o período de exercício e recuperação a cada intervalo de 60 segundos. Resultados: A frequência cardíaca medida pelo aplicativo gratuito para smartphone em repouso, caminhada a 3,0 km/h, caminhada rápida a 5,0 km/h, jogging a 7,0 km/h e fase de recuperação foi precisa, com coeficiente de correlação ≥ 0,95 e erro padrão da estimativa < 1 bpm. No entanto, os valores de correlação durante a execução a 9,0 km/h foram incompatíveis e o erro padrão da estimativa foi > 5 bpm. Conclusão: O aplicativo gratuito para smartphone que testamos estima com precisão a frequência cardíaca em repouso, durante o exercício de baixa a moderada intensidade e o período de recuperação, mas torna-se menos preciso durante exercícios de alta intensidade, tornando este aplicativo adequado para uso em atividades internas de intensidade baixa a moderada. Nível de evidência II; Estudos Diagnóstico - Investigação de teste diagnóstico.

RESUMEN Objetivo: El número de personas que participan en actividades deportivas recreativas y competiciones de aficionados ha aumentado notablemente en los últimos años. Las aplicaciones gratuitas para monitorización de la frecuencia cardíaca para smartphones están disponibles para uso; sin embargo, la información sobre su precisión durante el ejercicio todavía es limitada. Por lo tanto, nuestro objetivo fue validar la aplicación gratuita para monitorización de la frecuencia cardíaca para smartphones durante ejercicios en cinta rodante en personas sanas. Métodos: Estudio experimental prospectivo que probó una aplicación gratuita para monitorización de la frecuencia cardíaca "INSTANT HEART RATE: AZUMIO". Se solicitó a 27 participantes sanos que realizaran la tarea en cinta rodante en cuatro cargas de trabajo diferentes: caminata a 3,0 km/h, caminata rápida a 5,0 km/h, "jogging" a 7,0 km/h y carrera a 9,0 km/h. Los participantes realizaron los ejercicios durante 3 minutos para cada carga de trabajo, y las frecuencias cardíacas se registraron utilizando la aplicación para smartphone y ECG en reposo, durante el período de ejercicio y recuperación a cada intervalo de 60 segundos. Resultados: La frecuencia cardíaca medida con la aplicación gratuita para smartphone en reposo, caminata a 3,0 km/h, caminata rápida a 5,0 km/h, "jogging" a 7,0 km/h y fase de recuperación fue precisa con coeficiente de correlación ≥0,95 y el error estándar de estimación < 1 bpm. Sin embargo, los valores de correlación durante la ejecución a 9,0 km/h fueron inconsistentes con error estándar de estimación >5 bpm. Conclusión: La aplicación gratuita para smartphones que probamos calcula con precisión la frecuencia cardíaca en reposo, durante el ejercicio de baja a moderada intensidad y el período de recuperación, pero se vuelve menos preciso durante ejercicios de alta intensidad, haciendo que esta aplicación sea adecuada para utilización en actividades internas de intensidad baja a moderada. Nivel de evidencia II. Estudios de diagnóstico - Investigación de una prueba de diagnóstico.

Comparative Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Intratendinous Prolotherapy Injection with Conventional Treatment to Treat Focal Supraspinatus Tendinosis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of dextrose prolotherapy injection for focal supraspinatus rotator cuff tendinosis via outcomes such as functional score, range of movement, and real-time ultrasound parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 12 adult patients with focal supraspinatus tendinosis recruited after they had less than 30% improvement in functional (DASH) scores after one month of physiotherapy following initial presentation. Seven patients had 0.5-1.0 ml of prolotherapy injection (12.5% dextrose, 0.5% lignocaine) injected into the area of focal tendinosis under ultrasound guidance. Meanwhile, five patients continued standard physiotherapy with no intervention performed. Regional area of echogenicity in decibels, DASH, range of movements of the shoulder, pain, and sleep scores were measured at baseline and at 12 weeks. RESULTS: The prolotherapy group showed significant improvement in shoulder abduction (p=0.030) and an improvement in sleep score (p=0.027). The echogenicity of area of tendinosis significantly increases at the end of treatment (p=0.009). However, there was a nonsignificant reduction in pain score in the injection group (43.5%) and in the control group (25%) at 12 weeks (p > 0.005). CONCLUSION: Ultrasound-guided intratendinous prolotherapy injection significantly improves patient's range of abduction and improves sleep within 12 weeks of treatment compared to conventional physiotherapy management. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered under Current Controlled Trials (UK) and given International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) of 43520960.

PERONEUS LONGUS ACTIVITY IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF TAPING: ATHLETES WITH ANKLE INSTABILITY / ATIVIDADE DO MÚSCULO FIBULAR LONGO COM DIFERENTES TIPOS DE BANDAGEM FUNCIONAL EM ATLETAS COM INSTABILIDADE NO TORNOZELO / ACTIVIDAD DEL MÚSCULO FIBULAR LARGO CON DIFERENTES TIPOS DE VENDAJE FUNCIONAL EN ATLETAS CON INESTABILIDAD EN EL TOBILLO

ABSTRACT Introduction: Participation in sport among university athletes in Malaysia has progressed right up to Olympic level. However, some of these athletes are prevented from competing due to injuries. Ankle injuries, in particular, are among the common types of injury. Even so, there is still lack of local data and research describing the incidence of ankle injuries. Objectives: To determine peroneus longus muscle activity in different taped ankles and positions among subjects with functional ankle instability (FAI). Methods: Twenty-three subjects with ankle instability (AJFAT score > 26) volunteered to take part in the study. The subjects were tested under three conditions; 1) no tape (NT), 2) Kinesio(r) tape (KT), and 3) rigid tape (RT). The subjects completed two postural stability tests, followed by a sudden inversion perturbation test with EMG, recording throughout the procedures. The EMG data were analyzed, filtered, full-wave rectified and normalized. The data were analyzed by analysis of variance (Independent T-test and ANOVA) to evaluate differences in peak muscle activation (mV) and peroneal latency (ms). Results: Peak muscle activation of the peroneus was activated more in the RT group during both the Static and Dynamic Stability Tests. Apart from that, there were no statistically significant differences. During sudden inversion perturbation, the RT group was the one that was most activated (p=0.001). Peroneal latency was even delayed in KT and RT during the three tests, and shorter in the NT group. There were significant differences during the Dynamic Stability Test, between the NT and KT groups (p=0.001) and between the NT, RT and KT groups (p=0.001). Conclusion: RT tape may enhance the peroneus longus response by maintaining a higher level of muscle activation, especially during dynamic movements and sudden inversion of the ankle, and may selectively benefit individuals with FAI. The KT ankle did not show superior effect to the NT ankle, and demonstrated minimal benefit when used in FAI. Also, its use may be more likely to cause reinjury to the ankle.

RESUMO Introdução: A participação nos esportes entre atletas universitários na Malásia progrediu até o nível olímpico. Contudo, alguns desses atletas são impedidos de competir em decorrência de lesões. As lesões no tornozelo estão entre os tipos mais comuns. Além disso, há falta de dados locais e pesquisas que descrevam a incidência dessas lesões. Objetivos: Determinar a atividade do músculo fibular longo com diferentes bandagens funcionais e posições do tornozelo entre indivíduos com instabilidade funcional do tornozelo (IFT). Métodos: Vinte e três indivíduos com instabilidade no tornozelo (escore AJFAT > 26) foram voluntários no estudo. Os indivíduos foram testados em três situações: 1) sem bandagem (SB), 2) bandagem Kinesio(r) (BK), e 3) bandagem rígida (BR). Os indivíduos concluíram dois testes de estabilidade postural, seguidos por um teste de perturbação por inversão repentina com EMG, que registrou os procedimentos do começo ao fim. Os dados EMG foram analisados, filtrados, retificados por onda completa e normalizados. Os dados foram analisados por análise de variância (teste T independente e ANOVA) para avaliar as diferenças de ativação muscular máxima (mV) e latência fibular (ms). Resultados: A ativação muscular máxima da fíbula ocorreu mais no grupo BR durante os testes de estabilidade estática e dinâmica. Além disso, não houve diferenças estatisticamente significantes. Durante a perturbação por inversão, o grupo BR foi o que teve maior ativação (p = 0,001). A latência fibular foi mais tardia nos grupos BK e BR durante os três testes e foi menor no grupo SB. Não houve diferenças significantes durante o teste de estabilidade dinâmica entre os grupos SB e BK (p = 0,001) e entre os grupos SB, BR e BK (p = 0,001). Conclusão: A BR pode ampliar a resposta do músculo fibular longo, porque mantém um nível maior de ativação muscular, especialmente durante os movimentos dinâmicos e a inversão súbita do tornozelo, podendo beneficiar seletivamente os indivíduos com IFT. A BK não apresentou efeito superior com relação à SB, e demonstrou benefício mínimo quando usada para IFT. Ainda, é provável que seu uso cause nova lesão no tornozelo.

RESUMEN: Introducción: La participación en los deportes entre atletas universitarios en Malasia progresó hasta el nivel olímpico. Sin embargo, algunos de esos atletas son impedidos de competir a raíz de lesiones. Las lesiones en el tobillo están entre los tipos más comunes. Además, hay falta de datos locales e investigaciones que describan la incidencia de esas lesiones. Objetivos: Determinar la actividad del músculo fibular largo con diferentes vendajes funcionales y posiciones del tobillo entre individuos con inestabilidad funcional del tobillo (IFT). Métodos: Veintitrés individuos con inestabilidad en el tobillo (score AJFAT > 26) fueron voluntarios en el estudio. Fueron realizados tests con los individuos en tres situaciones: 1) sin vendaje (SV), 2) vendaje Kinesio(r) (VK), y 3) vendaje rígido (VR). Los individuos concluyeron dos tests de estabilidad postural, seguidos por un test de perturbación por inversión repentina con EMG, que registró los procedimientos desde el inicio al fin. Los datos EMG fueron analizados, filtrados, rectificados por onda completa y normalizados. Los datos fueron analizados por análisis de variancia (test T independiente y ANOVA) para evaluar las diferencias de activación muscular máxima (mV) y latencia fibular (ms). Resultados: La activación muscular máxima de la fíbula ocurrió más en el grupo VR durante los tests de estabilidad estática y dinámica. Además, no hubo diferencias estadísticamente significativas. Durante la perturbación por inversión, el grupo VR fue el que tuvo mayor activación (p = 0,001). La latencia fibular fue más tardía en los grupos VK y VR durante los tres tests y fue menor en el grupo SV. No hubo diferencias significativas durante el test de estabilidad dinámica entre los grupos SV y VK (p = 0,001) y entre los grupos SV, VR y VK (p = 0,001). Conclusión: La VR puede ampliar la respuesta del músculo fibular largo, porque mantiene un nivel mayor de activación muscular, especialmente durante los movimientos dinámicos y la inversión súbita del tobillo, pudiendo beneficiar selectivamente a los individuos con IFT. La VK no presentó efecto superior con relación a la SV, y demostró beneficio mínimo cuando usada para IFT. Además, es probable que su uso cause nueva lesión en el tobillo.

Incidence and characteristics of injuries during the 2010 FELDA/FAM National Futsal League in Malaysia.

OBJECTIVE: In Malaysia, futsal is a popular sport played by individuals across all ages and genders. Despite its popularity, information on futsal related injury in Malaysia is not available. The purpose of this study is to examine the injury incidence and injury patterns among amateur men and women futsal players in Malaysia. METHODS: Players reported injury to the tournament medical team during the FELDA/FAM National Futsal League 2010 were interviewed and assessed by a Sports Medicine registrar. Player's socio-demographic profiles and information about the injury were documented in the injury report form adapted from medical report form used by FIFA: Medical Assessment and Research Centre (F-Marc). RESULTS: A total of 86 injuries were reported from 141 matches, equivalent to an incidence of 91.5 injuries per 1000 player hours (95% CI 72.2 to 110.8), or 61.0 injuries per 1000 player matches (95% CI 48.1 to 73.9). Most were minor injuries resulted from contact with another player. Injuries often involved the lower extremity (44%) followed by the trunk (14%) and the upper limb (13%). Ankle (n = 7; 39%) and knee (n = 6; 33%) sprains were the most prevalent diagnoses of time-loss injuries. A significant association between time-loss and type of injury was found χ2 (1,N = 86) = 3.99, p = 0.04. In addition, time-loss injury was significantly associated with playing surface χ2 (1,N = 86) = 10.11, p = 0.018. CONCLUSION: The injury rate during the FELDA/FAM National Amateur Futsal Men's League in Malaysia was lower compared with previous Futsal World Cups competition. Most injuries resulted from contact with another player were minor and did not lead to time-loss from participation. Time-loss injury was significantly associated with type of injury and playing surface.

The correlates of body composition with heart rate recovery after step test: an exploratory study of Malaysian adolescents.

BACKGROUND: In adults, heart rate recovery is a predictor of mortality, while in adolescents it is associated with cardio-metabolic risk factors. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between body composition measures and heart rate recovery (HRR) after step test in Malaysian secondary school students. METHODS: In the Malaysian Health and Adolescents Longitudinal Research Team (MyHEART) study, 1071 healthy secondary school students, aged 13 years old, participated in the step test. Parameters for body composition measures were body mass index z-score, body fat percentage, waist circumference, and waist height ratio. The step test was conducted by using a modified Harvard step test. Heart rate recovery of 1 minute (HRR1min) and heart rate recovery of 2 minutes (HRR2min) were calculated by the difference between the peak pulse rate during exercise and the resting pulse rate at 1 and 2 minutes, respectively. Analysis was done separately based on gender. Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine the association between the HRR parameters with body composition measures, while multiple regression analysis was used to determine which body composition measures was the strongest predictor for HRR. RESULTS: For both gender groups, all body composition measures were inversely correlated with HRR1min. In girls, all body composition measures were inversely correlated with HRR2min, while in boys all body composition measures, except BMI z-score, were associated with HRR2min. In multiple regression, only waist circumference was inversely associated with HRR2min (p=0.024) in boys, while in girls it was body fat percentage for HRR2min (p=0.008). CONCLUSION: There was an inverse association between body composition measurements and HRR among apparently healthy adolescents. Therefore, it is important to identify cardio-metabolic risk factors in adolescent as an early prevention of consequent adulthood morbidity. This reiterates the importance of healthy living which should start from young.