Exploring the role of traditional martial arts in enhanching physical fitness and health management

In social development, due to the prevalence of a physically active lifestyle among youths, the importance of physical activities (PA), categorized as martial arts (MA) has increased. The purpose of the study is to gain knowledge about the relationships between chosen and used MA kinds and the composition of teenagers' weekly PA, taking into account gender variations. The research included 1,000 male and 1,200 female athletes. This may emphasize the connection between martial arts and physical fitness. Actively practicing martial arts, such as Karate or taekwondo, greatly enhances a variety of physical fitness facets, such as cardiovascular endurance, strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination. It helps improve general physical health by reducing body fat, building muscle, etc. A comprehensive approach to fitness is provided by martial arts training, which combines aerobic workouts, strength training, and stretching routines. Martial arts improve mental health, discipline, self-confidence, and physical benefits. As a result, martial arts help to promote general health and well-being by offering a practical way to develop and maintain physical fitness. The current study supports the existence of strong correlations between MA preference and performance and active PA in boys. Like other kinds of PA, teenagers who participate in MA throughout the year can fulfill the weekly PA recommendation. It is necessary to do further study on the correlations between participation in MA and the likelihood of adhering to the PA recommendations compared to other forms of PA (AU)

Therapeutic effect of an external fixator in the treatment of unstable pelvic fractures in children.

BACKGROUND: Unstable pelvic fractures in children are serious and complex injuries, and the optimal method to manage these injuries is controversial. HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that an external fixator would be a satisfactory method of treating unstable pelvic fractures in children. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 40 pediatric patients with unstable pelvic fractures who were treated with an external fixator in Beijing Children's Hospital from June 2006 to June 2016. Postoperative follow-up was 12 to 108 months, with an average of 26 months. One year after the operation, fracture healing, pelvic asymmetry, and deformity index were assessed by X-ray. Pelvic function was evaluated with the Cole evaluation standard, and daily cognitive and motor functions were evaluated by weeFIM. Patient complications were recorded. RESULTS: The average age of the 40 patients was 5.9±3.1 years (2 to 14.5), including 25 boys and 15 girls. Among these cases, 37 (92.5%) had injuries caused by traffic accidents and 3 (7.5%) had injuries caused by falling from height. Based on the Tile classification, there were 18 cases of class B (14 class B2 and 4 class B3) and 22 cases of class C (15 class C1, 6 class C2, and 1 class C3). The X-rays showed good fracture healing at the 1-year postoperative follow-up. The pelvic asymmetry was reduced from 1.13cm before the operation to 0.88cm after (p<0.05), and the deformity index was decreased from 0.09 before to 0.05 after the operation (p<0.05). At the 1-year postoperative follow-up, 36 patients had excellent Cole scores, and 4 had good Cole scores, with a good or excellent rate of 100%. According to the weeFIM, 28 patients had complete independence, 11 had basic independence, and 1 had conditional independence. Three patients (7.5%) had complications, all of which were postoperative pin-site infections. DISCUSSION: For children with horizontally unstable pelvic fractures, an external fixator can be used alone. For children with horizontally and vertically unstable pelvic fractures, after external fixator placement and reduction, lower extremity traction can be performed to achieve better reduction and maintain stability, and the therapeutic effect is satisfactory. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV, retrospective observational cohort study.