Effects of myofascial release of the ankle plantar flexors on static postural balance of young men: A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Myofascial release (MR) has been widely used in sports and clinical environment. There are studies that have already evaluated the effect of MR on postural control, however, the data found are inconclusive. OBJECTIVES: Investigate the effect of MR on ankle plantar flexor muscles over static postural balance. METHOD: Sixty-five young men were randomized allocated into one of three groups: 1) MR group (n = 25, Myofascial Release); 2) Sham (n = 25, fake intervention); or 3) Control group (n = 15). Both MR and Sham techniques were applied during 5 min in the ankle flexors of each leg. The bipodal static postural balance test was performed before and 2 min post each intervention on a force plate with eyes closed during the test. All subjects performed 3 sets of 30-s with 1 min of rest. Mean values to the center of pressure velocity (COPvel) was used for analysis. RESULTS: The bipodal balance test showed that there was no significant difference between groups (p > 0.05), but there was a significant time effect (p < 0.05). A significant decrease (p < 0.05) in post-test COPvel (cm.s-1) values (sham 4.9 ± 1.2; MR 4.5 ± 0.6; CON 4.22 ± 0.8) was found when compared to values of pre-test (sham 5.3 ± 1.0; MR 5.0 ± 0.8; CON 4.94 ± 1.3) for all groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated that MR performed on ankle flexors did not affect static postural balance in young man. This study is a clinical trial (Register Number: RBR-48k5jm).

Effects of different resistance training frequencies on the muscle strength and functional performance of active women older than 60 years.

Training frequency is an important resistance training variable, but its relative contribution to strength and functional performance (FP) gains in senior populations is not yet well defined. The present study investigated the effect of different resistance training frequencies on the strength and FP in active women aged 60 years and older. A total of 48 women (60-78 years) underwent a 16-week training program for 1 set of 10 repetition maximums (10RMs) of each exercise, being assigned in groups that performed training frequencies of 1, 2, or 3 days per week (EG1, EG2, and EG3) and a control group. Strength and FP tests were applied before and after the training protocol. All EGs, but not the control group, exhibited 10RM increases (bench press, seated dumbbell curl, knee extension, standing calf raise, p < 0.01). The 10RM increase for seated dumbbell curl and knee extension was always greater in the higher frequencies (p < 0.05). Timed up and go test improved equally in all EGs (p < 0.01). Chair sit-and-stand improvements in EG3 (-15.7%) and EG2 (-9.8%) were greater than in EG1 (-4.6%) (p < 0.01). Gait-speed improvement in EG3 (-11.6%) was greater than in EG2 (-5.1%) and EG1 (-3.9%) (p < 0.01). In conclusion, a higher weekly training frequency increased FP and strength to a greater extent than lower frequencies in active senior women.