Intellectual disability, exercise and aging: the IDEA study: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: People with intellectual disabilities (ID) have low levels of physical activity (PA) together with accelerated aging profiles. Adherence to PA interventions for persons with ID is low based on barriers such as motivation. The IDEA study aims to determine the effect of two types of exercise programs, continuous aerobic (CAEP) vs sprint interval training (SIT), designed for seniors with ID on health-related physical fitness, cardiovascular parameters, quality of life (QoL), and emotional and cognitive function. METHODS: In this trial, ninety seniors with ID between the ages of 40 and 75 yrs. from occupational health centers from the Autonomous Region of Catalonia (Spain) will be recruited. Participants will be randomly allocated to the CAEP, SIT, and control group. Both intervention groups will train 3 days/week, 1.5 h/day over 6 months. Outcome variables will be assessed at baseline, 6 months and 12 months. The outcome variables include weight, height, body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, balance, flexibility, cardiovascular parameters (blood pressure, pulse-wave velocity, pulse-wave analysis), QoL and cognitive function. The intervention effect will be determined with mixed models with repeated measures to assess changes in the outcome variables over time (baseline to month 12) and between study arms. Relationship between variables will be analyzed with appropriate regression analyses. DISCUSSION: Various studies reported on CAEP and SIT as exercise interventions for persons with ID with beneficial outcomes on body composition, fitness and blood pressure. To our knowledge, this is the first trial designed to analyse the positive changes on fitness, PA levels, cardiovascular, QoL and cognitive function promoted by CAEP training and SIT in seniors with ID. The findings of this study will assist in the development of more effective exercise interventions to ensure better compliance and adherence to exercise in seniors with ID. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial is registered at the ISRCTN registry. Registration number: ISRCTN43594228 . Registered 11 February 2019 - Retrospectively registered.

Observational study with the objective of determining possible correlations between GRF and muscle activation at reception after a jump in an ACL injury

INTRODUCTION: The ACL injury is considered one of the most serious injuries and usually occurs in actions that include movements with changes of direction, jump and landing. It is a common injury between the young active population and the risk in women of suffering from non-contact injury is superior to that of men. Athletes who suffer from non-contact injuries of the ACL usually have common biomechanical profiles, with landings with large values in ground reaction force (GRF) and therefore, low cushioning on landing. OBJECTIVE: To determine possible correlations between GRF and muscular activation at lading after a jump. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The type of study carried out is an observational study in which, using surface electromyography (EMG), a force platform and an electrogoniometer, the aim is to assess muscle activation and its relationship with GRF (specifically the vertical component Fz). RESULTS: Correlations have been observed between the reaction force of the soil (Fz) in the moments where the reaction force of the soil is greater and the instant where the knee reaches maximum flexion after landing, with the activation of certain muscle groups and differences depending on the gender of the subject. DISCUSSION: The neuromuscular recruitment strategies in the phases of maximum GRF load and knee flexion are different depending on the sex of the individual, so it should be considered when scheduling prevention and recovery work. CONCLUSION: The evaluation of GRF and muscle activation patterns, allows to assess the dynamics of landing after a jump and to be able to detect different patterns according to sex, with the consequent importance that it can have in the injury mechanism

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Análisis electromiográfico de los músculos del tobillo en adultos jóvenes con síndrome de Down antes y después de la implementación de un programa de actividad física basado en la danza / Electromyographic analysis of ankle muscles in young adults with Down syndrome before and after the implementation of a physical activity programme based on dance

Introducción: Las personas con síndrome de Down tienen dificultades de control postural, y muestran diferencias en cuanto a desplazamiento de su centro de presión y a su actividad muscular, en comparación con la población general. La investigación previa ha reflejado que el centro de la presión de desplazamiento es menos dependiente de las condiciones visuales en las personas con síndrome de Down, aunque se ha observado una mejora del equilibrio tras la realización de actividades físicas basadas en la danza. El objetivo del proyecto fue valorar el efecto de un programa de actividad física basado en la danza sobre la actividad muscular en adultos jóvenes con síndrome de Down. Material y métodos: Once participantes con síndrome de Down y 11 participantes sin síndrome de Down, como grupo control, siguieron un programa de danza de 18 semanas de duración. Se utilizó electromiografía de superficie para valorar la actividad del músculo del tobillo antes y después de la finalización del programa, con los ojos abiertos y cerrados. Resultados: Observamos un nivel superior de activación muscular en el grupo de síndrome de Down, que reflejó unas diferencias menores entre las diferentes condiciones visuales que el grupo control. No se observaron diferencias significativas previas y posteriores al entrenamiento en el grupo síndrome de Down. Sin embargo se observaron menores diferencias entre ambos grupos tras el entrenamiento, en relación a la situación previa al mismo. Conclusiones: Aunque no se observaron diferencias significativas en el grupo síndrome de Down tras el entrenamiento, sí se observó un descenso de las diferencias entre los grupos. Estas podrían guardar relación con ciertas adaptaciones posturales. En el futuro, sería interesante incrementar la muestra, y analizar también la posición del centro de presión en relación a los pies

Introduction: People with Down syndrome have difficulties in postural control and exhibit differences in the displacement of their centre of pressure and in muscle activity compared with the general population. Previous research has shown that centre of pressure displacement is less depending on visual conditions in people with Down syndrome, although improved balance has been observed following specific physical activities based on dance. The aim of the project was to assess the effect of a dance-based physical activity programme on muscle activity in young adults with Down syndrome. Material and methods: Eleven participants with Down syndrome and eleven participants without Down syndrome as the control group followed an 18-week dance programme. Surface electromyography was used to assess ankle muscle activity before and after completion of the programme in open and closed eyes conditions. Results: We observed a higher level of muscle activation in Down syndrome group. They showed minor differences between different visual conditions than control group. No significant differences were seen in pre- and post-training in Down syndrome group. Nevertheless, less differences were observed between both groups after training than before. Conclusions: Although no significant differences were observed in Down syndrome group after training, differences between groups were decreased. These could be related to some postural adaptations. In the future, it will be interesting to increase the sample and also analyze the position of centre of pressure in relation to feet

Comparison of Static Balance on a Platform in Young Adults With Down Syndrome Before and After a Dance Program.

The purpose of the study was to compare postural control in static standing in young adults with and without Down syndrome (DS), with eyes closed and eyes open, before and after an 18-wk dance-based training program. The study included 11 young people with DS age 20.5 (1.3) yr and 11 without DS age 20.2 (2.0) yr. All parameters were recorded before and after the training program. Parameters related to center of pressure (COP; closed and open eyes) were recorded from a platform with the participant in bipedal standing position during 30 s. The results suggest that young people with DS have worse COP control in both visual conditions (closed and open eyes) and are affected by visual information in a different way than their peers without DS. In the group of young adults with DS, the dance-based training program improved some parameters related to the use of visual input in controlling COP.

Reliability and Validity of the Footprint Assessment Method Using Photoshop CS5 Software in Young People with Down Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: People with Down syndrome present skeletal abnormalities in their feet that can be analyzed by commonly used gold standard indices (the Hernández-Corvo index, the Chippaux-Smirak index, the Staheli arch index, and the Clarke angle) based on footprint measurements. The use of Photoshop CS5 software (Adobe Systems Software Ireland Ltd, Dublin, Ireland) to measure footprints has been validated in the general population. The present study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of this footprint assessment technique in the population with Down syndrome. METHODS: Using optical podography and photography, 44 footprints from 22 patients with Down syndrome (11 men [mean ± SD age, 23.82 ± 3.12 years] and 11 women [mean ± SD age, 24.82 ± 6.81 years]) were recorded in a static bipedal standing position. A blinded observer performed the measurements using a validated manual method three times during the 4-month study, with 2 months between measurements. Test-retest was used to check the reliability of the Photoshop CS5 software measurements. Validity and reliability were obtained by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: The reliability test for all of the indices showed very good values for the Photoshop CS5 method (ICC, 0.982-0.995). Validity testing also found no differences between the techniques (ICC, 0.988-0.999). CONCLUSIONS: The Photoshop CS5 software method is reliable and valid for the study of footprints in young people with Down syndrome.

Reliability and Validity of the Footprint Assessment Method Using Photoshop CS5 Software.

BACKGROUND: Several sophisticated methods of footprint analysis currently exist. However, it is sometimes useful to apply standard measurement methods of recognized evidence with an easy and quick application. We sought to assess the reliability and validity of a new method of footprint assessment in a healthy population using Photoshop CS5 software (Adobe Systems Inc, San Jose, California). METHODS: Forty-two footprints, corresponding to 21 healthy individuals (11 men with a mean ± SD age of 20.45 ± 2.16 years and 10 women with a mean ± SD age of 20.00 ± 1.70 years) were analyzed. Footprints were recorded in static bipedal standing position using optical podography and digital photography. Three trials for each participant were performed. The Hernández-Corvo, Chippaux-Smirak, and Staheli indices and the Clarke angle were calculated by manual method and by computerized method using Photoshop CS5 software. Test-retest was used to determine reliability. Validity was obtained by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: The reliability test for all of the indices showed high values (ICC, 0.98-0.99). Moreover, the validity test clearly showed no difference between techniques (ICC, 0.99-1). CONCLUSIONS: The reliability and validity of a method to measure, assess, and record the podometric indices using Photoshop CS5 software has been demonstrated. This provides a quick and accurate tool useful for the digital recording of morphostatic foot study parameters and their control.