Allometric Grip Strength Norms for Children of Hawaiian Lineage.

The purpose of the study was to determine allometric exponents for scaling grip strength in children that effectively control for body mass (BM) and stature (Ht) and to develop normative grip strength data for Hawaiian children. One thousand, four hundred thirty-seven students (754 boys) from a rural community in Hawaii participated in this 5-year study, resulting in 2,567 data points. Handgrip strength, BM, and Ht were collected every year. Multiple log-linear regression was used to determine allometric exponents for BM and Ht. Appropriateness of the allometric model was assessed through regression diagnostics, including normality of residuals and homoscedasticity. Allometrically scaled, ratio-scaled, and unscaled grip strength were then correlated with BM and Ht to examine the effectiveness of the procedure in controlling for body size. Allometric exponents for BM and Ht were calculated separately for each age group of boys and girls to satisfy the common exponent and group difference principles described by Vanderburgh. Unscaled grip strength had moderate to strong positive correlations with BM and Ht (p ≤ 0.05 for all) for all age groups. Ratio-scaled handgrip strength had significant moderate to strong negative correlations with BM (p ≤ 0.05 for all) and, to a lesser extent, Ht (p ≤ 0.05 for 8- to 12-year-old boys; p ≤ 0.05 for 8- to 12- and 14-year-old girls). Correlations between allometrically scaled handgrip strength and BM and Ht were not significant and approached zero. This study was the first to allometrically scale handgrip strength for BM and Ht in Hawaiian children. Allometric scaling applied to grip strength provides a useful expression of grip strength free of the confounding influence of body size.

Ergonomic Considerations for Practicing Massage Therapists.

The physical demands and repetitive movements performed by massage therapists during a treatment increase the risk for work-related musculoskeletal disorders. While massage therapy meets the level of heavy physical demand, the ergonomic risk of performing a massage was previously unknown. The Massage Therapy Foundation undertook a job task analysis to be used by educators, employers, and clinicians to create an optimal work environment. Data collected via survey were used to create the protocol for an onsite data collection where massage therapists were evaluated on the ergonomic risk factors by trained ergonomists. The results of the job task analysis found the highest variability in movement when the massage therapist was treating the neck prone, neck supine, and leg prone. When the massage therapists did not change positions during a stroke, there was increased forward flexion of the trunk which increased postural stress on the extensors of the back and neck. Strokes such as effleurage which can span the entire length of the body part had the highest cumulative load, requiring postures that put mild biomechanical stress on the shoulders (90% of the time), neck (70% of the time), and trunk (60% of the time). The forward-bending posture of the massage therapist increases the eccentric demands of the therapist's neck and back musculature, thereby increasing fatigue and leading to an increase in the chance of overuse injury. The job task analysis recommends the massage therapist monitor the duration of application in an unsupported position, take more time between sessions, work in an optimum environment, including correct table height, and have a healthy, active lifestyle to maintain career longevity.

An Analysis of Confidence Levels in Athletic Training Students During the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic created a challenge to athletic training students, with many classes converted to online education, and many clinical experiences interrupted. These changes may have negatively affected the confidence level of athletic training students in their athletic training skills. Purpose: To determine if athletic training students' educational experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted their confidence levels in completing athletic training skills. Procedures: A cross-sectional design using an online survey of 56 athletic training students from 33 CAATE accredited athletic training programs was used. The survey consisted of questions about the percentage of online learning, didactically and clinically, during the pandemic and confidence levels for skills within the five athletic training domains. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and factorial ANOVAs were used to analyze the level of confidence by semester of clinical experience. Main Findings: Factorial ANOVA demonstrated lower perceived confidence levels for students who had more online clinical experience for the following domains: injury and illness prevention and wellness promotion, therapeutic intervention, and healthcare administration and professional responsibility. Confidence was also lower in correctly performing the clinical skills for evaluating spine and torso, developing and implementing a rehabilitation program for the lower extremity, and developing and implementing a rehabilitation program for the back. Principal. Conclusion: Athletic training students who had large portion of their clinical and classroom experience online had perceived lower levels of confidence in performing clinical and administrative skills. Online learning may influence athletic training students' confidence level in performing athletic training skills.

The effect of Kinesio-tape® on pain and vertical jump performance in active individuals with patellar tendinopathy.

BACKGROUND: Patellar tendinopathy is a common inflammatory condition in athletes who undergo large volumes of running and jumping. Kinesio-tape® (KT) is proposed to provide pain relief; however, its effect has not been examined on patellar tendinopathy. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of KT on pain modulation for active individuals with patellar tendinopathy during functional activities. METHODS: Thirteen symptomatic knees from seven college-aged females (6 bilateral; 1 unilateral) were included. Participants underwent three data collection sessions with KT, sham, and no tape (NT) in a randomized order. During the session, participants performed a maximum vertical jump, single-leg squats and isometric knee extension. The KT intervention was applied according to the KT manual and the sham utilized the same pattern without tension. Pain level was evaluated using the numeric pain scale before, during and after each activity. Function was assessed as maximum vertical jump height and maximum isometric strength. A separate repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare each dependent variable (pain level, vertical jump height, and isometric strength) among the conditions. RESULTS: Reported pain scores were significantly lower (p = 0.05) during the maximal vertical jump test for KT (3.38 ± 1.26) compared to NT (4.54 ± 2.22). Significantly lower jump heights were found under KT (17.73 ± 3.06in) during the maximum vertical jump test compared to sham (18.65 ± 2.17in, p = 0.000) and NT (18.18 ± 2.93in, p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: The use of the KT tape with a tendon corrective strip and muscle facilitative strip was effective for decreasing pain associated with patellar tendinopathy during jump landing but led to decreased maximum jump height. CLINICAL TRIAL IDENTIFIER: NCT04153877.

Comparing the Effects of Rest and Massage on Return to Homeostasis Following Submaximal Aerobic Exercise: a Case Study.

INTRODUCTION: Postexercise massage can be used to help promote recovery from exercise on the cellular level, as well as systemically by increasing parasympathetic activity. No studies to date have been done to assess the effects of massage on postexercise metabolic changes, including excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of massage recovery and resting recovery on a subject's heart rate variability and selected metabolic effects following a submaximal treadmill exercise session. METHODS: One healthy 24-year-old female subject performed 30 minutes of submaximal treadmill exercise prior to resting or massage recovery sessions. Metabolic data were collected throughout the exercise sessions and at three 10 minute intervals postexercise. Heart rate variability was evaluated for 10 minutes after each of two 30-minute recovery sessions, either resting or massage. RESULTS: Heart rate returned to below resting levels (73 bpm) with 30 and 60 minutes of massage recovery (72 bpm and 63 bpm, respectively) compared to 30 and 60 minutes of resting recovery (77 bpm and 74 bpm, respectively). Heart rate variability data showed a more immediate shift to the parasympathetic state following 30 minutes of massage (1.152 LF/HF ratio) versus the 30-minute resting recovery (6.91 LF/HF ratio). It took 60 minutes of resting recovery to reach similar heart rate variability levels (1.216 LF/HF) found after 30 minutes of massage. Ventilations after 30 minutes of massage recovery averaged 7.1 bpm compared to 17.9 bpm after 30 minutes of resting recovery. CONCLUSIONS: No differences in EPOC were observed through either the resting or massage recovery based on the metabolic data collected. Massage was used to help the subject shift into parasympathetic activity more quickly than rest alone following a submaximal exercise session.