Effects of acute creatine supplementation on cardiac and vascular responses in older men; a randomized controlled trial.

Background And Aims: In the recent years creatine has been shown promising results in patients with neurodegenerative diseases, myopathies and dystrophies. Cardiovascular diseases could be another pathology that can benefit from creatine supplementation, considering the influence on the risk factors associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases including reduction in chronic inflammation, and improved control of hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of short-term creatine supplementation on cardiac and vascular health in older adults.

Methods: Males between the ages of 55-80 were randomly assigned to three groups: creatine, placebo and control.

Novice Inter-Rater Reliability on the Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA) After a 4-Hour Training Session.

Background: The Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA) is a whole-body movement classification system that identifies non-optimal movement performance requiring further assessment. There needs to be more evidence specifying the training time required to obtain SFMA reliability for entry-level health care practitioners.

Purpose: The primary intent of this study was to determine SFMA inter-rater reliability between two third-year physical therapy students following an in-person three-hour training and one-hour follow-up training with a certified SFMA physical therapist.

Diagnostic momentum in physical therapy clinical reasoning.

Rationale And Objectives: Diagnostic momentum refers to ruling in a particular diagnosis without adequate evidence. As the field of physical therapy continues to transition more towards autonomous practitioners with direct access, there is a need to identify the effect of a physician diagnosis on a therapist's examination and treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify if diagnostic momentum exists in physical therapy and whether this phenomenon could affect the ability of the therapist to identify clinical red flags.

The Effects of Proprioceptive Training on Balance, Strength, Agility and Dribbling in Adolescent Male Soccer Players.

The aim of the study was to determine the effects of proprioceptive training (PT) on balance, strength, agility and dribbling in adolescent soccer players. In this research, we included an experimental ( = 48) and a control ( = 48) group (CG) with 14 years old players. The experimental group (EG) participated in an 8 week PT program, with four 30 min sessions per week.

Effects of global postural alignment on posture-stabilizing synergy and intermuscular coherence in bipedal standing.

Clinicians frequently assess and intervene on postural alignment; however, notions of what constitutes good postural alignment are variable. Furthermore, the majority of current evidence appeals either to population norms or defines good postural alignment as the negation of what has been observed to correlate with pathology. The purpose of this study was to identify affirmative indicators of good postural alignment in reference to motor control theory.

The Effect of Whole-Body Fatigue on King-Devick Test and Balance.

: Fatigue may mimic suboptimal brain functioning seen after a concussion and lead to false-positive King-Devick (K-D) scores and decreased balance. The purpose of this study was to investigate if whole-body fatigue has an effect on K-D scores or postural sway. : A total of 38 healthy participants (20 females; age = 23.

The role of pre-season health characteristics as injury risk factors in female adolescent soccer players.

[Purpose] Determine if female adolescent soccer players with a history of concussion, impaired K-D scores, and pre-season subjective complaints of neck pain, dizziness, and headache were predisposed to additional risk of musculoskeletal or concussive injury during 10-weeks of competitive play. [Participants and Methods] Twenty-three female high school soccer athletes provided concussion history and reported pre-season subjective complaints. K-D testing was performed pre and postseason.

SCORING PERFORMANCE VARIATIONS BETWEEN THE Y-BALANCE TEST, A MODIFIED Y-BALANCE TEST, AND THE MODIFIED STAR EXCURSION BALANCE TEST.

Background: The Modified Star Excursion Balance Test (MSEBT) and the Y-Balance Test- Lower Quarter (YBT-LQ) are utilized to assess dynamic postural stability. These assessments cannot be used interchangeably secondary to kinematic variations and performance differences. A Modified Y-Balance Test-Lower Quarter (MYBT-LQ) was developed to determine if a modification allows performance scores to be directly compared to the MSEBT.

Therapeutic effects of forced exercise cycling in individuals with Parkinson's disease.

Currently there is no cure for the progressive movement disorders associated with Parkinson's Disease (PD). Pharmacological management of movement disorders in PD are associated with significant negative side effects. Exercise improves the efficacy of anti-parkinsonian medication, but does not ameliorate the side effects.

Fascial manipulation vs. standard physical therapy practice for low back pain diagnoses: A pragmatic study.

Background: Connective tissue mobility alters motor unit recruitment, but the restoration of fascial mobility allows for optimal motor function. The Fascial Manipulation (FM) method is a multiplanar approach that assesses and treats the mobility of deep fascia in specific anatomical locations where motor units converge.

Objectives: To assess the effects of FM vs.

A commentary review of the cost effectiveness of manual therapies for neck and low back pain.

Background & Purpose: Neck and low back pain (NLBP) are global health problems, which diminish quality of life and consume vast economic resources. Cost effectiveness in healthcare is the minimal amount spent to obtain acceptable outcomes. Studies on manual therapies often fail to identify which manual therapy intervention or combinations with other interventions is the most cost effective.

Effects of obstructive sleep apnea on hemodynamic parameters in patients entering cardiac rehabilitation.

Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent form of sleep-disordered breathing. Evidence suggests that OSA may lead to cardiac remodeling, although the literature is equivocal. Previous literature suggests a high percentage of individuals entering a cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program also have OSA.

Reproductibility of cardiac monitoring in men using impedance cardiography during Müeller maneuver.

Unlabelled: Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a form of sleep-disordered breathing highlighted by recurrent episodes of upper airway collapse during sleep. OSAHS contributes to an increased risk of cardiac arrhythmias, cardiovascular disease, and altered immune function. Measuring cardiac function in OSAHS patients can provide information that can help delineate clinical treatment efficacy.

Altered ventilatory responses to exercise testing in young adult men with obstructive sleep apnea.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a disorder characterized by repetitive obstructions of the upper airway. Individuals with OSA experience intermittent hypoxia, hypercapnia, and arousals during sleep, resulting in increased sympathetic activation. Chemoreflex activation, arising from the resultant oscillatory disturbances in blood gases from OSA, exerts control over ventilation, and may induce increases in sympathetic vasoconstriction, contributing to increased long-term risks for hypertension (HTN) and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Potential clinical use of cardiopulmonary exercise testing in obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome.

There is growing evidence linking obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) with multiple cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Exercise testing is generally available and routinely used to provide valuable information on cardiopulmonary function in healthy and diseased populations. This review summarizes and integrates recent findings on exercise testing in OSAHS and discusses the potential mechanisms that may contribute to the responses that seem to differentiate these patients from apparently healthy subjects and patients with other cardiopulmonary diseases.

Cardiac rehabilitation outcomes no different after on-pump versus off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery.

Purpose: Clinical evidence supports lower morbidity with off-pump coronary revascularization surgery as well as superior short- and mid-term outcomes, equivalent graft patency, and reduced cost. The purpose of this study was to compare cardiac rehabilitation (CR) outcomes between patients undergoing on-pump versus off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery.

Methods: Data were retrospectively examined for patients who participated in CR between 1996 and 2004.