Training the equine respiratory muscles: Inspiratory muscle strength.

Background: Little is known about the response of the equine respiratory muscles to training.

Objectives: To measure an index of inspiratory muscle strength (IMSi) before and after a period of conventional exercise training (phase 1) and inspiratory muscle training (IMT), comparing high-load (treatment) and low-load (control) groups (phase 2).

Study Design: Prospective randomised controlled trial.

Training the equine respiratory muscles: Ultrasonographic measurement of muscle size.

Background: Limited information exists regarding changes in the size of respiratory and locomotor muscles in response to exercise training in the Thoroughbred racehorse.

Objectives: To describe and compare the responses of the respiratory and locomotor muscles to conventional exercise training and inspiratory muscle training (IMT).

Study Design: Prospective randomised controlled trial.

Association Between Inspiratory Muscle Function and Balance Ability in Older People: A Pooled Data Analysis Before and After Inspiratory Muscle Training.

Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) improved balance ability and respiratory muscle function in healthy older adults. The current study is a retrospective analysis to explore the relationship between inspiratory muscle function, balance ability, and adaptation to IMT. All participants (total = 129; IMT = 60; age range = 65-85 years) performed inspiratory and balance assessments, including the mini-balance evaluation system test, maximal inspiratory pressure, and peak inspiratory flow tests.

Comparison of balance changes after inspiratory muscle or Otago exercise training.

The inspiratory muscles contribute to balance via diaphragmatic contraction and by increasing intra-abdominal pressure. We have shown inspiratory muscle training (IMT) improves dynamic balance significantly with healthy community-dwellers. However, it is not known how the magnitude of balance improvements following IMT compares to that of an established balance program.

The Relationship between Military Combat and Cardiovascular Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background And Objectives: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death among military veterans with several reports suggesting a link between combat and related traumatic injury (TI) to an increased CVD risk. The aim of this paper is to conduct a widespread systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between military combat ± TI to CVD and its associated risk factors.

Methods: PubMed, EmbaseProQuest, Cinahl databases and Cochrane Reviews were examined for all published observational studies (any language) reporting on CVD risk and outcomes, following military combat exposure ± TI versus a comparative nonexposed control population.

"Why would you want to stand?" an account of the lived experience of employees taking part in a workplace sit-stand desk intervention.

Background: Sit-stand desk interventions have the potential to reduce workplace sedentary behaviour and improve employee health. However, the extent of sit-stand desk use varies between employees and in different organisational contexts. Framed by organisational cultural theory and product design theory, this study examined employees' lived experience of taking part in a workplace sit-stand desk intervention, to understand the processes influencing feasibility and acceptability.

Inspiratory muscle training and testing: Rationale, development and feasibility.

Background: Inspiratory muscle training applies a training stimulus directly to the inspiratory muscles and is distinct from whole-body training. The potential benefits of inspiratory muscle training have yet to be explored in horses.

Objectives: The objectives were as follows: (a) to develop an equine-specific method of testing and training inspiratory muscles; (b) to assess tolerance and feasibility in a pilot study in a commercial Thoroughbred training establishment.

The effects of 8 weeks of inspiratory muscle training on the balance of healthy older adults: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

To examine the effects of 8-week unsupervised, home-based inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on the balance and physical performance of healthy older adults. Fifty-nine participants (74 ± 6 years) were assigned randomly in a double-blinded fashion to either IMT or sham-IMT, using a pressure threshold loading device. The IMT group performed 30-breath twice daily at ~50% of maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP).

Randomised controlled trial of adjunctive inspiratory muscle training for patients with COPD.

Background: This study aimed to investigate whether adjunctive inspiratory muscle training (IMT) can enhance the well-established benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in patients with COPD.

Methods: 219 patients with COPD (FEV: 42%±16% predicted) with inspiratory muscle weakness (PImax: 51±15 cm HO) were randomised into an intervention group (IMT+PR; n=110) or a control group (Sham-IMT+PR; n=109) in this double-blind, multicentre randomised controlled trial between February 2012 and October 2016 (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01397396).

The effect of a sit-stand workstation intervention on daily sitting, standing and physical activity: protocol for a 12 month workplace randomised control trial.

Background: A lack of physical activity and excessive sitting can contribute to poor physical health and wellbeing. The high percentage of the UK adult population in employment, and the prolonged sitting associated with desk-based office-work, make these workplaces an appropriate setting for interventions to reduce sedentary behaviour and increase physical activity. This pilot study aims to determine the effect of an office-based sit-stand workstation intervention, compared with usual desk use, on daily sitting, standing and physical activity, and to examine the factors that underlie sitting, standing and physical activity, within and outside, the workplace.

Efficacy of a Novel Method for Inspiratory Muscle Training in People With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Background: Most inspiratory muscle training (IMT) interventions in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have been implemented as fully supervised daily training for 30 minutes with controlled training loads using mechanical threshold loading (MTL) devices. Recently, an electronic tapered flow resistive loading (TFRL) device was introduced that has a different loading profile and stores training data during IMT sessions.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of a brief, largely unsupervised IMT protocol conducted using either traditional MTL or TFRL on inspiratory muscle function in patients with COPD.

"Functional" Inspiratory and Core Muscle Training Enhances Running Performance and Economy.

Tong, TK, McConnell, AK, Lin, H, Nie, J, Zhang, H, and Wang, J. "Functional" inspiratory and core muscle training enhances running performance and economy. J Strength Cond Res 30(10): 2942-2951, 2016-We compared the effects of two 6-week high-intensity interval training interventions.

Inspiratory muscle training affects proprioceptive use and low back pain.

Purpose: We have shown that individuals with recurrent nonspecific low back pain (LBP) and healthy individuals breathing against an inspiratory load decrease their reliance on back proprioceptive signals in upright standing. Because individuals with LBP show greater susceptibility to diaphragm fatigue, it is reasonable to hypothesize that LBP, diaphragm dysfunction, and proprioceptive use may be interrelated. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether inspiratory muscle training (IMT) affects proprioceptive use during postural control in individuals with LBP.

Impaired postural control reduces sit-to-stand-to-sit performance in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Functional activities, such as the sit-to-stand-to-sit (STSTS) task, are often impaired in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The STSTS task places a high demand on the postural control system, which has been shown to be impaired in individuals with COPD. It remains unknown whether postural control deficits contribute to the decreased STSTS performance in individuals with COPD.

Inspiratory muscle training protocol for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (IMTCO study): a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) has been applied during pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, it remains unclear if the addition of IMT to a general exercise training programme leads to additional clinically relevant improvements in patients with COPD. In this study, we will investigate whether the addition of IMT to a general exercise training programme improves 6 min walking distance, health-related quality of life, daily physical activity and inspiratory muscle function in patients with COPD with inspiratory muscle weakness.

Greater diaphragm fatigability in individuals with recurrent low back pain.

The diaphragm plays an important role in spinal control. Increased respiratory demand compromises spinal control, especially in individuals with low back pain (LBP). The objective was to determine whether individuals with LBP exhibit greater diaphragm fatigability compared to healthy controls.

Postural strategy and back muscle oxygenation during inspiratory muscle loading.

Purpose: Most healthy individuals show a multisegmental control strategy during challenging standing conditions, whereas others show a rigid ankle-steered strategy, which is assumed as suboptimal. Respiratory-demanding tasks exert a perturbing effect on balance, although the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether inspiratory resistive loading (IRL) affects postural strategy, back muscle oxygenation, and blood volume during postural control.

Proprioceptive changes impair balance control in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Introduction: Balance deficits are identified as important risk factors for falling in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the specific use of proprioception, which is of primary importance during balance control, has not been studied in individuals with COPD. The objective was to determine the specific proprioceptive control strategy during postural balance in individuals with COPD and healthy controls, and to assess whether this was related to inspiratory muscle weakness.

The assessment of inspiratory muscle fatigue in healthy individuals: a systematic review.

Inspiratory muscle fatigue (IMF) may contribute to the development of exercise limitation and respiratory failure. Identifying fatigue of the inspiratory muscles requires a rigorous and integrative methodological approach. However, there is no consensus about an optimal protocol to induce and assess the fatigability of the inspiratory muscles.

A preliminary biomechanical study of cyclic preconditioning effects on canine cadaveric whole femurs.

Biomechanical preconditioning of biological specimens by cyclic loading is routinely done presumably to stabilize properties prior to the main phase of a study. However, no prior studies have actually measured these effects for whole bone of any kind. The aim of this study, therefore, was to quantify these effects for whole bones.