The association between musculoskeletal pain during pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analyses.

Objective: To systematically investigate the association between musculoskeletal pain during pregnancy and birth outcomes including caesarean section, newborn birthweight, newborn birth length, and gestational age at birth.

Methods: Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Cinahl and Scopus were systematically searched to identify eligible studies. Odds ratios, mean differences, and confidence intervals were used to describe results.

Reactive postural adjustment in response to predictable and unpredictable perturbations in healthy adults: A comparison between swayback, hyperlordotic and erect postures.

Background: Promoting an erect posture in standing has been advocated to offer superior protection to the spine when compared to hyperlordotic and swayback postures.

Research Question: Do postural adjustments towards external perturbation differ between erect, hyperlordotic and swayback postures? If so, which posture offers better protection to lumbar spine?

Methods: Forty-four healthy adults received top-down perturbations under unpredictable (without visual-and-auditory input) and predictable (with visual-and-auditory input) conditions in three simulated postures: erect, hyperlordotic, and swayback. Postural adjustments namely the centre of pressure parameters, joint angle onsets, and neuromuscular responses measured by muscle onsets and co-contraction between muscle pairs upon the perturbation were compared using the two-way repeated measures ANOVA.

The impacts of physical activity on psychological and behavioral problems, and changes in physical activity, sleep and quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic in preschoolers, children, and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the level of physical activity (PA). However, little is known about its effect on health outcomes.

Methods: Articles without language restrictions published from the database inception through March 16, 2022, were retrieved using the CINAHL Complete, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Medline, PubMed, and PsycINFO databases.

Effect of muscle fatigue of the thoracic erector spinae on neuromuscular control when performing the upper extremity functional tasks in people with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) disrupts spinal alignment and increases the intrinsic demand for active stabilization to maintain postural stability. Understanding the paraspinal muscle fatigability and its effects on spinal alignment and kinematics informs the importance of paraspinal muscle endurance for postural stability. This study aims to investigate the effects of fatigue of thoracic erector spinae on the spinal muscle activity and spinal kinematics in individuals with scoliosis.

Ultrasound-guided dry needling versus traditional dry needling for patients with knee osteoarthritis: A double-blind randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To compare the effect of ultrasound (US)-guided dry needling (DN) with traditional DN in the treatment of pain and dysfunction for patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA).

Design: A double-blind, randomized controlled trial.

Methods: Patients (25 male and 65 female), age 50-80 years diagnosed with KOA were recruited and randomly assigned to one of three groups in a 1:1:1 ratio for intervention: real US-guided DN with exercise therapy (G1), placebo US-guided DN with exercise therapy (G2), and exercise therapy solely (G3).

Segmental sequencing of the upper body segments in unconstrained maximum overarm throws: An implication for coaching.

Overarm throwing is an essential fundamental movement skill (FMS). Competency in throwing is critical to encourage physical activity throughout lifespan. However, the segmental sequencing characteristics of skilled throwing to achieve maximum ball release speed are unclear.

The Effectiveness of Coaching the Australian Recommended Fundamental Overarm Throwing Skill Criteria for Less-Skilled Adolescents.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of coaching the Australian recommended fundamental overarm throwing skill criteria for less-skilled adolescents on movement competency using three-dimensional (3D) motion analysis. Less-skilled non-sports-active and skilled sports-active pupils were assigned to FMS Group (n = 97) and Sports Group (n = 129), respectively. Demographic, anthropometric, whole-body kinematic (discrete and time-series angular displacement and angular velocity data), motor coordination (segmental sequencing) and motor performance (maximum ball release speed) were analyzed.

Effectiveness of customised safety intervention programmes to increase the safety culture of hospital staff.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of customised safety interventions in improving the safety cultures of both clinical and non-clinical hospital staff. This was assessed using the Safety Attitude Questionnaire-Chinese at baseline, 2 years and 4 years after the implementation of safety interventions with a high response rate ranging from 80.5% to 87.