Smartphone Assessment of the Sitting Heel-Rise Test.

The study presents a new approach for assessing plantarflexor muscles' function using a smartphone. The test involves performing repeated heel raises for 60 s while seated. The seated heel-rise test offers a simple method for assessing plantarflexor muscles' function in those with severe balance impairment who are unable to complete tests performed while standing.

Cadence matters: Influence of cadence on spinal load during running.

Background: Running exposes the body to physiological and mechanical stresses that generate musculoskeletal injuries, such as low back pain due to large spinal loading. Increasing running cadence may reduce impact forces and spinal shrinkage.

Research Question: This study aimed to determine the relationship between spinal loading and running cadence.

Moving from stable standing to single-limb stance or an up-on-the-toes position: The importance of vision to dynamic balance control.

Understanding the contribution vision has to dynamic balance control may help in understanding where/why loss of balance occurs during everyday locomotion. The current study determined how body-centre-of-mass (BCoM) dynamics and postural stability when moving to and holding a single-limb-stance (SS) or an up-on-the-toes (UTT) position were affected by visual occlusion. From standing on a force platform, 18 adults (mean (SD) 26.

Carbohydrate mouth rinse failed to reduce central fatigue, lower perceived exertion, and improve performance during incremental exercise.

We examined if carbohydrate (CHO) mouth rinse may reduce central fatigue and perceived exertion, thus improving maximal incremental test (MIT) performance. Nine recreational cyclists warmed up for 6 min before rinsing a carbohydrate (CHO) or placebo (PLA) solution in their mouth for 10 s in a double-blind, counterbalanced manner. Thereafter, they performed the MIT (25 W·min increases until exhaustion) while cardiopulmonary and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) responses were obtained.

The role of ankle and knee muscle characteristics in spatiotemporal gait parameters at different walking speeds: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Understanding the intricate interplay between ankle and knee muscle characteristics and their impact on gait parameters is crucial for enhancing our comprehension of human locomotion, particularly in the context of varying walking speeds among healthy young adults.

Research Question: The study aimed to identify the relative importance of ankle and knee flexor and extensor muscle characteristics (e.g.

An Experimental Approach to Induce Trips in Lower-Limb Amputees.

Reestablishing balance after a trip is challenging for lower-limb amputees and often results in a fall. The effectiveness of reestablishing balance following a trip depends on factors such as amputation level (transtibial or transfemoral) or which limb is tripped (prosthetic or sound/lead or trailing). Understanding the recovery responses can help identify strategies to avoid a trip becoming a fall and what trip-response functionality could be designed into a prosthesis.

Control of center of mass during gait of stroke patients: Statistical parametric mapping analysis.

Background: The control of the center of mass is essential for a stable and efficient gait. Post-stroke patients present several impairments, which may compromise the control of the center of mass during gait in the sagittal and frontal planes. This study aimed to identify changes in the vertical and mediolateral behavior of the center of mass during the single stance phase of post-stroke patients using the statistical parametric mapping analysis.

Time profile of kinematic synergies of stroke gait.

Background: In stroke subjects, the motor skills differ between sides and among subjects with different levels of motor recovery, impacting inter-joint coordination. How these factors can affect the kinematic synergies over time during gait has not been investigated yet. This work aimed to determine the time profile of kinematic synergies of stroke patients throughout the single support phase of gait.

Smartphones dependency risk analysis using machine-learning predictive models.

Recent technological advances have changed how people interact, run businesses, learn, and use their free time. The advantages and facilities provided by electronic devices have played a major role. On the other hand, extensive use of such technology also has adverse effects on several aspects of human life (e.

Clinical-Functional Vulnerability, Functional Capacity, and Falls in Octogenarians with Different Physical Activity Levels-A Cross-Sectional Study.

Aim: To compare differences between frailty, functional capacity, and fall prevalence among community-dwelling oldest-old adults regarding their physical activity levels.

Methods: Two hundred and thirty-nine octogenarians (80+ years) were allocated according to their physical activity as insufficiently active (<150 min week; = 98; 84.4 ± 3.

Association between Domains of the Clinical-Functional Vulnerability Index and Falls History in Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives: The study aimed to determine which domains, sets, and isolated or combined questions of the Clinical-Functional Vulnerability Index (CFVI-20) are associated with falls history in older adults. Methods: Instruments used were the CFVI-20 assessment and reported falls during the last year. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves identified the performance of the CFVI-20 domains and questions in identifying older adults with and without falls history, while logistic regression identified relevant questions to identify fall history.

Are the spatiotemporal gait parameters at different walking speeds capable of predicting variations in cognitive status by the mini-mental state examination?

Background: Several studies have reported the association between cognition and gait; however, most are limited to investigating gait in just one speed, usually the self-selected one, and commonly, only the general score of cognitive tests is used.

Aims: Investigate the relationship between the spatiotemporal gait parameters at different speeds (self-selected and fast walking speeds) and cognitive status in older adults.

Methods: Cross-sectional study.

Comparison of the Clinical-Functional Vulnerability Index and the frailty phenotype for the identification of falls in older individuals: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Frailty increases the risk of falls, disability and death in older adults. The Cardiovascular Health Study identified a frailty phenotype (the Fried Phenotype) that was primarily based on physical domains. Instruments that incorporate additional domains (e.

Complete recovery of quadriceps muscle peripheral fatigue after running in Olympic, but not Sprint, triathlon.

This study compared central and peripheral fatigue development between the Sprint and Olympic distance triathlon. Fifteen male triathletes performed Sprint and Olympic triathlon simulations in a randomized and counterbalanced order. Central and peripheral fatigue was evaluated from changes in voluntary activation level (VAL) and twitch responses of quadriceps muscle (Q), respectively.

Multifactorial Assessment of Older Adults Able and Unable to Recover Balance During a Laboratory-induced Trip.

Background: Older adults are prone to falls, and identifying fallers and non-fallers from a set of fall-related variables is essential while establishing effective preventive programs.

Aims: This study aimed to analyze if a set of parameters (i.e.

A cross-sectional analysis of the muscle strength, spinal shrinkage, and recovery during a working day of military police officers.

Objective: Military personnel has a large prevalence of back pain, especially those involved in patrolling routines, as they wear heavy protective equipment. Patrolling includes long periods of sustaining the protective equipment in a sitting or in a motor vehicle (motorcycle or car). Thus, understanding spinal loading of military police officers after patrolling by car (CAR; n = 14), motorcycle (MOT; n = 14), and administrative (ADM; n = 14) routines is relevant to establish preventive strategies.

Exergames Training Effects on Gait During Single and Dual Tasks in Sexagenarian Women.

This study was designed to analyze the effects of an exergames training program on gait parameters while holding a cellphone conversation at self-selected walking speed (SSWS) and fast walking speed (FWS). Twenty-one older women (66.3 ± 4.

Kinematic Variables of Disabled Swimmers and Their Correlation With the International Paralympic Committee Classification.

This study described the kinematic variables of disabled swimmers' performance and correlated them with their functional classification. Twenty-one impaired swimmers (S5-S10) performed 50-m maximum front-crawl swimming while being recorded by four underwater cameras. Swimming velocity, stroke rate, stroke length, intracycle velocity variation, stroke dimensions, hand velocity, and coordination index were analyzed.

Immediate Effects of Acupuncture on Force and Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness.

The ability to produce force is critical to several daily activities. Strategies to reduce delayed onsent muscle soreness (DOMS) and restore force-generating properties that occur in response to training and impair physical performance have been proposed. Acupuncture has been proposed to accelerate recovery and optimize muscle functioning.

Excess adiposity and low physical fitness hamper Supine-to-Stand test performance among sedentary adolescents.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between body adiposity and physical fitness with performance in the Supine-to-Stand test (STS-test) in sedentary adolescents.

Methods: Sixty-two adolescents, of both sexes, between 10 and 16 years old, participated in the study. Body mass (BM), height, waist circumference (WC), fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM), right and left handgrip strength (HGS-right, HGS-left), abdominal resistance (ABDO), flexibility (FLEX), and cardiorespiratory fitness (VO) were measured.

Gait Parameters of Older Adults according to Their Fall History and Functional Capacity While Walking at Different Speeds.

Introduction: It is believed that functional capacity and fall history are factors capable of influencing the gait parameters of older adults. Thus, the objective of this study was to verify whether gait parameters of community-dwelling older adults differ according to their functional capacity and fall history when walking at self-selected walking speed (SSWS) and fast walking speed (FWS) using principal component analysis (PCA).

Methods: Two hundred ninety-five participants (82.

Can Age Influence Functional Tests Differently to Predict Falls in Nursing Home and Community-Dwelling Older Adults?

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine which functional tests are able to predict falls in nursing home residents (NHR) and community-dwelling (CDW) older adults grouped by age. Two hundred and fifty-two older adults were assessed in the following tests, Mini-Mental State Examination, anthropometric characteristics, fall history and functional tests. The participants were assigned to one of the following groups: Young Older Adults (YOA; 60-69 years, n = 102; 27.

Aquatic exercise improves functional capacity, perceptual aspects, and quality of life in older adults with musculoskeletal disorders and risk of falling: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: This study aimed to determine the effects of an aquatic training program on functional capacity, perceptual aspects, and quality of life (QoL) performed by older adults with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and moderate/high risk of falls.

Methods: This randomized controlled trial included 120 older adults assigned to aquatic exercises (AG; n = 60; 70.62 ± 6.

Multicomponent Exercise Training Improves Gait Ability of Older Women Rather than Strength Training: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of multicomponent and strength training programs on dynamic balance, functional capacity, and gait ability in older women.

Methods: Thirty individuals (67 ± 4.3 years; 30.

Physical Performance, Anthropometrics and Functional Characteristics Influence the Intensity of Nonspecific Chronic Low Back Pain in Military Police Officers.

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a serious problem in Military Police Officers (MPO), which accounts for up to 45% of the sick leave rates. It has been assumed that the strength and the endurance of trunk flexor and extensor muscles are CLPB key factors, but it is not known whether these attributes are related to pain intensity. It was aimed to determine whether the strength and endurance of trunk flexor and extensor muscles differ in MPO with no pain (CON; = 24), moderate (MOD; = 42), and severe (SEV; = 37) nonspecific chronic low back pain (CLBP).