Tennis is a complex sport based on unpredictability that requires adequate physical and psychological preparation to prevent injuries. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 8-week specific core stability training on postural stability in competitive adolescent tennis players, aged between 14 and 19 years old. Sixty-one participants were randomly allocated into two groups: experimental ( = 32) and control ( = 29) groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPosterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury is a rare ligamentous knee injury which most commonly occurs due to direct trauma; it represents only 0.65% of knee injuries. On the basis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), PCL injury is divided into surgical and non-surgical.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe association between craniofacial muscles and postural control is well-known because of numerous anatomical connections. However, there are a few conflicting studies that correlated the activity of the masticatory muscles with the distribution of body weight pressure on the feet, which can strongly influence balance. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to evaluate the association between the masseter and temporalis muscle activity and foot pressure distribution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Global Positioning System (GPS) devices are widely used in soccer for monitoring external load (EL) indicators with the aim of maximizing sports performance.The aim of this study was to investigate the EL indicators differences in players of different playing positions (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Wearable inertial sensors are poorly used in soccer to monitor external load (EL) indicators. However, these devices could be useful for improving sports performance and potentially reducing the risk of injury. The aim of this study was to investigate the EL indicators (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The aim of this study was to investigate any differences in external load indicators (ELi) between official matches (OM) and sport-specific tasks in semi-professional soccer players.
Methods: Among 28 semi-professional soccer players, 1932 observations (age: 25±6 years, height: 183±6 cm, weight: 75.2±7 kg; FC Palermo, Palermo, Italy) were collected through GPS devices (Qstarz BT-Q1000EX, 10 Hz; Qstarz International Co.
Age-related changes in the neuromuscular system functions may affect profoundly high-level athletes' performance across their careers. The present study aimed to analyse the fatiguing effect of a maximal intensity sprint session (MISS) on competitive athletes of different ages. Thirty-one competitive endurance athletes completed a knee extensors and flexors' maximal-voluntary-isometric-contraction (MVC) test before and after a maximal-intensity-sprint-session (MISS) consisting of 4x15s Wingate-tests.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The present study aimed to describe the possible roles of cyclists' early career performance, on the transition process to elite cycling categories.
Methods: Data from national and international databases, and results achieved during the UCI World Championships, were retrospectively analyzed considering the Italian national Youth-U16, Junior-U18, and U23 categories, and international Junior-U18 and UCI World-Tour categories.
Results: The 15% of Youth-U16, the 38.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
September 2021
The role of the dento-mandibular apparatus and, in particular, occlusion and jaw position, received increased attention during last years. In the present study, we aimed to systematically review, on the light of the new potential insights, the published literature covering the occlusal splint (OS) applications, and its impact on exercise performance. A structured search was carried out including MEDLINE/PubMed and Scopus databases with additional integration from external sources, between March and June 2021.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn Multiple sclerosis (MS) it is important to preserve the residual physiological functions of subjects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of nanotechnological device treatment combined with home-based training program (TP) on lactate level, hand grip strength and cervical mobility on MS patients. Seventeen MS patients were enrolled in the study and randomly assigned to an experimental group (EG) in which the Taopatch® nanotechnological device was applied or to a control group (CG).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGroin pain is a frequent condition among athletes. One of the causes of groin pain is tendinopathy, a frequently diagnosed medical condition, which can also occur in the adductor muscles. Despite the high prevalence of this medical condition among athletes, it is infrequent to observe tendinopathic groin pain in steeplechase runners.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: This study is aimed to preliminary investigate whether transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) could affect explosive power considering genetic background in sport subjects. : Seventeen healthy sports volunteers with at least 3 years of sports activities participated in the experiment. After 2 weeks of familiarization performed without any stimulation, each participant received either 50 Hz-tACS or sham-tACS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHigh-level young athletes need to face a wide spectrum of stressors on their journey to élite categories. The aims of the present study are (i) to evaluate session rate of perceived exertion (sRPE) at different training impulse (TRIMP) categories and the correlations between these two variables and, (ii) evaluate the correlations between sRPE, fluid loss, and carbohydrate consumption during exercise. Data on Edward's TRIMP, sRPE, body mass loss pre- and post- exercise (∆), and carbohydrate consumption (CHO/h) during exercise have been acquired from eight male junior cyclists during a competitive season.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this study is twofold: firstly, to investigate the plantar pressure distribution differences in children coming from 4 different weight categories and secondly to analyze the presence of sex-related plantar pressure distribution differences.Overall, 416 children, aged 7 to 12 years old were randomly selected from 6 different local schools, and voluntarily participated in the study. Two hundred twenty six of them were men, while 190 were women (mean age: 9.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is an endocrine disease with a precocious significant impairment of growth and neuromotor development. Thyroid hormones are essential for central nervous system development, maturation, and myelination. Furthermore, thyroid hormone deficiency affects the function of several systems, including the musculoskeletal system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: A wide inter-individual variability in terms of size, orientation and insertion is observed regarding ankle ligaments. The aim of this study is to identify and describe the anatomical features of the posterior talocalcaneal ligament (PTCL) observed through the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the ankle.
Methods: The study was retrospectively carried out on 893 ankle MRI's exams.
Rationale: Calcific tendinopathy is one of the most frequent causes of nontraumatic shoulder pain. However, intra-articular calcifications appear to be an infrequent condition. We herein report a rare case study of an intra-articular calcification of the acromioclavicular joint.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the past 20 years, posturography has been widely used in the medical field. This observational study aimed to report the values derived from posturography of a wide set of healthy subjects from various European countries using a plantar pressure platform and a standardized method of measurement.A random cluster sampling of 914 healthy subjects aged between 7.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF[Purpose] Physical activity can influence the development of postural control and balance. Therefore, the aim of study was to use posturography assessment to compare balance control on the Romberg test between athletes in two very different sports, taekwondo and tennis. [Participants and Methods] Twenty-nine young athletes participated in the study, 11 forming the taekwondo group and 18 the tennis group.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBalance is a complex process that involves multiple sensory integrations. The auditory, visual, and vestibular systems are the main contributors. Hearing loss or hearing impairment may induce inappropriate postural strategies that could affect balance and therefore increase the risk of falling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTemporomandibular disorders such as bruxism may cause painful clinical conditions and over time lead to chronic facial pain. A combination of therapeutic strategies that are usually undertaken by dentists and gnathologists to reduce bruxism episodes and consequently pain, are myofunctional therapy, pharmacological treatment, intraoral interventions and behavioural treatments. The aim of this work was to understand if myofuntional therapy alone can be a useful therapy for the reduction of chronic facial pain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJuvenile idiopathic arthritis is a main cause of physical disability and has high economic costs for society. The purpose of this study was to assess the fitness levels and the postural and balance deficits with a specific test battery. Fifty-six subjects were enrolled in this study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Research supports a link between exercise and falls prevention in the older population.
Objectives: Our aims were to evaluate pain perception and balance skills in a group of elderly subjects and to examine the consequences of a standardized equipment-free exercise program intervention on these variables. The study utilized a randomized controlled trial method.
[Purpose] Recent findings suggest there is an interesting interaction between the stomatognathic system and the musculoskeletal system. The aim of this study was therefore to examine the influence of the temporomandibular joint on the explosive strength of the lower limbs. [Subjects and Methods] An observational study was carried out.
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