Publications by authors named "Cheng-Feng Lin"
This study aimed to investigate the hamstring activation in athletes with hamstring strain injuries in vertical jump tasks using an EMG time-frequency analysis. Fifteen injured athletes and 15 matched controls were recruited. The EMG signals of the lateral hamstring (LH) and medial hamstring (MH) were assessed during countermovement, squat, and drop vertical jump tasks.
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- - The study examined how hamstring strain injuries (HSI) and vision affect muscle recruitment and balance in athletes, comparing 14 athletes with HSI to 14 healthy athletes while they performed balance tasks.
- - Results showed that athletes with HSI had significantly lower activation in their hamstring muscles during balance tasks, leading to increased body sway and reduced stability compared to healthy controls.
- - The findings suggest that the ongoing muscle activation deficits in athletes with HSI could negatively influence their balance, highlighting the need for targeted balance training in rehabilitation programs.
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- The study compares the effects of thoracic mobilization and soft tissue release on chronic low back pain (CLBP) in 28 participants.
- Participants were split into two groups: one received mobilization treatment while the other underwent soft tissue release on the lumbar area.
- Results showed that both treatments improved trunk movement and pain thresholds, but mobilization was more effective for range of motion, while soft tissue release led to greater reductions in muscle activation.
Alterations in hamstring properties of athletes with hamstring strain injuries can impact jump-landing performance.
J Sports Med Phys Fitness
October 2024
Article Synopsis
- A study looked at how hamstring injuries affect athletes' jumping and landing abilities.
- Researchers tested 16 athletes with hamstring strains and 16 healthy ones to compare their muscle function and performance.
- Injured athletes had less strength and flexibility but higher stiffness, leading to poorer jumping and landing performance, showing that hamstring injuries can hurt sports skills.
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- - The study aimed to explore how skin blood flow regulation differs between the upper (forearm) and lower (leg) limbs in healthy adults, marking the first research of its kind using wavelet analysis of blood flow oscillations.
- - Using laser Doppler flowmetry, researchers measured skin blood flow in 17 participants and analyzed the data to identify the primary controls influencing blood flow, categorized into metabolic, neurogenic, myogenic, respiratory, and cardiac factors.
- - Findings revealed that skin blood flow was significantly higher in the leg, with metabolic endothelial control being more prominent in the forearm and myogenic control being more prevalent in the leg, highlighting distinct regulatory mechanisms for upper and lower limbs.
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- Bridging exercises are frequently used to help people with low back pain (LBP), but the impact of different contraction modes (isometric vs. dynamic) on low back muscle oxygenation has not been studied.
- Using near-infrared spectroscopy, researchers measured the hemodynamic responses in the erector spinae muscles of 16 healthy participants during both types of bridging exercises.
- The findings revealed that dynamic bridging exercises significantly improved muscle oxygenation compared to isometric exercises, indicating that dynamic exercises may be more beneficial for low back muscle health.
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- The study explored how posterior chain muscle function and shoe types affect ballet dancers, comparing 17 dancers with low back pain (LBP) to 12 healthy dancers.
- Results indicated that dancers with LBP had stiffer lateral hamstrings and more difficulty achieving trunk extension, leading to greater displacement of their center of mass (COM) during movements.
- The findings stress the importance of assessing muscle properties and postural control for dancers with LBP, particularly in relation to shoe choices.
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- Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is a prevalent injury among athletes, and the study aimed to evaluate how different physical therapy methods affect spinal excitability in patients with CAI.
- A systematic review identified 11 relevant studies out of 253 screened, focusing on the maximal Hoffmann reflex ratios in certain leg muscles to assess the impact of therapies like cryotherapy and proprioceptive training.
- The findings concluded that these physical therapy interventions did not significantly change spinal excitability, indicating a need for additional research on treatment effectiveness.
Cupping therapy is a popular intervention for improving muscle recovery after exercise although clinical evidence is weak. Previous studies demonstrated that cupping therapy may improve microcirculation of the soft tissue to accelerate tissue healing. However, it is unclear whether the cupping size could affect the spatial hemodynamic response of the treated muscle.
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- - A study analyzed the relationship between physical function before chemotherapy and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in pancreatic cancer patients, focusing on various physical tests and questionnaires.
- - Results showed that slower times on the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test before treatment were linked to increased severity of CIPN symptoms after 6 months, particularly for sensory and autonomic issues.
- - Additionally, a positive outcome on the Romberg test (standing balance test) was a significant predictor of more severe motor neuropathy after 6 months of chemotherapy.
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- A study was conducted to evaluate early continence outcomes after a specific surgical technique (three-layer vesicourethral reconstruction) during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) in 170 prostate cancer patients.
- Results showed that patients who underwent the three-layer reconstruction had significantly better continence rates at various postoperative intervals compared to those who had a one-layer reconstruction, with a 42% lower risk of incontinence.
- Postoperative cystography results indicated that the three-layer group experienced less leakage and better bladder neck positioning, which contributed to overall improved continence outcomes.
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- Diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease are increasing global health issues that often come with similar neuromuscular problems affecting daily life; distinguishing between them could be crucial for early detection and continuous monitoring.
- A study utilized a new pinch-holding-up activity test, combined with advanced deep learning models, to analyze motor performance of 271 participants across three groups: healthy adults, those with diabetes, and those with chronic kidney disease.
- The deep learning models achieved high accuracy rates of over 95% in distinguishing between the groups, indicating significant differences in sensorimotor performance that might lead to better clinical screening methods for these conditions.
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- This study evaluated the outcomes of bladder-preservation strategies using maximal transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURBT) combined with either pembrolizumab or chemotherapy in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) who opted against radical treatment.
- A total of 53 patients were analyzed, and 43.4% achieved clinical complete response after treatment, with slightly better results in the pembrolizumab group compared to chemotherapy.
- The study found that patients receiving pembrolizumab had longer progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared to those receiving chemotherapy, highlighting the potential of bladder preservation as a viable treatment option for selected MIBC patients.
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- Directional changes in cutting maneuvers during sports are influenced by shoe torsional stiffness (STS), and this study explored how adjustable spacers in shoe soles affect STS during side-step cutting.
- Seventeen recreational athletes participated in tests comparing barefoot, unaltered shoes with air pressure chambers (UAS), and shoes with modified soles (AS) featuring elastomeric spacers.
- Results indicated significant differences in ground reaction forces and joint moments across the shoe conditions, but altering STS with spacers did not notably impact cutting performance, suggesting limited benefits for sports footwear design.
Article Synopsis
- * Using a group of professional and experienced amateur dancers, the researchers analyzed different phases of single pirouettes to identify body coordination and balance control differences between preferred and non-preferred legs.
- * Results indicated no significant lateral differences in trunk and lower limb angles, but professional dancers showed a slight inclination towards their stance leg during left turns, while amateurs tilted forward more during these movements, impacting their balance and control.
Effect of adaptive sports on quality of life in individuals with disabilities who use wheelchairs: a mixed-methods systematic review.
Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol
November 2024
Purpose: Adaptive sports participation has been shown to improve quality of life (QoL) in individual with disabilities. However, inconsistent results in various domains of QoL exist in the literature. The objective of this mixed-methods systematic review is to identify and synthesize evidence from quantitative and qualitative studies on the effect of adaptive sports on QoL in individuals with disabilities who use wheelchairs for mobility.
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- The study investigates how professional and amateur ballet dancers perform pirouettes while using pointe shoes, focusing on center of mass (COM) and center of pressure (COP) during different phases of the turn.
- Results revealed that professional dancers have better control, showing less posterior inclination and quicker jump-up times compared to amateurs during the mid-swing phase of the pirouette.
- These findings suggest that professional dancers maintain their balance more effectively, allowing them to transition smoothly into subsequent movements in their routines.*
Article Synopsis
- This study explored how chronic hamstring injuries affect muscle activation and recruitment during jumping tasks among athletes.
- Thirteen athletes with hamstring injuries were compared to thirteen healthy athletes, measuring muscle response during jumps in both vertical and horizontal directions.
- Results showed that the injured athletes had delayed muscle activation and lower recruitment levels, resulting in higher landing forces, suggesting the need for direction-specific strategies in rehabilitation.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how hamstring stiffness affects muscle activation in the lower limbs during jumping activities among male athletes.* -
- Thirty athletes were divided into high- and low-stiffness groups, and hamstring stiffness was measured using MyotonPRO, while muscle activation was recorded using electromyography.* -
- Results showed that athletes with greater hamstring stiffness had increased muscle recruitment during jumping phases and landed with less ground reaction force, indicating that hamstring stiffness is important for absorbing impact during sports.*
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- Spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts the autonomic nervous system's regulation of cardiovascular health, potentially increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and exercise training could help mitigate this risk in healthy individuals.
- This study involved 37 participants, including athletes with SCI, sedentary individuals with SCI, and able-bodied controls, to investigate the impact of physical activity on skin blood flow through measuring sacral skin blood flow (SBF) and blood flow oscillations (BFOs) using advanced techniques.
- Results indicated that individuals with SCI, particularly those who are sedentary, exhibited more irregular blood flow oscillations, suggesting that exercise training might improve BFO complexity in people with SCI, highlighting multiscale entropy as a useful method
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- Footwear adjustments, specifically with motion control shoes, may help improve trunk symmetry and walking performance in people with mild leg length discrepancies.
- A study involving 20 participants showed that using adjusted shoes resulted in lower shoulder height variations and trunk rotation angles compared to unadjusted shoes.
- The findings suggest that the right adjustments can not only enhance body alignment during walking but also reduce the impact forces at heel strike, which is beneficial for individuals with this discrepancy.
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- Ballet dancers often experience non-specific low back pain (LBP), which can affect their movement quality; this study used power spectral entropy to assess movement smoothness in dancers.
- 40 female ballet dancers participated, with 23 in the LBP group and 17 in the control group, performing lumbar flexion and extension tasks while their movements were monitored.
- Results showed that the LBP group had higher entropy values, indicating less smooth movement, with an 80.7% success rate in distinguishing between LBP and control dancers based on their movement patterns.
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- * An experiment involving 18 participants tested two pressure levels (-225 and -300 mmHg) and two durations (5 and 10 minutes) to observe their impact on the biceps muscle blood flow.
- * Results indicated that using -300 mmHg pressure for 10 minutes significantly increased both oxyhemoglobin and deoxy-hemoglobin levels, suggesting these factors in cupping therapy play a crucial role in enhancing muscle blood volume and oxygenation.
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- This study aimed to compare the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) using 808 nm and 660 nm wavelengths on muscle strength and function in knee osteoarthritis patients.
- 47 participants were randomly assigned to either the 808 nm, 660 nm, or sham control groups and received treatment for eight weeks, with outcomes measured before and after intervention.
- Results indicated that the 808 nm group showed significantly better improvements in knee extensor strength compared to the other groups, suggesting that laser therapy could be beneficial in rehabilitation for knee osteoarthritis.