Does Early Low-Intensity Aerobic Exercise Hasten Recovery in Adolescents With Sport-Related Concussion?

Clinical Scenario: Low-intensity aerobic exercise (LIAEX) below the threshold of symptom exacerbation has been shown to be superior to rest for resolving prolonged (>4 wk) symptoms following sport-related concussion (SRC), but the effects of LIAEX earlier than 4 weeks after SRC need to be elucidated. Focused Clinical Question: Does LIAEX within the first 4 weeks following SRC hasten symptom resolution? Summary of Key Findings: Two randomized controlled trials (RCT) and 1 nonrandomized trial involving adolescent athletes (10-19 y) were included. One RCT reported faster recovery time with LIAEX versus placebo stretching.

Blood Flow Restriction Therapy Versus Standard Care for Reducing Quadriceps Atrophy After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

Clinical Scenario: Quadriceps atrophy and weakness are common after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Blood flow restriction (BFR) therapy, alone or in combination with exercise, has shown some promise in promoting muscular hypertrophy. This review was conducted to ascertain the extent to which current evidence supports the use of BFR for reducing quadriceps atrophy following ACLR in comparison with standard care.

From the gait laboratory to the rehabilitation clinic: translation of motion analysis and modeling data to interventions that impact anterior cruciate ligament loads in gait and drop landing.

In female athletes the risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury during impact-related activities such as landing is higher compared to males. Both how and why this occurs has been at the forefront of orthopedic sports medicine research over the past 20 years. Many individuals with an ACL-deficient knee compensate for joint instability in an effort to remain physically active.

Therapeutic exercise for athletes with nonspecific neck pain: a current concepts review.

Context: Benign neck pain is common in athletes and is usually the result of minor sprains, strains, or contusions. Athletes with neck pain may have deficits in cervical and/or upper thoracic mobility, muscle recruitment, strength and endurance, repositioning acuity, postural stability, and oculomotor control.

Evidence Acquisition: A Medline search was performed via PubMed to locate articles of any publication date through December 2011 using the search terms cervical pain, neck pain, athlete, athletic, therapeutic exercise, and rehabilitation.

A comparison of two isometric tests of trunk flexor endurance.

This study was performed to determine the test-retest reliability and the relationship between 2 tests of trunk flexor muscular endurance-a prone bridge and a modified V-sit. Hold times (in seconds) were measured on 60 healthy volunteers from a University community (17 men, 43 women). Both tests were performed at 1-week intervals.

Intersession reliability and concurrent validity of isometric endurance tests for the lateral trunk muscles.

Context: A torso-elevated side support (TESS) has previously been described for measuring endurance of the lateral trunk muscles. In some individuals, however, TESS performance may be hindered by upper extremity pain or fatigue. For this reason a novel test, the feet-elevated side-support test (FESS), was examined.

Associations between single-leg postural control and drop-landing mechanics in healthy women.

Context: Impaired postural control in single-limb stance and aberrant drop-landing mechanics have been implicated separately as risk factors for noncontact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, but associations between these variables has not been reported.

Objective: To determine whether there are associations between single-limb postural control and drop-landing mechanics.

Setting: University motion-analysis laboratory.

The effects of preseason trunk muscle training on low-back pain occurrence in women collegiate gymnasts.

Low-back pain (LBP) in women gymnasts is relatively common. This investigation was performed to evaluate the effects of a preseason training program for the trunk extensor, lateral flexor, and flexor muscles on LBP occurrence during the subsequent competitive season. The training group consisted of 15 collegiate women gymnasts.

Ankle bracing, plantar-flexion angle, and ankle muscle latencies during inversion stress in healthy participants.

Context: Ankle braces may enhance ankle joint proprioception, which in turn may affect reflexive ankle muscle activity during a perturbation. Despite the common occurrence of plantar-flexion inversion ankle injuries, authors of previous studies of ankle muscle latencies have focused on inversion stresses only.

Objective: To examine the latency of the peroneus longus (PL), peroneus brevis (PB), and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles in response to various degrees of combined plantar-flexion and inversion stresses in braced and unbraced asymptomatic ankles.

The effect of immersion cryotherapy on medial-lateral postural sway variability in individuals with a lateral ankle sprain.

Background And Purpose: Postural stability has been shown to be impaired after a lateral ankle sprain (LAS) and after immersion cryotherapy in healthy ankles. This study was performed to determine the effects of cryotherapy on postural stability after LAS.

Method: A single-session, repeated measures design was used.