Upper limb functional testing: does age, gender, and sport influence performance?

Background: Musculoskeletal adaptations are common in overhead athletes. As they also are involved in injury prevention, there has been an increase in their evaluation through shoulder screening over the last years. However, for some evaluations, and especially for functional testing, there is a lack of normative values, which limits the interpretation of the values measured.

A new field-test for assessing the medial and lateral hamstring strength at long-muscle length.

This research investigates the influence of tibial rotations with knee flexion (KF) on the electromyographic (EMG) activities of hamstring muscles (HM) groups and the strength ratio between the medial and lateral rotation of the tibia. A cross-sectional design was employed to assess muscle activity, isometric strength and reliability. The research was conducted in a controlled laboratory environment.

A comparison of foot and ankle biomechanics during running drills and distance running.

The aim of this study was to compare the foot-ankle joint mechanics of running drills and running. Seventeen long-distance runners performed five popular running drills (A-skip, B-skip, Bounding, Heel flicks, Straight leg running) and a run at 3.88 m/s.

Posterior thigh muscles activity during the active H-test: An electromyographic and kinematic analysis.

The Askling's H-test is considered a useful return to play criterion after a hamstring muscle injury (HMI). However, it assesses only the active and passive flexibility of posterior thigh muscles. This may lead the practitioner to underestimate a compensation or abnormal movement pattern.

Strength and activity of the protractor and retractor muscles of the asymptomatic dyskinetic scapula.

The role of scapular dyskinesis as a risk factor of shoulder injury has been largely discussed. However, most studies have focused on symptomatic patients and less is known on the asymptomatic dyskinetic scapula. Removing the confounding effects of the pathologies could contribute to better characterize the scapula dyskinesis.

Upper limb functional testing in athletes: A Delphi study.

Background: Functional testing has recently become more and more popular to assess athletes, both for injury prevention, as well as in an objective of performance. However, the relationship between the results of these tests and performances (or injuries) or their interpretation remains unclear.

Objective: The aim of this study is to explore the usefulness, the characteristics, and the interpretation of the most frequently used upper-limb functional test.

Foot and Ankle Muscle Isometric Strength in Nonrearfoot Compared With Rearfoot Endurance Runners.

Background: Transitioning to a forefoot strike pattern can be used to manage running-related knee injuries. However, adopting a nonrearfoot strike induces a higher load on foot and ankle structures than rearfoot strike. Sufficient foot muscle strength is also necessary to prevent excessive longitudinal arch (LA) deformation when running with nonrearfoot strike.

Return to play decision after shoulder dislocation in upper limb athletes: Critical analysis between the habits of medical professionals and the literature.

Background: The return to field is a critical moment for an athlete who has dislocated his shoulder as there is a significant risk of recurrence. The decision to return to field made by the doctor will therefore be crucial for the smooth continuation of the athlete's career.

Hypothesis: This objective is to compare the criteria most used by specialists in clearing an overhead athlete to return to competition after a first episode of antero-internal dislocation of the glenohumeral joint with or without surgery and those mentioned in the literature.

Prevention of shoulder injuries in volleyball players: The usefulness and efficiency of a warm-up routine.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the efficiency of a warm-up routine focused on shoulder injury prevention in volleyball players.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: University.

Differences in Strength and Fatigue Resistance of Scapular Protractors and Retractors Between Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Dyskinesis.

Context: Scapular dyskinesis is a shoulder dysfunction that can be asymptomatic or associated with pain or weakness. Reduced strength and fatigue resistance of the scapular protractor and retractor muscles that stabilize the scapula might contribute to dyskinesis.

Objectives: To determine the strength and fatigue resistance profiles of participants with symptomatic or asymptomatic scapular dyskinesis and compare them with healthy control (HC) individuals using isokinetic assessment.

Preseason shoulder screening in volleyball players: is there any change during season?

Background: Volleyball players sollicit their shoulder with high velocity and high ranges of motion. Musculoskeletal adaptations have been described after some years of practice but have not been explored after some months of practice. The objective of this study was to analyze the short-term evolution of shoulder clinical measures and functional performance in youth competitive volleyball players.

Quadriceps handheld dynamometry during the post-ICU trajectory: using strictly the same body position is mandatory for repeated measures.

Background: The level of quadriceps strength (QS) generated in the supine or seated position is not similar. For QS follow-up from intensive care unit (ICU) stay to recovery, getting comparable measures is essential. This study aimed to develop and validate new equations for estimating QS in a given position based on the measurement taken in another one.

[Hamstring muscle injury in football players. Part 2 : preventive strategies].

Prevention of hamstring injuries represents an important issue for football players and clubs. Preventive strategies can be effective if they include multiple dimensions and are well-structured. Five points appear essential in order to obtain a high-quality preventive strategy: progressive muscle strengthening, optimal workload management, lumbopelvic stability exercises, development of physical condition and optimization of sprint technique.

Survey of physicians' and physiotherapists' ankle muscle strength assessment practices for safe return to sports after lateral ankle sprain: A short report.

Background And Purpose: Ankle muscle strength is an important criterion to consider and assess for return to play (RTP) after lateral ankle sprain (LAS). This study therefore focuses on the reported ankle muscle strength consideration for RTP by physicians and physiotherapists, both clinicians involved in RTP decisions, and how they assess it in daily practice. The primary aim is to compare reported clinical practice on ankle muscle strength evaluation between physicians and physiotherapists.

[Hamstring muscle injury in football players - Part I : epidemiology, risk factors, injury mechanisms and treatment].

Due to its high frequency and recurrence rate, hamstring injury represents an important issue in football currently. The mechanisms of injury and the main modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors are now well documented and should allow the implementation of effective preventive strategies. In the treatment of the injured player, the physician will have to rely on a close collaboration with a quality sports physiotherapist and implement a series of key elements allowing an optimal return to the soccer field, which means at the same level of performance compared to the pre-injury period and with a minimal risk of recurrence.

The Modified-Athletic Shoulder Test: Reliability and validity of a new on-field assessment tool.

Objectives: To assess the reliability and the validity of a modified version of the Athletic Shoulder Test (M-AST), using a handheld dynamometer instead of a force plate.

Design: Test-retest reliability and concordance between tools.

Setting: University Motion Lab.

Sex differences in shoulder performance fatiguability are affected by arm position, dominance and muscle group.

Background: Injury prevalence data, muscle strength, and fatiguability differ between males and females. In addition, arm spatial orientation affects muscle activation and strength of the shoulder muscles. Nevertheless, little research has been conducted in relation to the shoulder rotator muscles comparing men and women.

Pilot study to investigate the feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial that compares Immediate versus Optional Delayed surgical repair for treatment of acute Anterior cruciate ligament injury: IODA pilot trial.

Introduction: Standard care for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries includes surgical reconstruction of the ACL. However, two randomised controlled trials (RCTs) concluded that conservative treatment does not result in inferior clinical outcomes compared with immediate ACL reconstruction. More research is needed to in the first place verify these results, and second to assess whether patient-specific parameters determine whether a patient would benefit from one treatment option over the other.

The influence of growth and development on shoulder rotators strength in young male and female elite tennis players.

Background: Tennis practice requires a lot of technical, physical and mental qualities that have to be trained from the youngest age. The important number of hours spent on the court can lead, medium-to-long term to strength or flexibility adaptations, even in the youngest players. The current study aimed to explore the developmental consequences of repetitively playing tennis on shoulder range of motion and shoulder rotators' strength in elite male and female tennis players.

Physical capacities assessment in critically ill patients: An exploratory study.

Background: The severity of muscle weakness after critical illness is very heterogeneous. To identify those patients who may maximally benefit from early exercises would be highly valuable. This implies an assessment of physical capacities, comprised at least of strength measurement and functional tests.

Quadriceps strength in intensive care unit survivors: Variability and influence of preadmission physical activity.

Background: Muscle weakness is common in patients who survive a stay in the intensive care unit (ICU). Quadriceps strength (QS) measurement allows evaluation of lower limb performances that are associated with mobility outcomes.

Objectives: The objective of the study was to characterise the range of QS in ICU survivors (ICUS) during their short-term evolution, by comparing them with surgical patients without critical illness and with healthy participants.