Publications by authors named "James Laskin"

Objectives: To establish recommendations for designing, delivering, evaluating, and reporting exercise intervention research to improve fitness-related outcomes in people living with spinal cord injury (PwSCI).

Design: International consensus process.

Setting: (1) An expert panel was established consisting of 9 members of the governing panel of the International Spinal Cord Society Physical Activity Special Interest Group and 9 additional scientists who authored or co-authored ≥1 exercise randomized controlled trial paper involving PwSCI.

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Objective: The study examines the effects of the air-bladder offloading mode of a smart pressure redistribution wheelchair cushion on tissue oxygenation in the gluteal tissue of non-disabled participants. The hypothesis is that the cushion's offloading mode, which involves sequentially deflating its five air-bladders one at a time for a specific duration, would improve tissue oxygenation during sitting.

Methods: Two procedures were conducted.

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Purpose: Wheelchair users experience many barriers to physical activity as affordable and accessible exercise equipment options are limited. Thus, the home-based adapted rower (aROW) and gym-based aROW were developed. The objectives were to determine: 1) wheelchair users' preferences, perspectives, facilitators, and barriers to using the home-based versus the gym-based aROW, 2) perceived usability of the home and gym aROWs, and 3) recommendations to adapt the aROW further for home and community use.

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In British Columbia (BC), there are challenges accessing specialized spinal cord injury care and resources. This paper evaluated the impact of spinal cord injury health educational workshops delivered in regional communities that were informed by persons with lived experience. A community survey was conducted with 44 persons with lived experience in a BC region to identify priority SCI health-related topics.

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Background: Sweet-type Star fruit (SF) (Averrhoa carambola L.) is seasonal and more available for purchase in many markets in Thailand, when compared to the sour-type. But, its antioxidant activity results and potentially more modified supplement for elderly health during regular exercise in the community are unclear.

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Background: To compare the effects of short-term 8 week heavy-resistance or plyometric training protocols (HRT or PLY) incorporated into regular soccer practice on measures of neuromuscular functional performance in professional soccer players, a single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted.

Methods: Forty-seven participants aged 22.3 ± 3.

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Objective: The Standing and Walking Assessment Tool (SWAT) standardizes the timing and content of walking assessments during inpatient rehabilitation by combining 12 stages ranging from lowest to highest function (0, 0.5, 1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B, 2C, 3A, 3B, 3C, and 4) with 5 standard measures: the Berg Balance Scale, the modified Timed "Up & Go" test, the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale, the modified 6-Minute Walk Test, and the 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT). This study aimed to determine if the SWAT at rehabilitation discharge could predict outdoor walking capacity 1-year after discharge in people with traumatic spinal cord injury.

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Background: Shoulder muscle pain and spasm is the most common problem in people after prolonged working, similar to that resulting from office syndrome. Various medicinal treatments with analgesic drugs, hot packs, therapeutic ultrasound, or deep friction techniques can be clinically applied. Alternatively, traditional Thai massage (TM) with deep compression gentle technique also can help to release that problem.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to assess the immediate effects of progressive submaximal cycling on cardiorespiratory and metabolic variables in endurance-trained athletes (like triathletes) and strength-trained athletes (like bodybuilders), along with a control group of recreationally active students.
  • A total of 32 participants were split into three groups, and their heart rate, oxygen uptake, and other metabolic factors were measured during incremental cycling workloads up to 200 W.
  • The results showed that while cardiorespiratory responses were similar between endurance and strength athletes, there were significant metabolic differences, particularly in respiratory exchange ratio and blood lactate levels when compared to the control group, suggesting that endurance athletes may benefit from combining strength training for better performance.
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Objective: To describe the status of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) research for the improvement of motor, sensory, and autonomic function for individuals living with a spinal cord injury (SCI).

Data Sources: This scoping review identified original research published before March 31, 2021, via literature searches using MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, Science Direct, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, Sport Discus, and Web of Science, as well as a targeted search for well-known principal investigators. Search terms included permutations of "spinal cord stimulation," "epidural spinal cord stimulation," "transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation," "magnetic spinal cord stimulation," and "neuromodulation.

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Background: The programming of training protocols within a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) framework with appropriate analysis of total training load could deliver optimal training adaptations. This study aims to compare the efficiency of two low-volume HIIT protocols integrated with the regular training regime in professional soccer players.

Methods: Twenty-five participants aged 18.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study aimed to compare oxygen uptake during exercise using the Adapted ROWing machine (AROW) and Arm Crank Ergometry (ACE) among individuals with spinal cord injuries or diseases (SCI/D) in Vancouver, Canada.
  • Fourteen adults with SCI/D participated in non-randomized exercise sessions, each lasting 5 minutes on both machines at chosen low and moderate workloads; key measurements included oxygen consumption and perceived exertion.
  • Results showed that the AROW led to significantly higher oxygen consumption and perceived exertion levels compared to ACE, suggesting the AROW may offer a more effective upper body workout for individuals with various levels of SCI.
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The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 6-month high- or moderate-intensity total-body circuit training (CT) program on physical fitness in prepubertal soccer players. Sixty-seven prepubertal boys with a mean age of 11.2 ± 0.

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Motor control exercise (MCE) is commonly prescribed for patients with low back pain. Although MCE can improve clinical outcomes, lumbar multifidus muscle (LM) activation remains unchanged. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) can be used to re-activate motor units prior to MCE which should result in increased LM activation.

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Purpose: Arm crank ergometry and adaptive rowing are existing exercise options for wheelchairs users, but not commonly available. This study was conducted to explore exercise participation of wheelchair users, as well as the usability of the adaptive rowing ergometer (aROW) and arm crank ergometer (ACE).

Methods: This mixed-methods study used a concurrent triangulation design.

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Background And Purpose: Although Thai Yoga (TY) is reported to improve health-related fitness for the elderly, no study has yet carried out the effect of TY Program on physical mobility and lower-limb muscle strength in overweight/obese older women.

Materials And Methods: In a randomized controlled pilot design, twenty-two sedentary women with a BMI ≥ 23 kg/m, aged 62 ± 1 years were randomly assigned to either a TY group for 60 min, 3 times a week or to a "no exercise" control (CON) group. Sit and reach (SRT), functional reach (FRT) and 30-s chair stand (CST-30), 8-foot up and go (8UGT), 6-min walk (6MWT)) and lower-limb muscle strength were measured at the beginning, 4, and 8 weeks.

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Background: There is paucity of data examining the effectiveness of long-term Hatha yoga-based (HY) programs focused on the health-related fitness (H-RF) of asymptomatic, sedentary women. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 6-month HY-based training program on H-RF components in sedentary middle-aged women.

Methods: Eighty sedentary women were randomly assigned into either the HY group (HYG) (N.

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Background: Theoretically, lumbopelvic stabilization techniques during hamstring muscle stretching could increase lumbar stiffness relative to hamstring muscle in individuals with a history of low back pain and suspected clinical lumbar instability. However, evidence to support this theory is limited. This study aimed to 1) determine changes in lumbopelvic, lumbar, and hip motions, and hamstring muscle length after stretching exercises with lumbopelvic stiffening or relaxing techniques, and 2) compare those changes between techniques.

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Objective: The aims of this preliminary study were to evaluate the antioxidant and lipid status before and after star fruit juice consumption in healthy elderly subjects, and the vitamins in star fruit extracts.

Methods: A preliminary designated protocol was performed in 27 elderly individuals with a mean (±SD) age of 69.5±5.

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Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of star fruit juice supplementation on tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-23 (IL-23) and interleukin-2 (IL-2), nitric oxide (NO), and 6 min walking distance (6MWD) in a group of elderly individuals.

Methods: Twenty-nine individuals (20 males, 9 females) with a mean age of 72.4±8.

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Objective: To compare lateral abdominal muscle thickness between weightlifters and matched controls.

Design: A case control study design.

Setting: University laboratory.

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The purpose of the study was to examine the sport-specific performance of wheelchair rugby players with regard to their classification. A group of 30 male athletes from the Polish Wheelchair Rugby League participated in the study. The seven International Wheelchair Rugby Federation classes were collapsed into four groups.

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Wheelchair basketball athletes are classified using the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) functional classification system. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between upper extremity anaerobic performance (AnP) and all functional classification levels in wheelchair basketball. Ninety-seven male athletes from the Polish and Lithuanian national wheelchair basketball leagues took part in this study.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated the validity and reliability of the 6-minute walk test (T6MWT) on a treadmill to better predict aerobic capacity and assess health risks in chronic conditions.
  • 20 healthy participants (9 men and 11 women, aged around 29.5) underwent three treadmill tests and a cycle ergometer test to measure maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max).
  • The T6MWT showed strong reliability for measuring distance and heart rate, effectively predicting VO2max in healthy adults, suggesting it could be useful in clinical settings, especially for those with chronic diseases.
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Myotonometric measurement of muscle compliance represents new technology that quantifies muscle tone. Compliance change during muscle contraction might provide an indirect measure of strength. The purpose of this study was to determine relationships among myotonometric measurements of muscle compliance, surface electromyographic (sEMG) measurements of muscle activation and joint force production during voluntary isometric knee extensions.

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