Graft Type and Diameter Are Predictors of Reinjury After Transphyseal Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Pediatric and Adolescent Patients.

Purpose: To report the rate of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) graft failure by physis status (open, closing, closed) and to analyze which factors were associated with higher risk of ACL graft failure.

Methods: Patients younger than 18 years who underwent transphyseal ACL reconstruction (ACLR) between 2000 and 2018 at a single institution were reviewed at minimum 2 years after ACLR. Patient records were reviewed for anthropometrics, surgical techniques, and ACL graft failure.

Physical training augmented with whole body electronic muscle stimulation favorably impacts cardiovascular biomarkers in healthy adults - A pilot randomized controlled trial.

Background: Physical activity is protective against cardiovascular disease (CVD) and favorably improves CVD risk profile. However, more than 25 % of American adults report no participation in physical activity. Whole body electronic muscle stimulation (WB-EMS) training is a novel FDA-cleared technology which offers a time-efficient and adaptable method for physical training by simultaneously stimulating the main muscle groups using percutaneous electrical impulse transmission.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Does Not Increase the Risk for a Future Concussion: A Unidirectional Phenomenon.

Context: Epidemiological studies have shown an increased risk of musculoskeletal injury after concussion. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the reverse relationship exists, specifically whether there is an increased risk of concussion after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in a population-based cohort.

Design: Retrospective cohort.

From Gut Microbiota to Brain Waves: The Potential of the Microbiome and EEG as Biomarkers for Cognitive Impairment.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder and a leading cause of dementia. Aging is a significant risk factor for AD, emphasizing the importance of early detection since symptoms cannot be reversed once the advanced stage is reached. Currently, there is no established method for early AD diagnosis.

Amelioration of Anxiety Associated with Opioid Withdrawal by Activation of Spinal Mechanoreceptors Via Novel Heterodyned Whole Body Vibration.

Objectives: Opioid use disorder (OUD)-associated overdose deaths have reached epidemic proportions worldwide. An important driving force for relapse is anxiety associated with opioid withdrawal. We hypothesized that our new technology, termed heterodyned whole-body vibration (HWBV) would ameliorate anxiety associated with OUD.

Interoceptive posture awareness and accuracy: a novel photographic strategy towards making posture actionable.

Interoception, sometimes referred to as the 'hidden sense,' communicates the state of internal conditions for autonomic energy regulation and is important for human motor control as well as self-awareness. The insula, the cortex of interoception, integrates internal senses such as hunger, thirst and emotions. With input from the cerebellum and proprioceptive inputs, it creates a vast sensorimotor network essential for static posture and dynamic movement.

Acute effects of an isometric neck warm-up programme on neck performance characteristics and ultrasound-based morphology.

Objective: Athletic performance can be enhanced immediately after an isometric warm-up, a phenomenon termed post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE). While isometric warm-ups can improve lower extremity sprint and jump performance, neck-specific isometric warm-ups need development and validation for mild traumatic brain disorders and neck pain. This study examined acute effects of isometric warm-ups on neck performance and morphology.

The effectiveness of clinic versus home-based, artificial intelligence-guided therapy in patients with low back pain: Non-randomized clinical trial.

Background: Low back pain is a common cause of disability in the US with increasing financial burden on healthcare. A variety of treatment options exist to combat LBP. Home-based therapy is a low-cost option, but there is a lack of data on how it compares to therapy in clinical settings.

Group differences and associations between patient-reported outcomes and physical characteristics in chronic low back pain patients and healthy controls.

Background: Patients with chronic low back pain can exhibit altered slower gait, poor balance, and lower strength/power, and psychological dysfunctions such as pain catastrophizing and fear of movement. Few studies have investigated the relationships between physical and psychological dysfunctions. This study examined associations between patient-reported outcomes (pain interference, physical function, central sensitization, and kinesiophobia) and physical characteristics (gait, balance, and trunk sensorimotor characteristics).

Neck strength and force in reaction time task of adolescent athletes with and without concussion history: A pilot study.

Objectives: Assess the impact of concussion by comparing reaction time, peak force recruitment, and rate of force development of adolescent athletes returning from concussion against age- and sex-matched controls in visual-elicited neck movement.

Design: Athletes sat secured in a custom-built isometric device with their heads secured in a helmet and attached to a 6-axis load cell. They performed neck flexion, extension, and lateral flexion in response to a visual cue.

Arthrogenic muscle inhibition after anterior cruciate ligament injury: Injured and uninjured limb recovery over time.

Introduction: It is well documented that marked weakness of the quadriceps is present after knee joint injury. This joint trauma induces a presynaptic reflex inhibition of musculature surrounding the joint, termed arthrogenic muscle inhibition (AMI). The extent to which anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury affects thigh musculature motor unit activity, which may affect restoration of thigh muscle strength after injury, is undetermined.

Recurrence quantification analysis of isokinetic strength tests: A comparison of the anterior cruciate ligament reconstructed and the uninjured limb.

Background: Despite widespread use of return to sport testing following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, studies suggest inadequacy in current testing criteria, such as limb symmetry index calculations, to determine athletes' readiness to return to play. Recurrence quantification analysis, an emerging non-linear data analysis tool, may reveal subtle neuromuscular differences between the injured and uninjured limb that are not captured by traditional testing. We hypothesized that isokinetic torque curve data of the injured limb would demonstrate lower determinism and entropy as compared to the uninjured limb.

Physical clinical care and artificial-intelligence-guided core resistance training improve endurance and patient-reported outcomes in subjects with lower back pain.

Background: Low back pain is an extremely prevalent issue with an extensive impact, ranging from decreased quality of life to lost years of productivity. Many interventions have been developed to alleviate chronic lower back pain, yet it remains a widespread problem. The objective of this study was to examine the role of artificial intelligence guided resistance training relative to clinical variables in subjects experiencing lower back pain.

Altered neuromuscular control in the vastus medialis following anterior cruciate ligament injury: A recurrence quantification analysis of electromyogram recruitment.

Background: Neuromuscular deficits exist following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. To observe these deficits, we examined nonlinear characteristics of vastus medialis electromyography (EMG) signals during submaximal isometric knee extensor contractions. Our purpose was to examine if determinism and entropy in EMG signals reflected neuromuscular control deficits in individuals with ACL-deficient limbs.

Head and Neck Characteristics as Risk Factors For and Protective Factors Against Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Military and Sporting Populations: A Systematic Review.

Background: Investigators have proposed that various physical head and neck characteristics, such as neck strength and head and neck size, are associated with protection from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI/concussion).

Objectives: To systematically review the literature and investigate potential relationships between physical head and neck characteristics and mTBI risk in athletic and military populations.

Methods: A comprehensive search of seven databases was conducted: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science.

Arthrogenic muscle inhibition manifests in thigh musculature motor unit characteristics after anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Joint trauma induces a presynaptic reflex inhibition termed arthrogenic muscle inhibition (AMI) that prevents complete activation of muscles. Reduced motor unit (MU) output is a hypothesised mechanism for persistent strength deficits. The objective of this study was to determine MU characteristics of thigh musculature and determine how they change with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury compared to healthy controls.

Neuromotor control associates with muscle weakness observed with McArdle sign of multiple sclerosis.

Objective: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is often accompanied by myelopathy, which may be associated with progressive worsening. A specific finding of MS-associated myelopathy is McArdle sign, wherein neck flexion is associated with prominent increased limb weakness relative to that detected with neck extension. In this study, we characterized neuromotor control properties of finger extensors in association with the McArdle sign.

Modulation of dopamine release by ethanol is mediated by atypical GABA receptors on cholinergic interneurons in the nucleus accumbens.

Previous studies indicate that moderate-to-high ethanol (EtOH) concentrations enhance dopamine (DA) neurotransmission in the mesolimbic DA system from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and projecting to the nucleus accumbens core (NAc). However, voltammetry studies demonstrate that moderate-to-high EtOH concentrations decrease evoked DA release at NAc terminals. The involvement of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors (GABA Rs), glycine (GLY) receptors (GLYRs) and cholinergic interneurons (CINs) in mediating EtOH inhibition of evoked NAc DA release were examined.