ACUTE EFFECTS OF MUSCLE ENERGY TECHNIQUE AND JOINT MOBILIZATION ON SHOULDER TIGHTNESS IN YOUTH THROWING ATHLETES: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL.

Background: Posterior shoulder tightness (PST), defined as limited glenohumeral (GH) horizontal adduction and internal rotation motion, is a common occurrence in overhead athletes, particularly baseball and softball players, as a result of the extreme forces on the GH joint and the high number of throwing repetitions. Despite clinical evidence suggesting the use of joint mobilizations and muscle energy techniques (MET) for treating PST, there currently are no data examining the overall effectiveness of joint mobilizations and MET to determine optimal treatment for posterior shoulder tightness.

Purpose: To compare the acute effectiveness of MET and joint mobilizations for reducing posterior shoulder tightness, as measured by passive GH horizontal adduction and internal rotation ROM, among high school baseball and softball players.

The Influence of Corrective Exercises on Functional Movement Screen and Physical Fitness Performance in Army ROTC Cadets.

The functional movement screen (FMS) is a tool designed to identify limitations between sections of the body during fundamental movements. However, there is limited evidence on the effectiveness of corrective exercises to improve FMS scores. To examine the effects of individualized corrective exercises on improving FMS scores in Reserve Officers' Training Corps cadets and to correlate these changes with physical fitness performance as established with the standard Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT).

Kinematic and neuromuscular relationships between lower extremity clinical movement assessments.

Lower extremity injuries have immediate and long-term consequences. Lower extremity movement assessments can assist with identifying individuals at greater injury risk and guide injury prevention interventions. Movement assessments identify similar movement characteristics and evidence suggests large magnitude kinematic relationships exist between movement patterns observed across assessments; however, the magnitude of the relationships for electromyographic (EMG) measures across movement assessments remains largely unknown.

Ankle Dorsiflexion Displacement During Landing is Associated With Initial Contact Kinematics but not Joint Displacement.

The ankle, knee, and hip joints work together in the sagittal plane to absorb landing forces. Reduced sagittal plane motion at the ankle may alter landing strategies at the knee and hip, potentially increasing injury risk; however, no studies have examined the kinematic relationships between the joints during jump landings. Healthy adults (N = 30; 15 male, 15 female) performed jump landings onto a force plate while three-dimensional kinematic data were collected.

Altered knee and ankle kinematics during squatting in those with limited weight-bearing-lunge ankle-dorsiflexion range of motion.

Context: Ankle-dorsiflexion (DF) range of motion (ROM) may influence movement variables that are known to affect anterior cruciate ligament loading, such as knee valgus and knee flexion. To our knowledge, researchers have not studied individuals with limited or normal ankle DF-ROM to investigate the relationship between those factors and the lower extremity movement patterns associated with anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Objective: To determine, using 2 different measurement techniques, whether knee- and ankle-joint kinematics differ between participants with limited and normal ankle DF-ROM.

Kinematic differences between those with and without medial knee displacement during a single-leg squat.

A greater knee valgus angle is a risk factor for lower extremity injuries. Visually observed medial knee displacement is used as a proxy for knee valgus motion during movement assessments in an attempt to identify individuals at heightened risk for injury. The validity of medial knee displacement as an indicator of valgus motion has yet to be determined during a single-leg squat.

The effects of sleep quality and sleep quantity on concussion baseline assessment.

Objective: Proper concussion assessment is imperative for properly caring for athletes who sustain traumatic brain injuries. Decreased sleep quality and sleep quantity affect cognition and may threaten the validity of clinical measures often used as a part of the concussion assessment. The purpose of this study was to determine if sleep quality or sleep quantity affects performance on clinical measures of concussion.

The effects of lower extremity muscle activation and passive range of motion on single leg squat performance.

Knee valgus is a potential risk factor for lower extremity (LE) injuries. Clinical movement screenings and passive range of motion (PROM) measurements may help identify neuromuscular patterns, which contribute to knee valgus. The purpose of this study was to compare LE muscle activation and PROM between subjects who display visual medial knee displacement (MKD) during a single leg squat (SLS) and those who do not.

Quadriceps and hamstrings coactivation during common therapeutic exercises.

Context: Anterior tibial shear force and knee valgus moment increase anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) loading. Muscle coactivation of the quadriceps and hamstrings influences anterior tibial shear force and knee valgus moment, thus potentially influencing ACL loading and injury risk. Therefore, identifying exercises that facilitate balanced activation of the quadriceps and hamstrings might be beneficial in ACL injury rehabilitation and prevention.