The Contributions of Knee Extension Strength and Hand Grip Strength to Factors Relevant to Physical Frailty: The Tanno-Sobetsu Study.

Sarcopenia is the core factor of frailty. This study specifically focused on lower limb muscle strength and examined muscle indices that indicate the risk of frailty or pre-frailty in older adults. The study included 327 community-dwelling individuals aged ≥65 years (43.

Preserved Lower Limb Muscle Mass Prevents Insulin Resistance Development in Nondiabetic Older Adults.

Objective: To investigate roles of sarcopenia indexes in prediction of development of insulin resistance in nondiabetic older adults.

Design: A 2-year follow-up cohort.

Setting And Participants: The Tanno-Sobetsu study, a prospective observational cohort, included 194 community-dwelling nondiabetic older adults during 2017-2019.

Walking Speed Is Better Than Hand Grip Strength as an Indicator of Early Decline in Physical Function with Age in Japanese Women Over 65: A Longitudinal Analysis of the Tanno-Sobetsu Study Using Linear Mixed-Effects Models.

The decline in physical function with age is a major contributor to the need for long-term care. Age-related changes in hand grip strength, knee extension, and walking speed have been reported in cross-sectional studies, but longitudinal data are needed. This longitudinal study measured changes in these three measures among community-dwelling adults aged 65-89 years who participated in general health examinations between 2017 and 2019.

Toe Grip strength declines earlier than hand grip strength and knee extension strength in community-dwelling older men: a cross sectional study.

Background: The aim of this study is to examine the age-related changes in the toe grip strength and its differences from hand grip strength and knee extension strength using cross-sectional data.

Methods: Of participants aged 65 years over who underwent health checkups for lifestyle-related diseases in 2018, 307 men and women met the criteria. Toe grip strength, hand grip strength, and knee extension strength were also measured as optional tests.

Association of Social Capital and Locus of Control with Perceived Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan.

Previous studies have indicated that social capital and locus of control influence mental health. Accordingly, we investigated the effect of social capital and locus of control on perceived physical and mental health in the general Japanese population during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to conduct a cross-sectional study, in 2021, three thousand citizens were randomly selected from the Chitose City Resident Register according to ten strata of sex and age classes between 30 years and 79 years.

Repeated standing back extension exercise: Influence on muscle shear modulus change after lumbodorsal muscle fatigue.

Background: In low back pain, multifidus muscle fibers reportedly exhibit increased stiffness. Low back pain was associated with lumbodorsal muscle fatigue. There is no report of using shear modulus to verify the mechanism of an immediate effect of exercise on low back pain.

Lower limb muscle mass is associated with insulin resistance more than lower limb muscle strength in non-diabetic older adults.

Aim: We examined the association of muscle mass and muscle strength with insulin resistance, focusing on lower limb muscles.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, and participants were registered in 2017 from the Tanno-Sobetsu Study, a population-based cohort study. After excluding individuals aged <64 years or with a history of diabetes mellitus, 272 non-diabetic older adults (116 men, 156 women) met the inclusion criteria.

Reproducibility of elastic modulus measurement of the multifidus using the shear wave elastography function of an ultrasound diagnostic device.

[Purpose] This study aimed to obtain evidence of the musculo-physiological involvement in the effect of physiotherapy on low back pain by examining the reproducibility of elasticity measurements of the multifidus muscle at different trunk angles via the shear wave elastography function of an ultrasound diagnostic device. [Participants and Methods] This study included 11 healthy adults. Measurements were conducted with participants in the prone position, and the elasticity of the superficial and deeper layers of the multifidus muscle was measured under the following 3 conditions: trunk at neutral position, trunk flexed at 40°, and trunk extended at 20°.

Change in the circulation and activity of the lower erector spinae muscles after repeated trunk extension movement.

Background: The optimum repetition number of standing back-extension exercise (SBEE) effective for the prevention and improvement of low back pain (LBP) is unknown.

Objective: To determine the effect of physiotherapy on LBP by investigating the optimum repetition number of SBEE via optical analysis and electromyographic (EMG) examination of the multifidus muscles.

Methods: Hemodynamics and multifidus muscle activity were examined in 16 healthy adult men using near-infrared spectroscopy and surface EMG after performing repetitive SBEE.

Differences in physical activity between seasons with and without snowfall among elderly individuals residing in areas that receive snowfall.

[Purpose] This study aimed to examine the influence of climatic conditions on the daily physical activities of elderly individuals by comparing the physical activity during seasons with and without snowfall. [Participants and Methods] In total, 35 participants attending the Health Promotion Program conducted by Chitose City Office participated in this study. The survey for the seasons with snowfall was conducted in February 2016, while the survey for the seasons without snowfall was conducted in September 2015.

Reliability and Validity of Seated Hip Extensor Strength Measurement by Handheld Dynamometer in Older Adults.

Background And Purpose: Muscle strength measurements with the handheld dynamometer are sometimes performed according to manual muscle testing. However, measuring hip extensor muscle strength in the prone position is difficult, since the some older adults have kyphosis or flexion contracture of the lower limbs. Alternatively, there is the standing position method of manual muscle testing, which accomodates those malalignments; however, it is known that the muscle strength of the lower limb that is not measured affects the measurement result.

Effects of movement from a postural maintenance position on lumbar hemodynamic changes.

[Purpose] To investigate the effects of movement from a postural maintenance position on lumbar hemodynamic changes, in order to prevent lower back pain and develop exercise therapy. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-five healthy adults (mean age: 23.2 years) participated in the study.

Upper extremity muscle tone and response of tidal volume during manually assisted breathing for patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation.

[Purpose] The aim of the present study was to examine, in patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation, if the response of tidal volume during manually assisted breathing is dependent upon both upper extremity muscle tone and the pressure intensity of manually assisted breathing. [Subjects] We recruited 13 patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation, and assessed their upper extremity muscle tone using the modified Ashworth scale (MAS). The subjects were assigned to either the low MAS group (MAS≤2, n=7) or the high MAS group (MAS≥3, n=6).

Comparison of changes in tidal volume associated with expiratory rib cage compression and expiratory abdominal compression in patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation.

[Purpose] This study was designed to compare and clarify the relationship between expiratory rib cage compression and expiratory abdominal compression in patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation, with a focus on tidal volume. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 18 patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation, who had undergone tracheostomy. Each patient received expiratory rib cage compression and expiratory abdominal compression; the order of implementation was randomized.

Measuring seated hip extensor strength using a handheld dynamometer: an examination of the reliability and validity of the protocol.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of measurements of hip extensor muscle strength using a handheld dynamometer (HHD) with subjects in a sitting position. In doing so, we also aimed to establish a modified method of measurement for patients with flexion contractures in the trunk and lower extremities. [Subjects and Methods] In 20 healthy males, hip extensor muscle strength was measured using a handheld dynamometer in sitting, prone, and standing positions by contracting the hip extensor muscle isometrically with the knee flexed at 90 degrees.

Parameters affecting the tidal volume during expiratory abdominal compression in patients with prolonged tracheostomy mechanical ventilation.

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to clarify physical parameters affecting the tidal volume during expiratory abdominal compression in patients with prolonged tracheostomy mechanical ventilation. [Methods] Eighteen patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation were included in this study. Expiratory abdominal compression was performed on patients lying in a supine position.

Test-retest reliability of expiratory abdominal compression with a handheld dynamometer in patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation.

[Purpose] The present study aimed to examine the test-retest reliability of expiratory abdominal compression with a handheld dynamometer in patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation. [Subjects and Methods] We recruited 18 patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation. All patients had impaired consciousness.