Introduction: Instrument-assisted manual therapy (IAMT) is suitable for optimizing movement prerequisites, such as range of motion, flexibility, microcirculation, and pain inhibition along myofascial chains, potentially leading to a reduction in hamstring injuries. To date, however, IAMT's modes of action remain largely unclear. This study aimed to examine the functional and structural effects of repetitive IAMT after 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe role of adenosine receptors in fascial manipulation-induced analgesia has not yet been investigated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the involvement of the adenosine A receptor (AR) in the antihyperalgesic effect of plantar fascia manipulation (PFM), specifically in mice with peripheral inflammation. Mice injected with Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA) underwent behavioral, i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChanges in the mechanical properties (i.e., stiffness) of soft tissues have been linked to musculoskeletal disorders, pain conditions, and cancer biology, leading to a rising demand for diagnostic methods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Instrument-assisted manual therapy (IAMT) is indicated to improve flexibility, reduce pain, and induce hyperaemia locally and along myofascial chains. The underlying effects are largely unclear. This randomised, placebo-controlled pilot study aimed to gain first insights into these effects, primarily on the structural level, through ultrasonography.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis paper presents a concept for detection of venous air emboli inside the superior vena cava using a central venous catheter with integrated Doppler ultrasound transducer installed on the tip. Several Doppler probes each with a single insonation frequencies of 2 MHz, 4 MHz or 8 MHz are characterized and compared for usefulness in this scenario. During in vitro experiments using an artificial blood circulatory with blood mimicking fluid bubbles with defined volumes were injected and recorded as gaseous embolic events.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Foam rolling is a type of self-massage using tools such as foam or roller sticks. However, to date, there is no consensus on contraindications and cautions of foam rolling. A methodological approach to narrow that research gap is to obtain reliable opinions of expert groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFibrotic diseases are still a serious concern for public health, due to their high prevalence, complex etiology and lack of successful treatments. Fibrosis consists of excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix components. As a result, the structure and function of tissues are impaired, thus potentially leading to organ failure and death in several chronic diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMalignant hyperthermia (MH) is a pharmacogenetic disorder of skeletal muscle metabolism characterized by generalized muscle rigidity, increased body temperature, rhabdomyolysis, hyperkalemia and severe metabolic acidosis. The underlying mechanism of MH involves excessive Ca release from myotubes via the ryanodine receptor type 1 (RYR1) and the voltage-dependent L-type calcium channel (CACNA1S). As more than 300 variants of unknown significance have been detected to date, we examined whether freely available pathogenicity prediction tools are able to detect relevant MH causing variants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReduced Cl conductance causes inhibited muscle relaxation after forceful voluntary contraction due to muscle membrane hyperexcitability. This represents the pathomechanism of myotonia congenita. Due to the prevailing data suggesting that an increased potassium level is a main contributor, we studied the effect of a modulator of a big conductance Ca- and voltage-activated K channels (BK) modulator on contraction and relaxation of slow- and high-twitch muscle specimen before and after the pharmacological induction of myotonia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Manual palpation is a core skill in physical examination. Assessing elastic properties such as tissue stiffness has the potential for being an important diagnostics tool in the detection of cancer and other diseases.
Objective: The study describes the newly developed Stiffness Comparison Test (SCT).
The original article contains an error during online publication. Table 2 was included during production round and now deleted. The Original article has been corrected.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn myotonia, reduced Cl conductance of the mutated ClC-1 channels causes hindered muscle relaxation after forceful voluntary contraction due to muscle membrane hyperexcitability. Repetitive contraction temporarily decreases myotonia, a phenomena called "warm up." The underlying mechanism for the reduction of hyperexcitability in warm-up is currently unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAging is a one-way process associated with profound structural and functional changes in the organism. Indeed, the neuromuscular system undergoes a wide remodeling, which involves muscles, fascia, and the central and peripheral nervous systems. As a result, intrinsic features of tissues, as well as their functional and structural coupling, are affected and a decline in overall physical performance occurs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Myofascial (self-)treatments, such as foam rollers to therapeutic instruments in manual therapy, are utilized increasingly in prevention and therapy in healthy people, athletes, and patients suffering from chronic back pain. However, there is limited knowledge about the effectiveness of treatment and the underlying mechanisms of myofascial therapies, especially for instrument-assisted manual therapy (IAMT). Therefore, this pilot study will investigate the feasibility and impact of IAMT for the lumbar area compared with heat application and placebo treatment as a basis for calculating the sample size for further full studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a potentially lethal disorder triggered by certain anesthetics. Mutations in the ryanodine receptor 1 (RYR1) gene account for about half of MH cases. Discordance between the low incidence of MH and a high prevalence of mutations has been attributed to incomplete penetrance, which has not been quantified yet.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe ubiquitous network of fascial tissues in the human body is usually regarded as a passive contributor to musculoskeletal dynamics. This review aims to highlight the current understanding of fascial stiffness regulation. Notably the ability for active cellular contraction which may augment the stiffness of fascial tissues and thereby contribute to musculoskeletal dynamics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFascial tissues form a ubiquitous network throughout the whole body, which is usually regarded as a passive contributor to biomechanical behavior. We aimed to answer the question, whether fascia may possess the capacity for cellular contraction which, in turn, could play an active role in musculoskeletal mechanics. Human and rat fascial specimens from different body sites were investigated for the presence of myofibroblasts using immunohistochemical staining for α-smooth muscle actin ( 31 donors, 20 animals).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Bodyw Mov Ther
October 2018
Basic sciences are the backbone of every clear understanding of how the body is composed and how different structures and functions are connected with each other. It is obvious that there is a huge variability in human beings - not only in terms of the outer appearance such as measurements of height, weight, muscle mass and other physical properties, but also with respect to metabolic and functional parameters. This article highlights recent developments of research activities in the field of fascia sciences with a special emphasis on assessment strategies as the basis of further studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKey Points: During myotonia congenita, reduced chloride (Cl ) conductance results in impaired muscle relaxation and increased muscle stiffness after forceful voluntary contraction. Repetitive contraction of myotonic muscle decreases or even abolishes myotonic muscle stiffness, a phenomenon called 'warm up'. Pharmacological inhibition of low Cl channels by anthracene-9-carboxylic acid in muscle from mice and ADR ('arrested development of righting response') muscle from mice showed a relaxation deficit under physiological conditions compared to wild-type muscle.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe fascial system builds a three-dimensional continuum of soft, collagen-containing, loose and dense fibrous connective tissue that permeates the body and enables all body systems to operate in an integrated manner. Injuries to the fascial system cause a significant loss of performance in recreational exercise as well as high-performance sports, and could have a potential role in the development and perpetuation of musculoskeletal disorders, including lower back pain. Fascial tissues deserve more detailed attention in the field of sports medicine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Volatile anaesthetics are a potential hazard during occupational exposure, pregnancy or in individuals with existing disposition to malignant hyperthermia. Anaesthetic waste gas concentration in postanaesthesia care units (PACU) has rarely been investigated.
Objective(s): The current study aims to assess concentrations of volatile anaesthetics in relation to room size, number of patients and ventilator settings in different PACUs.
Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a fatal hypermetabolic state that may occur during general anesthesia in susceptible individuals. It is often caused by mutations in the ryanodine receptor RyR1 that favor drug-induced release of Ca from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Here, knowing that membrane depolarization triggers Ca release in normal muscle function, we study the cross-influence of membrane potential and anesthetic drugs on Ca release.
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