Immediate Effect of Abdominal and Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises on Interrecti Distance in Women With Diastasis Recti Abdominis Who Were Parous.

Objective: There is a lack of consensus on which abdominal or pelvic floor muscle (PFM) exercises to recommend for the treatment of diastasis recti abdominis (DRA). The objective of this study was to investigate the immediate effect of abdominal and PFM exercises on interrecti distance (IRD) in women with DRA who are parous.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 38 women who were parous, with a mean age of 36.

The effect of formoterol inhalation on endurance performance in hypobaric conditions.

Introduction: Inhaled beta2-agonists are important therapeutic agents for the treatment of exercise-induced asthma in athletes but are restricted by international antidoping regulations.

Purpose: To investigate whether 18 mug of inhaled formoterol affects endurance performance during running at high altitudes until exhaustion among 20 nonasthmatic male athletes aged 21-35 yr.

Methods: : In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, the athletes performed one screening test and two similar performance tests.

Neuromuscular fatigue and recovery in elite female handball players.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the degree of neuromuscular fatigue and recovery from fatigue, following handball training and handball matches at elite level. The focus was specifically on changes in physical performance when playing three matches over the course of 3 days, which simulates a sequence in international championships. Female players from the Norwegian national handball team were tested during a 5-day training camp (seven players) and a 3-day international tournament (eight players).

Energy balance in weight stable athletes with and without menstrual disorders.

The energy balance and nutritional adequacy was assessed in a group of runners with irregular menstrual function (IR, n = 10) and in a comparable group of runners with normal menstrual function (R, n = 10). Based on computerized records of 3 days food intake, the mean content of energy and macronutrients were estimated. Excess energy expenditure (EEE) during training hours was estimated using HF monitoring and individual HF/VO2 nomograms.

Modelling the parallel bars in men's artistic gymnastics.

The modelling of the parallel bars-gymnast system is considered. A 2D frontal plane model for the parallel bars apparatus is developed, enabling technique and injury analysis to be undertaken when combined with an interacting gymnast body model. We also demonstrate how such a gymnast body model may be combined with the parallel bars model by use of a simplifying symmetry consideration about the gymnast's sagittal plane.

An analysis of the quality of cartilage repair studies.

Background: Most lesions of articular cartilage do not heal spontaneously and may lead to secondary osteoarthritis. It is not known whether the optimistic reports on the short and long-term results of several different cartilage repair techniques are based on sound methodological quality.

Methods: We performed a literature search in MEDLINE, CINAHL, the Cochrane Central Register, and EMBASE and included studies in which the primary aim of the investigation was to report the outcome after cartilage repair in the knee with use of microfracture, autologous osteochondral transplantation, autologous periosteal transplantation, or autologous chondrocyte implantation.

Validity and stability of a computerized metabolic system with mixing chamber.

The aim of this study was to validate a computerized metabolic system with mixing chamber (Oxycon Pro, Erich Jaeger GmbH, Hoechberg, Germany) against the Douglas bag method (1) over a large range of ventilations and (2) for drift during shorter (25-min time trial) and longer (approximately three months) test periods. Eighteen well-trained/elite cyclists performed graded exercise tests, maximal oxygen uptake tests and time trial tests on an electromagnetic braked cycle ergometer. Respiratory variables were measured simultaneously, once or several times in every test by the Oxycon Pro and the Douglas bag method.

Aerobic fitness in young Norwegian men: a comparison between 1980 and 2002.

The purpose of this study was to compare the maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) in 18-19-year-old Norwegian men from 1980 to 1985 and 2002. In addition, we investigated the relationship between VO2max and education and smoking habits in the sample from 2002. From 1980 to 1985, VO2max was predicted using the Astrand-Rhyming bicycle test for 183 610 eighteen-year-old Norwegian men (91% of the male Norwegian population in this age group).

The female athlete triad exists in both elite athletes and controls.

Purpose: To examine the prevalence of the female athlete triad (the Triad) in Norwegian elite athletes and controls.

Methods: This study was conducted in three phases: (part I) screening by means of a detailed questionnaire, (part II) measurement of bone mineral density (BMD), and (part III) clinical interview. In part I, all female elite athletes representing the national teams at junior or senior level, aged 13-39 yr (N = 938) and an age group-matched randomly selected population-based control group (N = 900) were invited to participate.

Solving the heart mechanics equations with Newton and quasi Newton methods--a comparison.

The non-linear elasticity equations of heart mechanics are solved while emulating the effects of a propagating activation wave. The dynamics of a 1 cm(3) slab of active cardiac tissue was simulated as the electrical wave traversed the muscular heart wall transmurally. The regular Newton (Newton-Raphson) method was compared to two modified Newton approaches, and also to a third approach that delayed update only of some selected Jacobian elements.

Parental smoking and childhood asthma: clinical implications.

Environmental tobacco smoke and constituents are global risks for human health. Considerable evidence shows that environmental tobacco smoke exposure contributes to, and exacerbates, respiratory disorders. This review assesses the causal role of environmental tobacco smoke exposure for childhood respiratory disorders, and in particular asthma.

Research approaches to describe the mechanisms of injuries in sport: limitations and possibilities.

A number of different methodological approaches have been used to describe the inciting event for sports injuries. These include interviews of injured athletes, analysis of video recordings of actual injuries, clinical studies (clinical findings of joint damage are studied to understand the injury mechanism, mainly through plain radiography, magnetic resonance imaging, arthroscopy, and computed tomography scans), in vivo studies (ligament strain or forces are measured to understand ligament loading patterns), cadaver studies, mathematical modelling and simulation of injury situations, and measurement/estimation from "close to injury" situations. In rare cases, injuries have even occurred during biomechanical experiments.

Lower urinary tract symptoms and pelvic floor muscle exercise adherence after 15 years.

Objective: Pelvic floor muscle training effectively treats female stress urinary incontinence. However, data on long-term efficacy and adherence are sparse. Our aims were to assess current lower urinary tract symptoms and exercise adherence 15 years after ending organized training.

Low bone mineral density is two to three times more prevalent in non-athletic premenopausal women than in elite athletes: a comprehensive controlled study.

Objective: To compare bone mineral density (BMD), investigate factors associated with BMD, and examine the prevalence of low BMD in athletes and non-athletic controls.

Methods: The study included a questionnaire (part I), measurement of BMD (part II), and a clinical interview (part III). All Norwegian female athletes on national teams (n = 938) and an aged matched random sample of non-athletic controls (n = 900) were invited to participate.

Evaluation of female pelvic-floor muscle function and strength.

Evaluation of pelvic-floor muscle (PFM) function and strength is necessary (1) to be able to teach and give feedback regarding a woman's ability to contract the PFM and (2) to document changes in PFM function and strength throughout intervention. The aims of this article are to give an overview of methods to assess PFM function and strength and to discuss the responsiveness, reliability, and validity of data obtained with the methods available for clinical practice and research today. Palpation, visual observation, electromyography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measure different aspects of PFM function.

Prevalence of jumper's knee among elite athletes from different sports: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The prevalence of jumper's knee across different sports has not been examined, and it is not known if there is a gender difference. Data from surgical case series indicate that there may be a high prevalence in sports with high speed and power demands.

Hypothesis: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of jumper's knee in different sports among female and male athletes and to correlate the prevalence to the loading characteristics of the extensor mechanism in these sports.

Exercises to prevent lower limb injuries in youth sports: cluster randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To investigate the effect of a structured warm-up programme designed to reduce the incidence of knee and ankle injuries in young people participating in sports.

Design: Cluster randomised controlled trial with clubs as the unit of randomisation.

Setting: 120 team handball clubs from central and eastern Norway (61 clubs in the intervention group, 59 in the control group) followed for one league season (eight months).

The female athlete triad: are elite athletes at increased risk?

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the percentage of elite athletes and controls at risk of the female athlete triad.

Methods: A detailed questionnaire, which included questions regarding training and/or physical activity patterns, menstrual history, oral contraceptive use, weight history, eating patterns, dietary history, and the Body Dissatisfaction (BD) and Drive for Thinness (DT) subscales of the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI), was prepared. The questionnaire was administered to the total population of female elite athletes in Norway representing the national teams at the junior or senior level, 13-39 yr of age (N = 938) and non-athlete controls in the same age group (N = 900).

Does the size of the vaginal probe affect measurement of pelvic floor muscle strength?

Background: The most commonly used method to measure pelvic floor muscle (PFM) strength is vaginal squeeze pressure. There are, however, several apparatuses available for this purpose, and sizes of the probes differ significantly. The aim of the present investigation was to assess whether the size of two commonly used vaginal probes influences measurement of PFM strength.

Mechanisms of head injuries in elite football.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe, using video analysis, the mechanisms of head injuries and of incidents with a high risk of head injury in elite football.

Methods: Videotapes and injury information were collected prospectively for 313 of the 409 matches played in the Norwegian (2000 season) and Icelandic (1999 and 2000 season) professional leagues. Video recordings of incidents where a player appeared to be hit in the head and the match was consequently interrupted by the referee were analysed and cross referenced with reports of acute time loss injuries from the team medical staff.

Cadence and performance in elite cyclists.

Many studies have attempted to describe the optimal cadence in cycling. However, the effect on performance has received little attention. The aim of the present study was therefore to examine the effect of cadence on performance during prolonged cycling (approximately 30 min).

Video analysis of injuries and incidents in Norwegian professional football.

Objectives: This study describes the characteristics of injuries and high risk situations in the Norwegian professional football league during one competitive season using Football Incident Analysis (FIA), a video based method.

Methods: Videotapes and injury information were collected prospectively for 174 of 182 (96%) regular league matches during the 2000 season. Incidents where the match was interrupted due to an assumed injury were analysed using FIA to examine the characteristics of the playing situation causing the incident.

A 10-week randomized trial comparing eccentric vs. concentric hamstring strength training in well-trained soccer players.

Purpose: To compare the effects of a 10-week training program with two different exercises -- traditional hamstring curl (HC) and Nordic hamstrings (NH), a partner exercise focusing the eccentric phase -- on muscle strength among male soccer players.

Methods: Subjects were 21 well-trained players who were randomized to NH training (n = 11) or HC training (n = 10). The programs were similar, with a gradual increase in the number of repetitions from two sets of six reps to three sets of eight to 12 reps over 4 weeks, and then increasing load during the final 6 weeks of training.

Factors affecting swimming economy in children and adults.

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of several explanatory factors: anthropometry, buoyancy, passive underwater torque, drag and swimming technique on the energy cost of swimming front crawl in children and adults. Submaximal V(.)O(2) was measured in ten children (age 12) and 13 adults (age 21), as well as body length (BL), body mass, arm length, propelling size, active drag, hydrostatic lift, passive torque, intracyclic velocity fluctuation, hand slip, stroke length and body angle.