Lower Limb Dominance, Morphology, and Sonographic Abnormalities of the Patellar Tendon in Elite Basketball Players: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Context Patellar tendinopathy is common in basketball players, and structural ultrasound abnormalities can be found in symptomatic and asymptomatic tendons. Lower limb dominance may also be a critical load factor, potentially leading to overloading of the patellar tendon. Objective To describe and compare the prevalence by lower limb dominance of patellar tendons with structural and vascular abnormalities and to describe the morphologic measures of tendons without abnormalities among adult male elite basketball players. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Medical center of a professional basketball team in the Spanish league. Patients or Other Participants A total of 73 adult male elite …

Response to letter to the editor: ‘Physical examination tests for screening and diagnosis of cervicogenic headache: A systematic review’

Sex Differences in the Velocity of Muscle Contraction of the Hamstring and Quadriceps Among Recreationally Active Young Adults

Martin-San Agustin, R, Medina-Mirapeix, F, Alakhdar, Y, and Benitez-Martinez, JC. Sex differences in the velocity of muscle contraction of the hamstring and quadriceps among recreationally active young adults. J Strength Cond Res 33(5): 1252-1257, 2019-This study determines sex differences in the velocity of contraction (VC) of 5 isolated muscles (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, rectus femoris, vastus medialis, and vastus lateralis) and in the relationships between them. Thirty-six female and 34 male recreationally active young adults participated in the study. The VC was measured by tensiomyography using normalized response velocity (Vrn) to perform comparisons. Sex comparisons were adjust…

Matlab-based interface for the simultaneous acquisition of force measures and Doppler ultrasound muscular images

This paper tackles the design of a graphical user interface (GUI) based on Matlab (MathWorks Inc., MA), a worldwide standard in the processing of biosignals, which allows the acquisition of muscular force signals and images from a ultrasound scanner simultaneously. Thus, it is possible to unify two key magnitudes for analyzing the evolution of muscular injuries: the force exerted by the muscle and section/length of the muscle when such force is exerted. This paper describes the modules developed to finally show its applicability with a case study to analyze the functioning capacity of the shoulder rotator cuff.

Patterns and predictors of low physical activity in patients with stable COPD: a longitudinal study

Background: Despite the frequency and negative impact of low physical activity among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), little is known about how it persists and remits over time or the factors predicting new states of low physical activity. The aim of the study was to determine the probability of a transition between states of low and nonlow physical activity in a cohort of patients with stable COPD followed for 2 years. We also investigated different potentially modifiable factors to determine whether they can predict new states of low physical activity. Methods: We prospectively included 137 patients with stable COPD (mean age 66.9 ± 8.3 years). Physical activity…

Patterns and predictors of exhaustion episodes in patients with stable COPD: A longitudinal study.

Background and objective Exhaustion is the perception of low energy. Little is known about how exhaustion persists, remits or reappears over time in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or how to predict these events. We determined the likelihood of transitions between states of exhaustion and no exhaustion among patients with stable COPD followed up for 2 years. We investigated combinations of potential factors for their abilities to predict new-onset exhaustion episodes. Methods We prospectively included 137 patients with stable COPD (mean age, 66.9 years ± 8.3). Exhaustion states were measured at baseline and 1 and 2 years later. Exhaustion was defined as an answer …

Physical Examination Tests for Screening and Diagnosis of Cervicogenic Headache: A Systematic Review

It has been suggested that differential diagnosis of headaches should consist of a robust subjective ex-amination and a detailed physical examination of the cervical spine. Cervicogenic headache (CGH) is a form of headache that involves referred pain from the neck. To our knowledge, no studies have sum-marized the reliability and diagnostic accuracy of physical examination tests for CGH. The aim of this study was to summarize the reliability and diagnostic accuracy of physical examination tests used to diagnose CGH. A systematic review following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines was performed in four electronic databases (MEDLINE, Web of …

Tensiomyographical responsiveness to peripheral fatigue in quadriceps femoris

Background Fatigue influences athletic performance and can also increase the risk of injury in sports, and most of the methods to evaluate it require an additional voluntary effort. Tensiomyography (TMG), which uses electrical stimulation and a displacement sensor to evaluate muscle contraction properties of one or more muscle bellies, has emerged as a technique that can assess the presence of peripheral and central fatigue without requiring additional voluntary efforts. However, the evaluation of the TMG’s ability to detect fatigue is limited, both at the level of muscle bellies and statistical methods. Thus, the aim of the present study was twofold: (i) to examine and compare the tensiom…

Effect of Soft Tissue Techniques on Headache Impact, Disability, and Quality of Life in Migraine Sufferers: A Pilot Study

To determine the efficacy of suboccipital inhibitory techniques in people with migraine compared with a control treatment based on myofascial trigger point (MTrP) therapy and stretching.A randomized, double-blind controlled pilot trial was conducted.University research laboratory.Forty-six adults diagnosed with migraine with over 6 months duration.Participants were randomized to receive either combined MTrP therapy and stretching (control group) or the control treatment plus suboccipital soft tissue inhibition (experimental group). Treatment was applied on four occasions over 8 weeks (one every 15 days), with a duration of 30 minutes per session in the experimental group and 20 min in the c…

Diferencias en el espacio acromio-humeral medido ecográficamente en el dolor de hombro del deportista lanzador

Resumen Objetivo Observar la implicacion que tiene el espacio subacromial medido ecograficamente, y si existen diferencias entre el acromio great trocanter (AGT) y el acromio humeral distance (AHD) en deportistas con dolor de hombro. Material y metodo Se ha realizado un estudio observacional, transversal y comparativo sobre la relacion del espacio subacromial y el dolor del hombro del deportista lanzador. Se ha seleccionado a 81 deportistas hombres que utilizan los miembros superiores en su practica deportiva. Se les practico una ecografia del hombro obteniendo imagenes de la distancia AGT y la distancia AHD. La muestra se dividio en 2 grupos en funcion del dolor durante la practica deporti…

Sex Differences and Patterns of Muscle Stiffness in the Knee Flexor and Extensor Musculature Through Analysis of Isolated Bellies

ABSTRACT Martin-San Agustin, R, Benitez-Martinez, JC, Medina-Mirapeix, F, and Casana-Granell, J. Sex differences and patterns of muscle stiffness in the knee flexor and extensor musculature through analysis of isolated bellies. J Strength Cond Res 35(4): 1044-1049, 2021-Muscle stiffness (MS) is one of the key factors in joint control. The purpose of this study was to determine sex differences in the MS of 5 isolated muscle bellies (biceps femoris [BF], semitendinosus [ST], rectus femoris [RF], vastus medialis [VM], and vastus lateralis [VL]) and in the pattern of differences among their respective MS. Twenty female and 20 male recreational athletes participated. Muscle stiffness was measure…

Intra- and Inter-Rater Reliability of Strength Measurements Using a Pull Hand-Held Dynamometer Fixed to the Examiner's Body and Comparison with Push Dynamometry.

Hand held dynamometers (HHDs) are the most used method to measure strength in clinical sitting. There are two methods to realize the assessment: pull and push. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the intra- and inter-rater reliability of a new measurement modality for pull HHD and to compare the inter-rater reliability and agreement of the measurements. Forty healthy subjects were evaluated by two assessors with different body composition and manual strength. Fifteen isometric tests were performed in two sessions with a one-week interval between them. Reliability was examined using the intra-class correlation (ICC) and the standard error of measurement (SEM). Agreement between …

Five times sit-to-stand test in subjects with total knee replacement: Reliability and relationship with functional mobility tests

The objective was to determine the inter-observer and test/retest reliability of the "Five-repetition sit-to-stand" (5STS) test in patients with total knee replacement (TKR). To explore correlation between 5STS and two mobility tests. A reliability study was conducted among 24 (mean age 72.13, S.D. 10.67; 50% were women) outpatients with TKR. They were recruited from a traumatology unit of a public hospital via convenience sampling. A physiotherapist and trauma physician assessed each patient at the same time. The same physiotherapist realized a 5STS second measurement 45-60min after the first one. Reliability was assessed with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and Bland-Altman plo…

Validity, Reliability, and Sensitivity to Change of DiCI for the Strength Measurement of Knee and Hip Muscles

Many professionals use the handheld dynamometers (HHDs) to assess isometric strength. This study aimed to evaluate the validity, reliability, and sensitivity to change of a DiCI (a new HHD) for the...

Epidemiology of Injuries in First Division Spanish Women’s Soccer Players

The epidemiology of injuries in female soccer has been studied extensively in several national leagues. Even so, data on the first division Spanish league are limited. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiology of the first division of the Spanish Women’s Soccer League and to analyze data in relation to game position, circumstance, or the moment of injury. Fifteen teams and 123 players participated in the study. Players’ characteristics and their injuries (location, type, diagnosis, circumstance, and moment) were collected. Injuries were described by their frequencies (number and percentage) and incidence rates (IR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Lower limb injuries …