0000000000458741
AUTHOR
V. Giustino
Influence of occlusal vertical dimension on cervical spine mobility in sports subjects
Introduction: In the scientific literature, a number of studies have reported conflicting results regarding the effects of occlusal vertical dimension (OVD) on sports-related skills. The purpose of this study was to increase OVD in sports subjects so as to specifically investigate the influence on cervical spine mobility. In particular, we measured cervical range of motion (ROM) before and after increasing OVD in individuals, either with or without malocclusion, analyzing both sports and sedentary subjects. Materials and methods: Participants were divided into two groups: a sports group (SG) and a control group (CG), each including 18 subjects. The SG was composed of sports subjects (age: 2…
VESTIBULAR AND PROPRIOCEPTIVE REHABILITATION STRATEGY IN ACOUSTIC NEURINOMA
Rehabilitation therapy can be used to treat balance disorders via exercises organized into anatomo-pathological protocols. In general, there is an indication for rehabilitation whenever compensation of a patient’s vestibular system fails to adequately resolve spontaneously. Although the therapeutical indications have expanded over time, it is especially useful to treat balance disorders in neurological patients and those with acute damage to the vestibular system. Specifically, it favors and accelerates spontaneous central compensation in a variety of neurological disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, cerebellar pathologies or in brain tumors like Vestibular Schwannoma …
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), is an important otological disorder that affects up to 5-20 in 100,000 people. It is characterized by a rapid loss of the hearing, usually unilateral, with a sensorineural hearing loss greater than 30 dB over three consecutive frequencies, in less than 72 hours and can be associated with tinnitus and vertigo. It is a real sensorineural emergency that can become a permanent handicap if not adequately treated. Because of patients recovering rapidly or seeking no medical attention, the true figure might be higher, even if delaying SHL diagnosis and treatment may decrease the effectiveness of treatment. Sudden Hearing Loss can occur at any age but usua…
Leisure-time physical activity for health promotion in elderly: initial evidence from the ‘‘Passiata Day’’ model
Purpose: Falls prevention interventions are a priority for public health systems in order to reduce falls-related high costs. The University Hospital of Palermo promoted the ‘‘Passiata Day’’ model, an initiative of the Department of Geriatrics that provided a 1-h walk for once a week in a park of Palermo. It was guided by a graduate in physical education and a medical doctor. The aim of this study was to evaluate posturographic parameters in a sample of elderly including a group of subjects that had been walking regularly in the ‘‘Passiata Day’’ model for 6 months and a group of sedentary elderly subjects. Methods: A number of 109 older people were recruited at the University Hospital of Pa…
Body balance and postural control in patients with dizziness
The ability to maintain body balance and postural control is regulated by a central integration process of afferent inputs received from peripheral sensory components such as the somatosensory, visual, and vestibular apparatus, which control the tonic postural system by modulating efferent information. It is widely recognized that stimuli from the visual and the vestibular systems provide information on the position of the head relative to the trunk and contribute to the orientation and the movement of the body in the environment. For these reasons, the vestibular system plays a key role in controlling body balance. Indeed, several studies have shown the presence of imbalance, postural inst…
Postural disorders in patients with dizziness: From postural analysis to vestibular rehabilitation programs
Postural control is regulated by a feedback and feedforward mechanism in which the central nervous system integrates several afferent information and constantly modulates the tone of the tonic postural system through efferent inputs. However, in pathological conditions, this mechanism is altered due to the non-physiological afferent inputs coming from the aberrant sensory organ. In particular, because of the vestibular system provides information regards sense of position and perception of movement of the head in the space, it represents a fundamental postural receptor in order to maintain static and dynamic body balance. Therefore, in vestibular disorders such as in patients suffering from…
How sports affect static baropodometry? An observational study carried out in women living in southern Italy
Purpose: The purpose of the current study was two-fold: (a) to investigate the relationship between plantar pressure and surface distribution between athletes and sedentary women; and (b) to see the differences, if any, in these parameters between two groups and also the differences between the sports within athletes’ group. Methods: One hundred and seventy-three (173) female participants were enrolled in this study, where ninety-eight (98) were sedentary (age: 24.23 ± 6.11 years; height 161.11 ± 6.44 cm; weight 56.70 ± 8.19 kg; BMI 21.81 ± 2.52 kg/m2; Body Surface Area (BSA) 1.59 ± 0.13; shoe nr. 37.83 ± 1.53) while seventy-five (75) were athletes (age 22.47 ± 4.89 years; height 159.98 ± 5…