Individual Physical Capacity Research Articles

Physical Activity Effects on Muscle Fatigue in Sport in Active Adults with Long COVID-19: An Observational Study.

Long COVID-19-related changes in physiology includes alterations in performing muscle work as fatigue. Data available do not allow us to define the usefulness of physical activity to attenuate long COVID-19 functional modifications. The present observational study investigates the effects of physical activity on the perception of fatigue, maximum power output, sleep, and cognitive modifications in subjects affected by long COVID-19, distinguishing between active and sedentary subjects. The data demonstrated the following: the perception of fatigue 1 year after the end of virus positivity was significantly reduced with respect to that observed after 6 months by more than 50% more in active subjects compared to sedentary ones; 6 months after the end of virus positivity, the force developed by active subjects was reduced (RM factor: p < 0.001, η2p = 0.527, post hoc: p < 0.001), but the reduction was more pronounced in sedentary ones (mean difference = 38.499 W); poor sleep quality and mild cognitive impairment were assessed in both active and sedentary subjects. In conclusion, the study suggests that the long COVID-19 fatigue was lower in active subjects respect to sedentary ones. A comparative analysis performed due to the overlap of functional alterations between long COVID-19 and ME/CFS showed that in a small percentage of the enrolled subjects (8%), the symptomatology reflected that of ME/CFS and was independent of the individual physical capacities.

Isometric Exercise with Large Muscle Mass Improves Redox Balance and Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Adults.

The aim of this study was to investigate the hemodynamic, oxidative stress (OS), and nitric oxide (NO) responses to a submaximal isometric exercise session (IES) involving large muscle mass. Fourteen hypertensive (HTG: age = 35.9 ± 8.1 yr, height = 1.73 ± 0.10 m, total body mass = 78.0 ± 15.8 kg) and 10 normotensive (NTG: age = 41.1 ± 9.4 yr, height = 1.71 ± 0.12 m, total body mass = 82.3 ± 22.4 kg) participants performed two experimental sessions in the leg press and bench press: (i) control session and (ii) 8 sets × 1 min contraction at 30% maximal voluntary isometric contraction with 2-min rest interval. Blood pressure (BP) was measured at rest and during 60 min postexercise. Blood samples were collected at rest, immediately after the session, and 60 min postexercise. NO was obtained through the Griess reaction method. OS parameters were analyzed using commercial kits. A repeated-measures ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc test was used to analyze all dependent variables. A significant decrease in systolic BP was observed only for HTG at 45 and 60 min postexercise (baseline vs 45 min: P = 0.03, Δ% = 4.44%; vs 60 min: P = 0.018, Δ% = 5.58%). NO increased immediately postexercise only for HTG (P = 0.008, Δ% = 16.44%). Regarding OS parameters, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances presented a significant reduction 60 min after the IES for NTG and HTG; catalase increased in both groups. The data showed that only 8 min of IES with a large muscle mass elicits an elevated pro-oxidant activity leading to a greater NO bioavailability, increases antioxidant reaction, and consequently reduces BP in hypertensive patients.

A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Prospective Clinical Trial Evaluating Water-Soluble Chicken Eggshell Membrane for Improvement in Joint Health in Adults with Knee Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic condition that impacts quality of life and functionality for which consumers often seek dietary supplements to provide some relief. The purpose of this double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was to assess the safety and efficacy of a water-soluble chicken eggshell membrane hydrosylate (WSEM) dietary supplement (BiovaFlex®) 450 mg daily on knee function, mobility, and general health and well-being in 88 adults with OA randomized into intervention (n = 44) or placebo (n = 44) groups. Outcomes were assessed periodically over 12 weeks, including the Western Ontario McMaster Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), the six-minute walk test (6MWT), knee range of motion (ROM) testing, and safety. Normalized analysis (improvement over baseline) showed that the poorest initial performers benefited the greatest from the WSEM by day 5 in the 6MWT, with the rest of the population showing significant improvement over placebo by week 12. The normalized WOMAC Stiffness score was also significantly improved over placebo by day 5 (P < .05). Without normalization, no statistically significant improvements were seen in WOMAC, 6MWT, and ROM testing. The Product was also found to be safe in this study. In conclusion, daily consumption of WSEM significantly enhanced average individual physical capacity (walking distance and ability), reduced stiffness by the fifth day of supplementation with the greatest benefit seen by the most compromised individuals, and was maintained over 12 weeks. A WSEM dietary supplement may offer a safe option for relief from symptoms and increased mobility for those with OA.

Sport sur ordonnance, comment faire ?

Physical activity is a non-pharmacological treatment validated by the Haute Autorité de santé since 2011. Since March 2017, a new French law recalls that generalist physicians can prescribe physical activity to their patients suffering from a long-term financial exonerating condition. This physical activity will be adapted to the individual physical capacities and medical risk of the patient. After assessing his/her functional abilities, the attending physician will send the patient, with his or her agreement, to a supervisory structure employing specifically trained professional for physical activity. It should be noted that neither the prescription nor the dispensation of adapted physical activity are covered by health insurance. The introduction of training in the prescription of physical activity in the framework of medical studies will be indispensable for the success of this law.

Differences Between Relative and Absolute Speed and Metabolic Thresholds in Rugby League.

To compare relative and absolute speed and metabolic thresholds for quantifying match output in elite rugby league. Twenty-six professional players competing in the National Rugby League were monitored with global positioning systems (GPS) across a rugby-league season. Absolute speed (moderate-intensity running [MIRTh > 3.6m/s] and high-intensity running [HIRTh > 5.2m/s]) and metabolic (>20W/kg) thresholds were compared with individualized ventilatory (first [VT1IFT] and second [VT2IFT]) thresholds estimated from the 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test (30-15IFT), as well as the metabolic threshold associated with VT2IFT (HPmetVT2), to examine difference in match-play demands. VT2IFT mean values represent 146%, 138%, 167%, and 144% increases in the HIR dose across adjustables, edge forwards, middle forwards, and outside backs, respectively. Distance covered above VT2IFT was almost certainly greater (ES range = 0.79-1.03) than absolute thresholds across all positions. Trivial to small differences were observed between VT1IFT and MIRTh, while small to moderate differences were reported between HPmetVT2 and HPmetTh. These results reveal that the speed at which players begin to run at higher intensities depends on individual capacities and attributes. As such, using absolute HIR speed thresholds underestimates the physical HIR load. Moreover, absolute MIR and high metabolic thresholds may over- or underestimate the work undertaken above these thresholds depending on the respective fitness of the individual. Therefore, using relative thresholds enables better prescription and monitoring of external training loads based on measured individual physical capacities.

Technical activity profile and influence of body anthropometry on playing performance in female elite team handball.

To determine the physical demands placed on female elite team handball (TH) players in relation to playing position and body anthropometry, female elite TH primarily field players were monitored during match-play using video recording and subsequent computerized technical match analysis during 5 regular tournament match seasons. Technical match activities were distributed in 6 major types of playing actions (shots, breakthroughs, fast breaks, technical errors, defensive errors, and tackles) and further divided into various subcategories (e.g., type of shot, hard or light tackles, claspings, screenings, and blockings). Furthermore, anthropometric measurements were performed. Each player had 28.3 ± 11.0 (group means ± SD) high-intense playing actions per match with a total effective playing time of 50.70 ± 5.83 minutes. On average, each player made 2.8 ± 2.6 fast breaks, gave 7.9 ± 14.4 screenings, received 14.6 ± 9.2 tackles in total, and performed 7.7 ± 3.7 shots while in offense, along with 3.5 ± 3.8 blockings, 1.9 ± 2.7 claspings, and 6.2 ± 3.8 hard tackles in defense. Mean body height, body mass, and age in the Danish Premier Female Team Handball League were 175.4 ± 6.1 cm, 69.5 ± 6.5 kg, and 25.4 ± 3.7 years, respectively. Wing players were lighter (63.5 ± 4.8 kg, p < 0.001) and smaller (169.3 ± 4.9 cm, p < 0.001) than backcourt players (BP) (70.6 ± 5.3 kg, 177.0 ± 5.4 cm) and pivots (PV) (72.5 ± 4.9 kg, 177.7 ± 4.9 cm). In conclusion, the present match observations revealed that female elite TH players during competitive games intermittently perform a high number of short-term, high-intense technical playing actions making modern female elite TH a physically demanding team sport. No sign of technical fatigue were observed, since the amount of intense technical playing actions remained unchanged in the second half. Marked positional differences in the physical demands were demonstrated, with wing players performing more fast breaks and less physical confrontations than BP and PV. Body anthropometry differed substantially between different playing positions. Consequently, this should lead to an increase in physical training in modern female elite TH directed at specific positions and individual physical capacity.

Validation of rate of perceived exertion-based exercise training in patients with heart failure: Insights from autonomic nervous system adaptations

BackgroundExercise prescription in cardiac patients is based on heart rate (HR) response to exercise. How to prescribe long-term exercise training outside medically-supervised settings also considering changes in individual physical capacity over time is unknown. In this study we hypothesized that in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) the session-rate of perceived exertion (RPE), a subjective-based training methodology, provides autonomic and functional capacity changes superimposable to those observed with HR-based Training Impulses (TRIMPi) method. MethodsTwenty patients with stable CHF were randomized to either aerobic continuous training (ACT) or aerobic interval training (AIT) for 12weeks. For each TRIMPi-guided exercise session, the session-RPE was recorded. By this method, internal training load (TL) is quantified by multiplying the RPE of the whole training session, using the Borg CR10-scale, by its duration. Heart rate variability (HRV), and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) were assessed at baseline and at 3weeks intervals. ResultsSignificant correlations were found between TRIMPi and individual session-RPE, for both ACT and AIT (r=0.63 to 0.81), (P<0.05). The same occurred when ACT and AIT groups were pooled together (r=0.72; P<0.01). R–R interval, HRV and BRS were significantly and very highly correlated with weekly RPE-session (r2 ranged from 0.77 to 0.97; P<0.001). A significant relationship between session-RPE and performance at the 6MWT was also found. ConclusionsSession-RPE is an easy-to-use, inexpensive and valid method for exercise prescription and health maintenance, consistent with objective physiological indices of training, that could be used for long-term physical activity in patients with CHF.

Health-related factors associated with participation in creative hobbies by Australian women aged in their eighties

Background: Population-based epidemiological studies can contribute to the spectrum of research evidence regarding the potential role of the arts in improving health and well-being among older people. To date, these studies are uncommon. The aim of the current study was to investigate health-related factors associated with participation in creative hobbies in women aged in their eighties living in Australia. Method: Descriptive and regression analyses were performed on data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health 2008 postal survey of women born 1921–1926 (n = 5470). Results: Creative hobbies were undertaken by 52.7% of the sample and positively associated with physical health (IADL), health-related quality of life (general health, social functioning) and other social and demographic indicators. Conclusion: The relationship between participation in creative hobbies and health in older women is likely to be complex and influenced by many factors including individual physical capacity and independence as well as access to art-making activities.

Worksite interventions for preventing physical deterioration among employees in job-groups with high physical work demands: background, design and conceptual model of FINALE.

BackgroundA mismatch between individual physical capacities and physical work demands enhance the risk for musculoskeletal disorders, poor work ability and sickness absence, termed physical deterioration. However, effective intervention strategies for preventing physical deterioration in job groups with high physical demands remains to be established. This paper describes the background, design and conceptual model of the FINALE programme, a framework for health promoting interventions at 4 Danish job groups (i.e. cleaners, health-care workers, construction workers and industrial workers) characterized by high physical work demands, musculoskeletal disorders, poor work ability and sickness absence.Methods/DesignA novel approach of the FINALE programme is that the interventions, i.e. 3 randomized controlled trials (RCT) and 1 exploratory case-control study are tailored to the physical work demands, physical capacities and health profile of workers in each job-group. The RCT among cleaners, characterized by repetitive work tasks and musculoskeletal disorders, aims at making the cleaners less susceptible to musculoskeletal disorders by physical coordination training or cognitive behavioral theory based training (CBTr). Because health-care workers are reported to have high prevalence of overweight and heavy lifts, the aim of the RCT is long-term weight-loss by combined physical exercise training, CBTr and diet. Construction work, characterized by heavy lifting, pushing and pulling, the RCT aims at improving physical capacity and promoting musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health. At the industrial work-place characterized by repetitive work tasks, the intervention aims at reducing physical exertion and musculoskeletal disorders by combined physical exercise training, CBTr and participatory ergonomics. The overall aim of the FINALE programme is to improve the safety margin between individual resources (i.e. physical capacities, and cognitive and behavioral skills) and physical work demands, and thereby reduce the physical deterioration in a long term perspective by interventions tailored for each respective job-group.DiscussionThe FINALE programme has the potential to provide evidence-based knowledge of significant importance for public health policy and health promotion strategies for employees at high risk for physical deterioration.Trial registrationsISRCTN96241850, NCT01015716 and NCT01007669

Associations of multiple physical activity domains with mental well-being

Objective Physical activity (PA) has consistent associations with mental well-being, but studies have focused primarily on leisure-time activity, and there has been little attention to the roles of other activity domains (household, occupational and transport). We examined the dose–response relationships of PA dimensions (frequency, amount and volume) with mental well-being for all four PA domains. We also assessed the interaction effects of gender, age, body weight status, and PA domains. Method In 2003–2004, two surveys collected data on PA, socio-demographics, height and weight, perceived neighborhood attributes, barriers to PA, and physical and mental well-being from 2194 Australian adults. Generalized linear models with restricted cubic splines identified the dose–response relationships of PA domains with mental well-being; the interactive effects of PA domains, age, gender and weight status; and the confounding effects of poor mental or physical health as barriers to PA. Results Leisure-time PA was independently linearly related to mental well-being in most demographic groups. Stronger effects were observed for vigorous-intensity leisure-time PA. Poor health as a barrier to PA explained only a small portion of the relationships of PA with mental well-being. The magnitude and direction of the effects of household, occupational and transport PA depended on age, gender, weight status and/or participation in other PA domains. Conclusions Individual physical capacities and characteristics, and level of discretionary choice are likely determinants of the effects of PA on mental well-being. Strategies aimed at increasing PA for mental health benefits need to take these diverse and sometimes counterintuitive effects into account.

Slip and fall risk among firefighters in relation to balance, muscular capacities and age

Influencing the safety of firefighters’ work environment is almost impossible. Therefore, good individual physical capacities and adequate protective equipment are important in preventing accidents due to slips and falls. This study investigated slip and fall risk in walking experiments with firefighters wearing fire-protective equipment and determined the associations of balance, muscular capacities and age with the risk of slipping. Professional male firefighters aged 33–38 and 43–56 years ( n = 14 and n = 15, respectively) participated in four slipping trials under different conditions on a straight path of 8 meters. Slip distances were measured in each trial. Postural balance and dynamic stability were tested on a force platform, and functional balance was measured during walking on a wooden plank. Muscular capacity of the legs and trunk were also measured. The average slip distances with glycerol were 9.7 ± 9.1 cm (100 steps/min) and 15.6 ± 18.2 cm (120 steps/min) in the 33-to-38-year age group and correspondingly 10.8 ± 15.3 cm and 18.0 ± 18.6 cm in the 43–56-year age group. Though the older firefighters tended to have longer and more serious slips than the younger ones, the differences in slip distances were not statistically significant. Half of the firefighters, regardless of their age, experienced critical, over 5-cm long, foot slides, considered to increase the risk of an unavoidable fall. These firefighters performed significantly poorer in the dynamic stability test as well, whereas associations with muscular capacity and risk of slipping were not significant. The results suggest that the ability to exploit visual feedback efficiently in balance control may be associated with smaller risk of slipping. This kind of test may be useful in evaluations of balance ability. The findings also support the importance of adding exercises which enhance balance ability to the exercise protocols of firefighters.

Physical demands in working life and individual physical capacity.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of the excess of metabolic level (metabolic demands in work exceeding one-third of the individual's aerobic capacity) of working men and women today and to describe the population whose metabolic level is exceeded. A second aim was to explore how externally assessed metabolic demands match with the physical function and capacity of working men and women in jobs with the lowest and the highest demands. The aerobic power of each individual (94 men and 94 women) was estimated from heart rate and workload in sub-maximal tests from dynamic legwork on a cycle ergometer. Physical activity was assessed using a task-oriented interview technique. Physical function was measured by tests of muscle endurance in arms, abdomen and legs, handgrip pressure, balance and coordination. The calculation of individual metabolic demands during a "typical working day" showed that 27% of the men and 22% of the women exceeded their metabolic level. The results indicate that the physical fitness is low or somewhat low for two-thirds of the 94 men and for more than one-half of the 94 women. Women in the group with the highest job demands had significantly lower muscle endurance in the abdomen and legs and worse coordination than women in the group with the lowest job demands. Metabolic demands in working life today remain high. This is reflected in a mismatch between individual physical capacity and the physical demands of work for 25% of the population.

Life-time occupational exposure to heavy work and individual physical capacity

The aim of the present study was to retrospectively analyze the effect of occupational physical activity on maximal isometric hand grip strength and maximal oxygen consumption among males and females between 19 and 64 years of age in different occupations. A life-time occupational physical activity index was formed from questions in a questionnaire. The maximal isometric hand grip strength was measured with a dynamometer and maximal oxygen consumption was estimated from a submaximal bicycle ergometer test. The results showed a negative correlation between physical activity and estimated maximal oxygen consumption among males but no other statistically significant associations between life-time physical activity and the present physical capacity was found. The present results suggest that a high level of occupational physical activity does not maintain individual physical capacity.

Validity of patient reporting and predictive value of industrial physical work demands.

This prospective study analyzed industrial physical work demands. The patients (n = 103), sick-listed 8 weeks because of low back pain, were industrial blue-collar workers in the car manufacturing industry. This study described industrial physical work demands in a sample of patients with subacute low back pain (LBP), studied the agreement between reported and observed work postures, estimated compression load on the spine, and determined the predictive validity of industrial physical work demands and occupational LBP handicap. The patients (n = 103), sick-listed 8 weeks because of low back pain, were industrial blue-collar workers in the car manufacturing industry. Industrial physical work demands were reported by the patients and also studied at the work place. The patients' work demands commonly included lifting, forward bending, standing and twisting, working with the hands above the shoulders, and a compression load on the spine of more than 2000 N, and more than 60% of the patients believed that work demands caused their LBP. Substantial or moderate agreement was found more often between the patients' reports and the physical therapists' observations of work postures. None of the studied industrial physical work demands predicted the rate of return to work or the sick-leave during the second follow-up year. The correlations between reported or observed physical work demands, individual physical capacity, individual psychological capacity, spare-time activities, other factors and LBP are not clear. A workplace visit made by a physical therapist may facilitate the rehabilitation process, especially since many patients believed that work factors caused their LBP.