Stretched Research Articles

Decrease in muscle shortening and effect on strength and speed in adolescent soccer players (u-13)

In soccer, the variables of strength, speed and flexibility are associated with the athletic performance capacity of athletes, being these determinants not only to adapt to the demands of the competition, but at the same time flexibility can help to reduce the risk of injury. The aim of the study was to determine the effect on strength and speed after reducing muscle shortening. This is a quantitative study with an observational-analytical cross-sectional design. The evaluated sample consisted of 22 under-13 category players with an average age of 13.40±0.66 years, a height of 156.95±9.27 cm, and a body mass of 44.54±7.29 kg. They were randomly divided into a control group (n=10) and an experimental group (n=12). The experimental group underwent an 8-week intervention involving static stretches, incorporating the Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation method in the fourth week to decrease muscle shortening before the post-test. Knee extension and dorsiflexion were assessed using a goniometer, and physical abilities were measured through the My Jump Lab app, including Squat Jump, Counter Movement Jump, Counter Movement Jump with Arms, the Nordics hamstring test, and speed in 10, 20, and 30 meters using the Runmatic app. Significant results (p<0.05) were observed for jump height in Squat Jump, jump height, flight time, and speed in Counter Movement Jump, torque in the Nordics test, and speed in 30 meters. According to the findings of the present study it seems that flexibility influences vertical jumping ability and speed.

Impact of PNF and MET technique on hamstring flexibility among university students with hamstring tightness

Background. Hamstring tightness affects pelvic posture, contributing to symptoms such as low back discomfort and improper lumbar-pelvic area motions. The purpose of this study is to determine the immediate effectiveness of both Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) and Muscle Energy Technique (MET) interventions on hamstring tightness. A paucity of literature has left a research gap on this topic. Thus, my study aims to compare the effects of these two interventions on improving hamstring flexibility among university students with hamstring tightness. Methods. Group I, consisting of 20 subjects, received PNF for 30 minutes. Group II, also consisting of 20 subjects, received MET for 30 minutes. The study was conducted for 4 weeks. Results. The ROM variables were examined using an independent ‘t’ test with a significance level of 0.05. The mean ± SD of the difference in hamstring ROM for the PNF group was 9.77 ± 4.01° and 10.7 ± 5.21° for the MET group. This indicates that a marked difference was obtained between Group I and Group II, as well as a substantial variation between both the pre-intervention and post-intervention values. Conclusion. The findings demonstrated that both PNF and MET significantly improved (p = 0.000) ROM. Meanwhile, no significant difference (p > 0.05) was found between these two interventions.

Effects of muscle energy technique overhold relax on pain and range of motion in patients with post-surgical elbow stiffness

Background. An elbow joint that can move and is stable is important for work, play, and sports. Stiffness in the elbow after surgery is common and can make it difficult to perform daily activities. This is a significant problem for therapy. Therapeutic exercises, especially stretching exercises, are a crucial part of physiotherapy for alleviating elbow stiffness. Muscle Energy Technique (MET) is a manual therapy that uses mild isometric contractions to utilize the muscles’ energy to help with limited limb movement. On the other hand, Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) is one of the best ways to improve motor performance and speed up recovery by increasing the range of motion and flexibility. The goal is to determine how MET over Hold‑Relax affects pain and range of motion when rehabilitating stiffness in the elbow after surgery. Methods. A quasi-experimental study was conducted on 12 patients post-elbow fracture fixation. Group A was given MET, while Group B received the Hold-Relax Technique three times a week for three consecutive weeks after the immobilization period. As baseline treatment, both groups received active ROM exercises. Pain (Visual Analog Scale) and ROM (goniometer) were assessed pre- and post-3 weeks. Results. In the third week, the two treatment groups showed a statistically significant difference in all parametric values (P < 0.05). However, Group B Hold-Relax’s mean difference and paired and unpaired t-test values were greater compared to Group A MET at the end of the third week. Conclusion. This study concludes that implementing PNF stretch (Hold-Relax) in conjunction with conventional treatment techniques in post-surgical stiffness is beneficial in enhancing the subject’s quality of life by reducing pain and restoring ROM. Hence, PNF (Hold-Relax) can be the best treatment option in physiotherapy practice.

Comparison of the researched analyses evaluating the physiotherapy of the pain with a cause in the region of the cervical spine

Introduction. Neck pain is a common musculoskeletal problem. This individual and socio-economic health problem is associated with a reduction in daily activities, a reduction in labour productivity and an impact on quality of life levels. Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of the therapy of non-specific pain originating from the cervical region in terms of the applied physiotherapy methods. Methods. 40 research articles published in 2018-2023 in journals with registration in databases Web of Science, Science Direct and Scopus were included in the research. Results. The most frequent target studied was the education of patients on ergonomics, correct posture and home exercises. The preparation phase of therapy included the administration of thermotherapy and electrotherapy – ultrasound or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), classical massage, administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The techniques often used were manipulation and/or mobilization, trigger and tender points therapy – acupressure, acupuncture, dry needle application. Among the therapeutic methods, the most frequently chosen are exercises in the form of pilates, yoga, Alexander technique, sensomotor training, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, Jakobson progressive muscle relaxation. Reduction of painful mobility was addressed by the application of local immobilization and kineziotaping. Conclusion. According to the results of our analysis, the combination of several physiotherapy techniques and methods appears to be significantly effective for reducing pain and improving quality of life.

Implementation of Effective Sports Human Resource Management Policies in Improving the Performance of Sports Organizations in the Society 5.0 Era

Current advances have created very tight competition among Central Java Petanque sports organizations, encouraging the need for extraordinary performance to support national sporting achievements. The change from the previous era to the Society 5.0 Era reflects significant evolution in the industrial revolution, technological progress and social change. In the Era of Society 5.0, the role of the Central Java Petanque sports organization is increasingly important in responding to the dynamics of social and technological change. Human resource management in the Central Java Petanque sports organization faces various challenges, such as the diversity of team members involving differences in culture, language and work styles. Therefore, implementing human resource management policies that focus on sports is very important to compete at the global level, improve sports performance, and support the achievement of national goals in Indonesia's sports achievements. This research uses descriptive qualitative methods. The research results show that its application will face dynamics and challenges regarding limited sports human resources, cultural and value differences, and dynamic flexibility. Therefore, alternative solutions are needed to deal with various problems, such as automation in increasing awareness about the value of various crocodiles, automation that leads to digitalization, as well as developing programs for the involvement of all human resources in sports

Efficacy of Static Stretching Versus Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) Stretching on Hip Adductor Flexibility in Recreational Football Players

Adductor strain is most commonly seen in football players. To help ease groin pain and improve the flexibility of muscles, stretching techniques like ballistic stretching, static stretching, etc can be used. Static hip adductor stretching and Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) stretching, which is relatively new, are two effective techniques to increase muscle flexibility. This study examines the effects of these two stretching techniques on tight hip adductors. Method: Fifty people were chosen based on the inclusion criteria. There were two groups of subjects. PNF and static adductor stretching were administered to Group A. Group B received adductor stretching. These methods were used for three different days. Using a goniometer, the abduction range of motion was measured before the start of the first session and at the conclusion of the last one. Flexibility was measured before the first session and at the end of the previous treatment session by groin flexibility test. The inter-group analysis for Range of Motion (ROM) between Group A versus Group B showed a statistically significant difference by using an unpaired ‘t’ test. Results: Group A’s post-intervention flexibility values were 17.23, whereas group B’s were 13.5. There was a sizeable difference between Group A and Group B in the intergroup analysis of flexibility. The unpaired “t” test was used for this purpose. Conclusion: It is concluded that PNF stretching exercises had a statistically significant effect on the abduction range of motion and groin flexibility scores.

Situation covariation and goal adaptiveness? The promoting effect of cognitive flexibility on emotion regulation in depression.

Cognitive inflexibility as a generalized characteristic of depression has been closely implicated in maladaptive coping with changing situations and goals in daily life. The association between cognitive flexibility and depression can be elucidated by situation covariation and goal adaptiveness of emotion regulation flexibility (ERF), which facilitates adaptive responses to changing environments. However, little is known about the contribution of cognitive flexibility to emotion regulation in depression under changing situations and goals. To address this gap, we performed three experiments to assess situation covariation and goal adaptiveness of ERF, and we further examined the contribution of situation covariation and goal adaptiveness to the association between cognitive inflexibility and depression. The results of Experiments 1 (N = 120) and 2 (N = 117) showed a significantly negative correlation between cognitive flexibility and goal adaptiveness (but not situation covariation) of ERF. Further mediation analysis revealed the contribution of goal adaptiveness scores to the relationship between cognitive flexibility and depression. In Experiment 3 (N = 93), we performed a 14-day training of cognitive flexibility and observed that the training increased goal adaptiveness, but not situation covariation, of ERF and reduced symptoms of depression. Furthermore, the improvement of goal adaptiveness scores significantly mediated the effect of cognitive flexibility on depressive remission. In sum, these findings identified a vital involvement of goal adaptiveness of ERF in the effect of cognitive flexibility on depression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Specific therapeutic methods in lumbar facet syndrome tratment: prliminary study

Introduction: Specific therapeutic methods (STM) are manual techniques used to treat tissue blockade.Aim of this research is to determine efficacy of STM in treatment of lumbar facet syndrome (LFS).Patients and methods. The study included 60 patients suffering from LFS (65% women) aged ~47. The patients were treated ~24 days with the following 2-8 procedures: osteopathy, “myofascial release”, acupuncture, acupressure, “cupping”, neurodynamic, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, kinesiotherapy, “kinesio-type taping”, homeopathy and electrotherapy. All patients were evaluated at admission and discharge through: a. pain scale with visual analogue scale (VAS) marked with numbers 1 to 10 (1 being state of no pain, 10 being state of maximum pain); b. disability with so-called Oswestry index (ODI) expressed in percentages (0-20% being minimum, 80-100% being complete disability); c. quality of sleep, rated through modified Pittsburgh index of sleep quality (PSQI) expressed between 0 (very poor) and 4 (very good). The assessment of improvement in pain intensity and level of disability was conducted via subtraction of values noted before treatment from values at the end of treatment, while the assessment of sleep quality improvement was conducted via subtraction of values noted at the end of treatment from the values noted before treatment. Non-parametric statistical analyses were used. Results: significantly lower values of VAS (p<0.0001) and ODI (p?0.0001), significant increase in PSQI (p?0.0001) at the end in relation to the beginning of treatment, as well as significant correlation between decrease in pain and disability (r=0.3292, p=0.0105). No significant difference in pain (p=0.9856) and disability (p=0.9171 decrease was noticed between sexes.Conclusion: STM is efficient in the treatment of pain attacks in patients of both sexes suffering from LBS.

Effects of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation technique on scapular dyskinesis in patients with subacute stroke

Effects of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation technique on scapular dyskinesis in patients with subacute stroke

A snapshot audit of global flexible endoscopy practice among European Association of Endoscopic Surgeons (EAES) and Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) surgeons from the EAES Flexible Endoscopy Subcommittee survey.

Endoscopy is an essential skill for all surgeons. However, endoscopic competency, training, and practice may vary widelyamong them. The EAES Flexible Endoscopy Subcommittee is working towards a standardized set of fundamental endoscopic knowledge and skills. To best advise on current practice patterns of flexible endoscopy among surgeons worldwide, a snapshot audit was conducted on the training, use, and limitations of flexible endoscopy in practice. An online survey was distributed via email distribution and social media platforms for EAES, SAGES, and WebSurg members. Respondent demographics, training, and practice patterns were assessed. The main outcome measure was theannual endoscopic volume. Multivariate regression and machine learning models analyzed relationships between outcomes and independent variables of age, geographic region, laparoscopic surgery practice, and surgical specialization. A total of1486 surgeons from 195 countries completed the survey. Respondents were mainly general (n = 894/1486, 60.2%), colorectal (n = 189/1486, 12.7%), bariatric (n = 117/1486, 7.9%), upper gastrointestinal (GI)/foregut (n = 108, 7.3%), hepatobiliopancreatic/HPB (n = 59/1486, 4%), and endocrine surgeons (n = 11/1486, 0.7%) in active practice. Eighty-two percent (n = 1,204) mentioned having used endoscopy in theirpractice, and 64.7% (n = 961/1486) received formal flexible endoscopy training. Of those performing endoscopyannually, 64.2% (n = 660/1486) performed between0and20endoscopies, 15.2% (n = 156/1486) performed between20and50endoscopies, 10.1% (n = 104/1486) performed between50and100endoscopies, and 10.5% (n = 108/1486) performed over 100 endoscopies. From the regression analysis, there was no statistical correlation between the annual endoscopy volume and age, geographic region, laparoscopic surgery practice, or surgical specialization. Performing advanced endoscopy was directly related to thebariatric subspecialty and toperforming over 50% of cases in aminimally invasivefashion. This international snapshot audit revealed significant heterogeneity in endoscopic practices among surgeons worldwide. There wasa nonindependent relationship between endoscopy volumes and other variables tested. Barriers to practicing and receiving endoscopy training were common among respondents. The EAES Flexible Endoscopy Subcommittee will consider such results when developing an equitable and effective standardized flexible endoscopy curriculum.

Inflammation-Related Genes Are Differentially Expressed in Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells after 3 Months of Resistance Training in Older Women.

Recently, we showed that three months of resistance exercise significantly alters 18 canonical pathways related to chronic inflammation in PBMCs of older adults. In this exploratory sub-study, the aim is to explore whether resistance exercise enhances the PBMCs stress response by mimicking an acute infection through in vitro LPS stimulation. Women (≥65 years) were randomly divided into intensive strength training (IST), strength endurance training (SET), or flexibility training (as control group, CON) groups. PBMCs were isolated and cultured with and without LPS for 24 h. Their RNA was analyzed via targeted RNA sequencing of 407 inflammation-related genes, with relevant fold-changes defined as ≤0.67 or ≥1.5 (3 months vs. baseline). A pathway analysis using ingenuity pathway analyses identified significant pathways among 407 genes with p < 0.05 and z-scores of ≤-2 or ≥2. Fourteen women were included in the analyses. A total of 151 genes with a significant fold-change were identified. In the CON group, a less-pronounced effect was observed. Strength training altered 23 pathways in the LPS-stimulated PBMCs, none of which overlapped between the IST and SET groups. A balanced exercise program that includes both IST and SET could beneficially adapt the immune responses in older adults by inducing alterations in the inflammatory stress response of PBMCs through different genes and pathways.

Co-designing a motivational interviewing training platform to enhance oncology healthcare professional communication

BackgroundOncology healthcare professionals (HCPs) using motivational interviewing may motivate and support patients with chronic illness to adhere to medications. Research of online motivational interviewing training focusing on medication adherence in cancer is limited. ObjectiveCo-design, develop, and preliminarily evaluate a motivational interviewing training platform (MITP) for oncology HCPs focused on medication adherence. MethodsWe used co-design and design science research methodology to develop and test the MITP in two phases: 1) program co-design and development and 2) interactive platform design and development. ResultsHCPs expressed a high demand for a practical and tailored motivational interviewing training. MITP is an online three-hour training comprising education, roleplay videos, and formative assessments. MITP was reported to be acceptable, usable, and useful by users. InnovationThis study used a novel approach combining co-design and design science research methodology, and digital media to develop a flexible and acceptable online motivational interviewing training focused on medication adherence in cancer. Discussion and conclusionApplied rigorous methodology ensured the MITP was developed to address knowledge gaps and the needs of oncology HCPs for supporting patient adherence, and to be usable and useful. Study findings may inform future research on online motivational interviewing training and its potential impact on medication adherence.

The Use of Smartphone-Based Highly Realistic MCI Training as an Adjunct to Traditional Training Methods.

Training for mass casualty incident (MCI) response is critical to ensure that resource allocation and treatment priorities limit preventable mortality. Previous research has investigated the use of immersive virtual environments as an alternative to high fidelity MCI training, which is expensive and logistically challenging to implement. While these have demonstrated positive early results, they still require complex technology deployment, dedicated training facilities, and significant time from instructors and facilitators. This study explores the feasibility of a smartphone-based application for trauma care training and MCI triage to fill the gap between classroom learning and high-fidelity simulation. The goals of this investigation were to evaluate clinician perceptions of a virtual MCI training simulator's usability, acceptability, fidelity, functionality, and pacing. This study used a smartphone-based training simulation called Extensible Field and Evacuation Care Training in a Virtual Environment (EFECTIVE), which presents virtual patient scenarios in a gamified, but visually high-fidelity environment. A total of 21 participants were recruited as a convenience sample of medical students, paramedics, nurses, and emergency medicine resident and attending physicians at University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center, an urban tertiary care medical center. Participants completed a brief tutorial and then performed a series of virtual patient scenarios and 1 MCI scenario on the simulator, each of which was 5 minutes in duration. Then, each participant completed a survey assessing the perceived usability, acceptability, fidelity, functionality, and pacing of the virtual training simulator. The research protocol was approved by the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School Institutional Review Board. 48% of participants disagreed that a virtual simulator could completely replace live MCI training, though 71% agreed that app-based simulations could effectively supplement live MCI training and 67% felt that they could be used to learn how to order medical interventions in care under fire scenarios. 80% of participants agreed that the simulation could be used to practice MCI triage and to gain experience with coordinating movement of casualties to casualty collection points. 67% of participants believed that use of virtual simulators would increase their MCI preparedness. 76% agreed that the clinical cases depicted were medically realistic and that the clinical cases presented accurately represented the scenarios described. In addition, despite being presented on a smartphone as opposed to virtual reality, 62% of participants rated the experience immersive. This study provides encouraging evidence that easy to deploy smartphone-based simulations may be an effective way to supplement MCI and care under fire training. Although the study is limited by a small sample size, there was strong agreement among participants from a wide variety of emergency medicine roles that such a simulation could train core topics associated with MCI triage. Because app-based simulations are easily deployable and can be executed quickly and frequently, they could be used as a more flexible training model compared to large scale live or virtual reality-based simulations. The results of this investigation also indicate that a sufficient level of medical realism can be achieved without live simulation.

Acute effects of different types of stretching exercises on explosive power: A pilot study

Athletes usually use warm-up and stretching exercises before starting a vigorous physical activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the positive and negative effects of different stretching and flexing exercises on kicking acceleration performance in taekwondo. A total of 12 elite taekwondo athletes (7 boys and 5 girls) with an average age of 20.75±1.48 years, an average height of 171±10.06 cm, an average body weight of 61.8±11 kg, and an average Body Mass Index (BMI) of 21.1±2.5 kg/m2 participated in this study. For the kick acceleration test (KAT), an accelerometer was used by attaching it to the ankle of the participants with the help of a smart phone and a smart watch. For KAT measurements, static stretching exercise (SSE), dynamic stretching exercise (DSE), proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation exercise (PNFE) and ballistic stretching exercise (BSE) methods were applied on different days during the warm-up phase. In this study with elite level Taekwondo athletes, significant differences were found between palding chagi and dollyo-chagi kick acceleration values after SSE and PNFE applications (p

The Effect of Abdominal Stretching Exercise on Reducing the Intensity of Dysmenorrhea Pain

Dysmenorrhea is a gynecological complaint that occurs due to an imbalance in the hormone progesterone, resulting in pain that women often experience during menstruation. One non-pharmacological way to deal with dysmenorrhea pain is to do abdominal stretching exercises. This study aimed to determine the effect of abdominal stretching exercise on reducing the intensity of dysmenorrhea pain in students of the Midwifery Diploma Study Program (MDSP), at Bengkulu University. This research was a pre-experimental study with a one-group pre-test and post-test design, involving 57 respondents who experienced moderate-category primary dysmenorrhea. Samples were taken using a random sampling technique. Data was collected using Standard Operational Procedures for abdominal stretching exercises and the Wong-Baker pain rating scale to determine the scale of dysmenorrhea pain. The results of data analysis using the Wilcoxon test showed p-value = 0.000 with a significance level of α = 0.05. This indicates an effect of abdominal stretching exercises on reducing dysmenorrhea in students of the MDSP.

Institutional structure and governance capability in universities: an empirical study from the perspectives of time, space, and quantity dimensions

Institutions are pivotal in university governance, symbolizing stable organizational power reflective of governance capacity. The strategic organization of a university’s internal structures aims to align with its developmental goals. The effectiveness of these arrangements is evaluated by their congruence with the university’s characteristics and norms, aiming to enhance governance for growth and sustainability. Thus, the primary aim of this study is to determine whether this layout can strengthen the university’s governance ability, enhancing its prospects for survival and development. This study introduces a novel theoretical framework across the dimensions of time, space, and quantity, utilizing governance elements to assess the impact of institutional layouts on governance capabilities. Data were gathered through a self-developed survey questionnaire, with a total of 742 valid responses collected, and by employing a high-dimensional fixed-effects model, we found that the three-dimensional institutional layouts significantly impact governance capabilities, with effects varying by the institution’s affiliation. Furthermore, the mechanism analysis shows that university governance capabilities are also manifested through different configurations of governance elements under institutional layout, and are influenced by the responsiveness, collaboration, and expansion of the entire institutional system. Moreover, our analysis indicates a threshold effect in the tenure of institutional members, where both excessive and insufficient enthusiasm impact governance capabilities differently. This suggests the importance of a strategic institutional layout that aligns with the governance elements’ dynamics of timeliness, flexibility, distribution, and scarcity across time, space, and quantity. Achieving an optimal arrangement enhances the university’s governance efficiency significantly. In light of these findings, policy implications were proposed.

Immediate effects of Global Active Stretching on strength and flexibility: Randomised Controlled Trial.

Global Active Stretching is a relatively recent yet little studied stretching method. It differs from the most popular methods by targeting muscle chains and integrating stretching with muscle contractions, which may eventually avoid the post-stretching reduction of strength that occurs in other methods. To verify the immediate effects of Global Active Stretching on muscle strength and flexibility in individuals with short hamstrings. A single-blind randomised controlled trial was carried out on 30 volunteers with more than 20° in the active knee extension test, randomly assigned to three groups: the experimental group (Global Active Stretching exercise); the placebo group (Global Active Stretching initial position without stretching); and the control group (lying down). The active knee extension and fingertip-to-floor tests assessed hamstring and posterior chain flexibility. Hamstring and quadriceps strength were assessed using the peak torque evaluation in the Biodex System 4PRO®. Assessments took place before and immediately after the 15-minute intervention. The ANOVA and the paired t test were used (α = 0.05). The experimental group had a significant increase in flexibility in both the fingertip-to-floor test (8.3 cm) and the active knee extension test (6.3°) when compared to the placebo and control groups (p < 0.05), while no differences in strength were observed (p > 0.05). Global Active Stretching immediately increased hamstring flexibility without significantly reducing muscle strength. Thus, individuals seeking to enhance their short-term flexibility can benefit from this programme in a single session without compromising performance.

Pengaruh Abdominal Stretching Exercise terhadap Penurunan Nyeri Dismenore pada Remaja Putri

During menstruation one of the most common complaints experienced by adolescents during menstruation caused by severe contractions of the uterine muscles is called dysmenorrhea. Almost all teenage daughters experience menstrual pain with levels of pain ranging from mild to severe. The absence of teenagers at school is one of the consequences of dysmenorrhea. Abdominal Stretching Exercise is an alternative non-pharmacological therapy option that can reduce dysmenorrhea. During exercise, there will be an increase in the levels of endorphins produced in the brain and also in the spinal cord nerve structure. To find out the impact of abdominal stretching exercises on decreased dysmenorrhea in teenage girls. This type of research is pre-experimental with the design of one group pretest posttest with a sample of 26 respondents. The research tools used in this data collection are the numeric rating scale questionnaire sheet and the observation sheet. The abdominal stretching exercise is performed on the first day of menstruation twice with a duration of 15 minutes. Data analysis using the Wilcoxon test. Before performing abdominal stretching exercises some respondents experienced severe to moderate pain. The Wilcoxon test results showed an Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) value of &lt;0.05 which means there is an effect of Abdominal Stretching Exercise on Dismenorean Pain Reduction in Teenage Girls. The abdominal stretching exercises have an effect on dismenoreal pain reduction in teenage girls.

Effects of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation with and without Electrical Muscle Stimulation on spasticity, gait and lower limb function in chronic stroke patients

Effects of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation with and without Electrical Muscle Stimulation on spasticity, gait and lower limb function in chronic stroke patients

Activation of skeletal muscle mechanoreceptors and nociceptors reduces the exercise performance of the contralateral homologous muscles.

Increasing evidence suggests that activation of muscle nerve afferents may inhibit central motor drive, affecting contractile performance of remote exercising muscles. Although these effects are well documented for metaboreceptors, very little is known about the activation of mechano- and mechanonociceptive afferents on performance fatigability. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of mechanoreceptors and nociceptors on performance fatigability. Eight healthy young males undertook four randomized experimental sessions on separate occasions in which the experimental knee extensors were the following: 1) resting (CTRL), 2) passively stretched (ST), 3) resting with delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), or 4) passively stretched with DOMS (DOMS+ST), whereas the contralateral leg performed an isometric time to task failure (TTF). Changes in maximal voluntary contraction (ΔMVC), potentiated twitch force (ΔQtw,pot), and voluntary muscle activation (ΔVA) were also assessed. TTF was reduced in DOMS+ST (-43%) and ST (-29%) compared with CTRL. DOMS+ST also showed a greater reduction of VA (-25% vs. -8%, respectively) and MVC compared with CTRL (-28% vs. -45%, respectively). Rate of perceived exertion (RPE) was significantly increased at the initial stages (20-40-60%) of the TTF in DOMS+ST compared with all conditions. These findings indicate that activation of mechanosensitive and mechanonociceptive afferents of a muscle with DOMS reduces TTF of the contralateral homologous exercising limb, in part, by reducing VA, thereby accelerating mechanisms of central fatigue.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We found that activation of mechanosensitive and nociceptive nerve afferents of a rested muscle group experiencing delayed onset muscle soreness was associated with reduced exercise performance of the homologous exercising muscles of the contralateral limb. This occurred with lower muscle voluntary activation of the exercising muscle at the point of task failure.