Upper-limb Power Research Articles

Effect of the PROFIT-BR exercise program on physical fitness of children: a protocol study

BackgroundConsidering that school environments are important and have the potential to promote an active lifestyle with direct impacts on physical, motor, cognitive, affective, and psychological aspects, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a physical exercise program in the school context.MethodsA parallel, two-arm experimental research project carried out over 19 weeks, with two non-consecutive weekly classes of 60 min, with the inclusion of PROFIT-BR in the initial 15 min of the class followed by 40 min based on specific physical education skills on indicators of physical fitness in children. Estimates of excess weight and visceral fat will be measured and assessed by body mass index and waist-to-height ratio, respectively, and cardiorespiratory fitness by performance in the six-minute run/walk test. Flexibility will be assessed by the sit and reach test; and muscle strength measured by the number of sit-ups in one minute. The 2 kg medicine ball throw and the horizontal jump will be used to measure upper and lower limb power, respectively, the square test used as a measure of agility, and the 20-meter run test used to measure speed. To analyze the differences between baseline and post-intervention values, repeated measures ANOVA adjusted for somatic maturation will be used. The magnitude of the effect size will be estimated by “partial eta squared”. Statistical analyses will be carried out using SPSS version 24.0 software and a 5% probability of error in the analyses will be accepted.DiscussionThe main theoretical assumption of the proposal is the cause-and-effect relationship between the regular practice of physical exercise in childhood and adolescence and several parameters of health and motor performance. The elaborated program has a lot of applicability because it was wondering from the perspective of the school, in terms of materials, space, and objectives of physical education.

Upper limb functional testing: does age, gender, and sport influence performance?

BackgroundMusculoskeletal adaptations in overhead athletes are common in overhead athletes. As they also are involved in injury prevention, there as been an increase in their evaluation through shoulder screening over the last years. However, for some evaluations, and especially for functional testing, there is a lack of normative values, which limits the interpretation of the values measured. Moreover, the influence of age, gender, and sport on upper-limb functional tests remains underexplored. Methods587 athletes (handball players, rugby players, swimmers, tennis players, and volleyball players) performed a battery of upper-limb functional tests between 2018 and 2023, including the Modified Athletic Shoulder Test (M-AST), the Single Arm Medicine Ball Throw (SAMBT), the Seated Single Arm Shot Put Test (SSASPT), the Upper Limb Rotation Test (ULRT), the Upper Quarter Y Balance Test (UQYBT), the Modified Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test (MCKCUEST), and the Posterior Shoulder Endurance Test (PSET). In total, normative values as well as the influence of age, gender and sport on upper limb functional performance were obtained for 496 of them. ResultsThe M-AST revealed sport-specific adaptations, with dominant arms significantly outperforming non-dominant arms, notably in handball, rugby, and tennis. The SAMBT and SSASPT highlighted the influence of age and gender on upper limb power, with males consistently outperforming females. The ULRT demonstrated similar rotation in both arms across sports, while gender disparities were still observed. The UQYBT exhibited surprising consistency in upper-quarter balance across sports and age groups (p>0.05). The MCKCUEST showed age-related improvements in stability, while the PSET demonstrated age-related differences in posterior shoulder endurance in swimmers. ConclusionThis study contributes to advances in sports medicine by better understanding functional shoulder performances in upper limb athletes. The differences observed according to the sport, gender or age underscore the importance of sport-specific assessments and interventions. Moreover, the normative values provided will be essential for primary prevention as well as for determining return to play capacity after an injury or surgery.

Superiority of High-Load vs. Low-Load Resistance Training in Military Cadets.

Øfsteng, SF, Hammarström, D, Knox, S, Jøsok, Ø, Helkala, K, Koll, L, Hanestadhaugen, M, Raastad, T, Rønnestad, BR, and Ellefsen, S. Superiority of high-load vs. low-load resistance training in military cadets. J Strength Cond Res 38(9): 1584-1595, 2024-Muscle strength and power are important determinants of soldiers' performance in modern warfare. Here, we compare the efficacy of 22 weeks of whole-body resistance training with high load (HL, 10 repetitions maximum/RM) and low load (LL, 30RM) for developing maximal muscle strength and power, performance, and muscle mass in moderately trained cadets (20 ± 1 year, f; n = 5, m; n = 22). Outcome measures were assessed at baseline and at week 22, in addition to a mid-intervention assessment at week 10. Twenty-two weeks of HL led to greater increases in muscle strength (upper limb, Δ 10%, 95% CI [2.8, 17.1], p = 0.01; lower limb, Δ 9.9%, CI [1.1, 18.6], p = 0.029), jump height (Δ 5.5%, CI [1.4, 9.6], p = 0.011), and upper limb lean mass (Δ 5.2%, CI [1, 9.4], p = 0.018) compared with LL. HL and LL led to similar changes in agility, muscle endurance performance, lower limb muscle mass, and cross-sectional area in m. vastus lateralis. For all variables, training-associated changes occurred primarily during the initial 10 weeks of the intervention, including the differential responses to HL and LL. In conclusion, although 22 weeks of HL led to greater increases in lower and upper limb muscle strength, power, and upper limb lean mass than LL, the 2 load conditions led to similar improvements in agility performance and lower limb muscle mass. Our results thus indicate that both loading regimes elicit multifaceted physiological improvements important for military readiness.

Swimming Performance Interpreted through Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI)—Practical Tests and Training Variables Modelling

Explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) models with Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) values allows multidimensional representation of movement performance interpreted on both global and local levels in terms understandable to human intuition. We aimed to evaluate the swimming performance (World Aquatics points) predictability of a combination of demographic, training, anthropometric, and biomechanical variables (inputs) through XAI. Forty-seven swimmers (16 males), after completing a training questionnaire (background and duration) and anthropometric assessment, performed, in a randomised order, a 25 m front crawl and three countermovement jumps, at maximal intensity. The predicted World Aquatics points (516 ± 159; mean ± SD) were highly correlated (r2 = 0.93) with the 529 ± 158 actual values. The duration of swimming training was the most important variable (95_SHAP), followed by the countermovement jump impulse (37_SHAP), both with a positive effect on performance. In contrast, a higher percentage of fat mass (21_SHAP) corresponded to lower World Aquatics points. Impulse, when interpreted together with dryland training duration and stroke rate, shows the positive effects of upper and lower limb power on swimming performance. Height should be interpreted together with arm span when exploring positive effects of anthropometric traits on swimming performance. The XAI modelling highlights the usefulness of specific training, technical and physical testing, and anthropometric factors for monitoring swimmers.

Exploring the interplay of trunk and shoulder rotation strength: a cross-sport analysis.

Introduction: Trunk and shoulder strength are consistently shown to be involved in performance limitations, as well as contributing to stability, power output, and reducing the risk of injury. Although their biomechanical interaction is a critical aspect for athletes, there is limited research on the relationship between trunk and shoulder strength in sports where upper body mechanics are critical for optimal performance. Purpose: This study examined the differences and relationships between trunk rotational strength and shoulder rotational strength among athletes participating in mixed martial arts (MMA), tennis, swimming, and baseball. Methods: Maximal voluntary contraction tests were performed to evaluate strength of 39 professional adult male athletes from disciplines of MMA (n = 6), tennis (n = 11), swimming (n = 11) and baseball (n = 11). Peak force data were used in sports comparison and relationship analysis between trunk and shoulder rotation strength parameters. Results: The findings revealed a complex and significant relationship between trunk and shoulder strength, with unique patterns for each athletic discipline. Tennis players exhibited a strong correlation between trunk bilateral differences and internal shoulder rotation, while other disciplines demonstrated a more balanced use of trunk asymmetry. Swimmers displayed the best interactions between trunk and shoulder overall, emphasizing the aquatic environment's biomechanical demands. In MMA, the strongest correlation was between shoulder internal and external rotation with the trunk, mainly due to the number of defensive movements in addition to offensive ones. Baseball pitchers showed a significant correlation between internal/external shoulder rotation strength ratio and trunk asymmetry. Conclusion: While no differences in peak force variables were found, unique relationships between trunk and shoulder rotational performance were discovered. The results suggest a long-term sport-specific adaptation of the trunk-shoulder interaction in sports that require upper limb power movements. It seems, that the relationship between the various parameters of trunk and shoulder was influenced by the movement stereotype of each sport. Therefore, recognition of sport-specific interactions is critical to the development of effective training programs that enhance performance and potentially reduce injury risk in different sports. Researchers and practitioners should focus on longitudinally monitoring fluctuations in TRS and SRS relationships throughout each sport season and examining potential associations with injury incidence.

Generation of Virtual Tunnels for Meal Activity Perception Assist With an Upper Limb Power Assist Exoskeleton Robot

Generation of Virtual Tunnels for Meal Activity Perception Assist With an Upper Limb Power Assist Exoskeleton Robot

Development of Mobility Type Upper Limb Power Assist System —Mechanism and Design of Power Assist Device—

In fruit cultivation, viticulture requires the longest working hours in extended arm postures, much of which is carried out in standing postures to accumulate fatigue on arms, shoulders, and legs: a tough working environment. In this study, we propose a power assist system to assist its users in their extended arm work while they move in vineyards. The proposed system largely consists of a mobile robot, a power assist device for work, and a control system. The mobile robot is structured with a tracked vehicle for rough terrain arranged on its left and right sides so that the users can sit between the two vehicles and be assisted by the power assist device for work installed on it. The power assist device for work with a single linear actuator utilizing a linkage mechanism has the function to retain users’ hand attitude angles while assisting the flexion and extension movements of their shoulder, elbow, and carpometacarpal joints. Then, we verify by simulations the effects that the arrangement and lengths of links will have on the carpometacarpal joints’ trajectories as well as on the hand attitude angles. Finally, in order to check the effectiveness of the proposed power assist device for work, we conducted the evaluation experiments for assumed grape-harvesting work and gibberellin treatments. As a result, we proved its work assisting effects from the muscle activity states as well as its applicability to other kinds of work by altering its linkage structure and hand support part.

Effect of plyometric versus complex training on core strength, lower limb, and upper limb power in male cricketers: a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundComplex training is found effective in improving physical performance in various sports. There is a paucity of research evidence comparing the efficacy of complex vs. plyometric training in cricket players. The study aimed to compare the efficacy of complex and plyometric training on physical performance parameters in cricket players.MethodsParticipants (n = 42 Male; age group = 18–26 years) were randomly allocated into three groups, complex training group (CTG) (n = 14; BMI = 20.51 ± 2.23), plyometric training group (PTG) (n = 14; BMI = 20.57 ± 2.82), and control group (CG) (n = 14; BMI = 20.51 ± 2.23). CTG and PTG received their respective training twice weekly, and CG received routine training for four weeks. Pre and post-intervention assessments of core muscle strength (CM), multistage fitness (MF), push-up (PU), lateral cone jump (LCJ), and stationary vertical jump (SVJ) were performed. This study has been registered in clinicaltrials.gov (ID: NCT05646914, on 05/12/2022).ResultsA significant difference was observed between CTG vs. CG for CM (p ≤ 0.01), LCJ (p < 0.05), and SVJ (p ≤ 0.01), similarly in PTG vs. CG for CM (p-value), LCJ (p ≤ 0.05) and SVJ (p ≤ 0.01). However, No significant difference was found between PTG vs. CTG for any variables (p ≥ 0.05). Also, No significant difference in MF and PU was found between the groups (p ≥ 0.05).ConclusionsComplex training has been found to have effects similar to plyometric training alone. Therefore, either of the two strategies can be used to improve the performance of male cricket players.

Intra-Rater and Test–Retest Reliability of Barbell Force, Velocity, and Power during the Landmine Punch Throw Test Assessed by the GymAware Linear Transducer System

Background: Velocity-based training (VBT) requires measurement of the velocity at which the barbell is moved in the concentric phase with regard to different resistance exercises, which provides accurate, indirect estimations of 1 RM. However, for assessing punch performance, no study has been carried out to date. The purpose of this study was to analyse the reliability of the GymAware linear transducer for the measurement of barbell velocity during the landmine push throw (LPT) test using four loads. Methods: Twenty-five healthy, physically active male students, aged 24.13 ± 2.82 years, volunteered to take part in this study. The reliability of the LPT test was measured at two separate visits, with a 2-day interval between them. One series of the test protocol included four parts of the LPT test with progressively increasing loads (20, 25, 30, and 35 kg) and 5 min intervals for rests between loads. Results: For all four loads, excellent intra-rater and test–retest reliability was noted for the mean force variable (ICC = 0.97–0.99). Additionally, very strong and significant correlations were established between measurements (r = 0.96–0.99). Poor reliability was observed for barbell height and total work (ICC below 0.5). A trend of decreasing reliability was detected with increasing barbell load. Furthermore, measurements without the barbell throw were more reliable than those with it. Conclusions: These results support the use of the GymAware linear transducer to track barbell velocity during the LPT test. This device may have valuable practical applications for strength and conditioning coaches. Therefore, we suggest that the LPT assessed with the GymAware linear transducer may be a useful method for evaluating upper limb strength and power during boxing punches.

Are there differences in anaerobic relative muscle power between upper and lower limbs in adolescent swimmers: A blinded study

Success in speed swimming depends on the efficiency of the anaerobic system for the production of cellular energy, especially during muscle power production. In the adolescent athletes much is unknown with regards to the relationships between relative power of upper and lower limbs with speed swimming performance. The aim the present study was to identify differences in relative muscle power of upper and lower limbs in adolescent swimmers and relate these to speed swimming performances. Sixty adolescents, of both sexes (50% female, 50% male, 30 swimmers and 30 controls), were recruited. The relative upper limb power (ULP[W/kg]) was assessed by a medicine ball test and the relative lower limbs power (LLP[W/kg]) by a jump test on a jumping platform. Lean mass of the upper and lower limbs was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) (g). Sport performance was assessed during national level competition (50-m swimming time [in seconds]). Biological maturation (BM) was indexed by years from attainment of peak height velocity. ULP(W/kg) was higher than LLP(W/kg) in both groups (p ​< ​0.05). Upper and lower limb lean mass (g) correlated significantly with ULP(W/kg) and LLP(W/kg) in both groups (p ​< ​0.05). ULP(W/kg) and LLP(W/kg) correlated with 50-m swimming performance (s), in both sexes (p ​< ​0.05). Advanced BM was associated with ULP(W/kg) and LLP(W/kg) in both groups (p ​< ​0.05), and with 50-m swimming performance (s) in both sexes (p ​< ​0.05). We concluded that ULP(W/kg) is higher than LLP (W/kg) in adolescent swimmers. Upper and lower limb lean mass and BM were both positively associated with increased ULP (W/kg) and LLP (W/kg).

Brain Abscess Drainage in a Case of Tetralogy of Fallot with Pulmonary Atresia with Major Aortopulmonary Collateral Arteries Under Scalp Block

AbstractTetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is the most common cyanotic congenital heart disease. There are a few reports of uncorrected TOF patients surviving into adulthood requiring noncardiac surgery. They are commonly susceptible to developing brain abscesses due to paradoxical embolism and lack of pulmonary phagocytic clearance. A 32-year-old man, a known patient of TOF with pulmonary atresia and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries, presented with left side weakness and seizures. He was drowsy with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of 13/15, heart rate of 72/min, oxygen saturation of 78% with 6 L/min oxygen via face mask, and blood pressure of 90/60 mm Hg with noradrenaline at 0.5 mcg/kg/min. He had central cyanosis, clubbing, and icterus. The left upper and lower limb power was 2/5, whereas it was 5/5 for the right. Cardiovascular examination revealed a grade 3/6 continuous murmur at the base of the heart. No pulmonary abnormality was noted on auscultation. Echocardiography showed large subaortic ventricular septal defect (VSD) with overriding of the aorta, pulmonary atresia, right-sided aortic arch, and ejection fraction of 62%. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed features suggestive of brain abscess. Brain abscess drainage was performed under scalp block with sedation to avoid major hemodynamic fluctuations. The procedure was uneventful, and the patient's power on the left side improved postprocedure. Scalp block with sedation is a suitable alternative to general anesthesia for drainage of brain abscess in TOF patients.

Effect of integrative neuromuscular training and detraining on performance indices in young female volleyball players.

Aim of this study was to determine the effect of: 1) integrative neuromuscular training (INT); and 2) detraining on power and skill performance indices in young female volleyball players. Sixty-one pre- and early pubescent female volleyball players participated in this study divided into two groups, integrative neuromuscular training (INTG) and control (CG). The INTG followed a 12-week INT program twice weekly and both groups participated in volleyball training sessions. During 8-week detraining, both groups keep practicing volleyball. Participants were assessed on upper and lower limb power and skill accuracy tests prior, at the end and 8 weeks after INT. A repeated measures Analysis of Variance was used to examine groups' changes in performance for each variable and significance level was set at P<0.05. INTG improved all power parameters more than CG after 12 weeks of INT (significant interaction, P<0.001) whilst the CG improved only countermovement jump (CMJ) height (P<0.05) and medicine ball (MB) throw (P<0.05). Both groups improved their technical skills accuracy (P<0.001) with INTG presenting higher improvements (P<0.001). During detraining, INTG maintained performance gains in CMJ and Cod (P<0.001). MB throw distance and technical skills accuracy kept on improving for both groups (P<0.01) with higher improvements observed in INTG (P<0.001). INT may cause improvements in specific power and skill performance indices during in season training in young female volleyball players which may be maintained or even improved for at least 8-week detraining when players remain active through volleyball training.

Upper extremity physical performance tests in female overhead athletes: a test–retest reliability study

ObjectiveDespite the studies that have investigated the reliability of Upper Extremity Functional Tests(UEFTs), the reliability of Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability(CKCUES), Seated Medicine Ball Throw(SMBT), push-up(PU) and Unilateral Seated Shot Put(USSP) tests in overhead athletes has yet to be assessed. The objective of this study was to determine both the relative and absolute test–retest reliability of the four UEFTs in female overhead athletes.MethodsTwenty-nine female overhead athletes (age: 26.6 ± 5.29 years) underwent the four UEFTs twice within a three- day interval. The upper limb stability was assessed through PU and CKCUES tests, while the power was assessed though SMBT and USSP tests. The Intraclass Correlation of Coefficient (ICC) was applied to assess the relative reliability. Absolute reliability was determined by calculating the Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) and the Minimal Detectable Change (MDC). Furthermore, Bland–Altman plots were used to detect the agreements between the two measurements.ResultsThe relative reliability of PU, CKCUES, SMBT, and non-dominant arm USSP tests was excellent (ICC = 0.83, 0.80, 0.91, and 0.83, respectively). SEM was within a range of 1.69 to 1.72 for stability tests and a range of 13.61 to 52.12 for power (based on a 95% confidence interval). The MDC was 4.68 for PU and 4.75 for CKCUES test. At least four repetitions are needed to be considered a real improvement on PU and CKCUES tests. This value was 144.04, in SMBT and 59.03, 37.62 cm (dominant and non-dominant arm, respectively) in USSP tests, which represents the minimum change that must occur to be considered an athlete’s progression.ConclusionThis study revealed that both the upper limb stability and power tests have acceptable relative and absolute intra-rater reliability in female overhead athletes. These can be considered as reliable tools in research and clinical settings.

Determining the effect of one decade on fitness of elite Austrian youth soccer players using propensity score matching.

Current trends in attacking strategies and increases in external workload have led to a need for fast and well-conditioned athletes in modern soccer. More recently, progressions in speed, coordination, power and endurance were found over a decade in elite Austrian youth players. However, possible confounders such as relative age, maturation, learning effects, and academy philosophy may have influenced these changes. The present study aimed to determine the decade effect on fitness under statistical control of players' exact age, height, body mass, test location as well as total number of pretests and time interval between test and pretest. Players annually completed a battery of anthropometric, general and soccer-specific fitness tests. MANCOVA was calculated to identify the overall impacts of the covariates on fitness. To balance the covariates of initially 2,530 "former" (2002 to 2005) and 2,611 "recent" (2012 to 2015) players, 1:1 nearest neighbor propensity score (PS) matching was used, resulting in 587 U13, 573 U14, 475 U15, 325 U16, 262 U17, and 129 U18 matched pairs. The decade effect on fitness was assessed by independent t-tests and Cohen's d separately at each age group. Superior performances of recent players were found for linear sprint across all age categories (d = 0.154-0.476) as well as for agility (d = 0.125-0.340) and change-of-direction speed (d = 0.172-0.466) in U15 to U18. Reaction speed increased in U13 (d = 0.288) and U15 (d = 0.310). Flexibility reduced over the decade in all age categories (d = -0.151 to -0.589) and upper-limb power decreased (d = -0.278 to -0.347) in U13 and U14. Balancing the covariate distribution via PS matching generally confirmed previous findings, with fitness decade effects reflecting the athletic needs for modern soccer. Since fitness performance changed over time, reference values should be periodically updated. Coaches favor both physical and cognitive fast players nowadays. Thus, training should target all aspects of speed, without disregarding flexibility, upper-limb power and other preventive strategies that keep the players on the pitch.

Physical fitness of primary school children differs depending on their timing of school enrollment

Previous research has shown that children who were enrolled to school according to the legal key date (i.e., keyage children, between eight and nine years in third grade) exhibited a linear physical fitness development in the ninth year of life. In contrast, children who were enrolled with a delay (i.e., older-than-keyage children [OTK], between nine and ten years in third grade) exhibited a lower physical fitness compared to what would be expected for their age. In these studies, cross-sectional age differences within third grade and timing of school enrollment were confounded. The present study investigated the longitudinal development of keyage and OTK children from third to fifth grade. This design also afforded a comparison of the two groups at the same average chronological age, that is a dissociation of the effects of timing of school enrollment and age. We tested six physical fitness components: cardiorespiratory endurance, coordination, speed, power of lower and upper limbs, and static balance. 1502 children (i.e., 1206 keyage and 296 OTK children) from 35 schools were tested in third, fourth, and fifth grade. Except for cardiorespiratory endurance, both groups developed from third to fourth and from fourth to fifth grade and keyage children outperformed OTK children at the average ages of 9.5 or 10.5 years. For cardiorespiratory endurance, there was no significant gain from fourth to fifth grade and keyage and OTK children did not differ significantly at 10.5 years of age. One reason for a delayed school enrollment could be that a child is (or is perceived as) biologically younger than their chronological age at the school entry examination, implying a negative correlation between chronological and biological age for OTK children. Indeed, a simple reflection of chronological age brought the developmental rate of the chronologically youngest OTK children in line with the developmental rate observed for keyage children, but did not eliminate all differences. The mapping of chronological and biological age of OTK children and other possible reasons for lower physical fitness of OTK children remain a task for future research.

Swimming sprint performance depends on upper/lower limbs strength and swimmers level

ABSTRACT Swimming performance is likely influenced by strength, but differences between butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and front crawl, as well as between novice and expert swimmers, are unclear. We have examined the associations between sprint performances, upper and lower limb strength, and anthropometric characteristics in 14 (six males and eight females) non-elite and 16 (nine males and seven females) elite-level swimmers. After an anthropometric characterisation, participants performed four 25 m maximal swims (one per technique) with 10 min intervals, right and left shoulder flexion/extension isokinetic testing at 90 and 300º/s angular velocities and three countermovement jumps. Pearson correlation analysis showed that sprint times were moderate–largely negatively correlated with upper and lower limb strength and power (r ± 95%CI = 0.39 ± 0.26–0.77 ± 0.13, p < 0.05). Elite swimmers higher strength levels were associated with longer stroke length in butterfly and front crawl, and with higher stroke rate in backstroke and breaststroke (r ± 95%CI = 0.37 ± 0.32–0.68 ± 0.21; p < 0.05). Butterfly, backstroke and front crawl sprint times were moderate–largely negatively related with arm span (r ± 95%CI = 0.37 ± 0.26, 0.39 ± 0.25 and 0.69 ± 0.17, p < 0.05). The predictive model indicated that higher dry-land strength values distinguished elite from non-elite swimmers (r2 = 0.67–0.81; p < 0.001). This association was not observed per performance level and per sex, confirming that sprint swimming performance levels can be differentiated by dry-land strength testing.

Reduction of Porencephalic Cyst Along with the Revival of Motor Control Using the Deep Brain Sound Stimulation (DBSS) Technology as a Novel Approach

A porencephalic cyst is a rare disorder, with the etiology of brain parenchymal loss as a result of perinatal cerebral ischemia or hemorrhage leading to the accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid within the parenchyma. It is diagnosed radiologically, and management depends on the clinical manifestations. The present case depicts a porencephalic cyst presenting with cerebral right-sided hemiparesis in adulthood. The cyst dimensions measured 2.6*0.6*0.5 cm in the left lateral ventricle with associated hemiparesis of the right side at the time of the first MRI scan before Deep Brain Sound Stimulation (DBSS) sessions. A reduction in the size of the cyst to 16*7*7 mm and then to a subsequent 8 mm was documented during a novel, non-invasive deep brain stimulation via sound (DBSS) treatment. In addition, right upper and lower limb power increased to 5/5 with improved coordination in a complete neurological evaluation. DEXA scan showed an increased bone density and muscle bulk.

Speed, agility, and musculoskeletal fitness are independently associated with areal bone mineral density in children.

Background: There is still little understanding of the associations between physical fitness variables and bone health in children taking into account key confounders. Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze the associations between performance in tests of speed, agility, and musculoskeletal fitness (power of the upper and lower limbs) with bone mass of different regions in children, considering the adjustment to maturity-offset, lean percentage, and sex. Methods: Cross-sectional study design: the sample consisted of 160 children aged 6-11 years. The physical fitness variables tested were 1) speed, assessed with the running test at a maximum speed of 20m; 2) agility, assessed through the 4×4-m square test; 3) lower limb power, assessed using the standing long jump test, and 4) upper limb power, assessed using the 2-kg medicine ball throw test. Areal bone mineral density (aBMD) was obtained from the analysis of body composition by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Simple and multiple linear regression models were performed using the SPSS software. Results: In the crude regression analyses, the results indicated a linear relationship between all the physical fitness variables and aBMD in all body segments, but maturity-offset, sex, and lean mass percentage seemed to have an effect on these relationships. Except for the upper limb power, the other physical capacities (speed, agility, and lower limb power) were associated with aBMD in at least three body regions in the adjusted analyses. These associations occurred in the spine, hip, and leg regions, and the aBMD of the legs presented the best association magnitude (R 2). Conclusion: There is a significant association between speed, agility, and musculoskeletal fitness, specifically the lower limb power and aBMD. That is, the aBMD is a good indicator of the relationship between fitness and bone mass in children, but it is essential to consider specific fitness variables and skeletal regions.

Ayurvedic management of quadriparesis (Sarvanga roga) due to cervical disc herniation

Cervical disc herniation is most common after lumbar disc herniation. Nerve impingement due to cervical disc herniation causes symptoms that correlate with Sarvanga roga (~quadriparesis). The present case is of a 44-year-old male who reported neck pain, stiffness, and reduced power in bilateral upper and lower limbs, due to which he was unable to walk on his own and unable to perform daily living activities. Ayurveda holds bountiful resources for the management of Vata (~Dosha responsible for movement and cognition) disorders. This patient was treated with oral medicines along with Panchakarma therapy on the line of treatment of Vatavyadhi (~disorders due to Vata). The result was assessed using the Modified Ashworth scale for muscle tone, Medical Research Council scale for muscle power, National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke grading for deep tendon reflex, and Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living. The result obtained after 45 days of treatment helped the patient to walk and perform activities of daily living independently. Treatment provided relief by reducing pain, stiffness, and cervical cord edema and providing strength to local muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments. This case provided positive hope for serious cases like this, where patients are left with the only option of surgery.

Training effects on physical fitness and vertical jumps of junior handball players

Abstract Introduction: In handball, the time for physical training is limited, because the focus is placed on the technical-tactical and mental aspects. The introduction of specific physical training is crucial in increasing the sports performance. Even though handball is a team sport, match analysis has shown that physical training in modern handball should be pointed towards the specific playing position and individual physical ability of the players. Materials and methods: The subjects who participated in this are from two groups: the control group consisting of 16 junior I athletes aged 16-18 years, from the CSM Resita handball club, and the experimental group represented by 16 junior I athletes aged between 16-18 years old, from the handball club SCM Politehnica Timișoara. On the experimental group, it was applied in addition to the specific training program, an additional strength training program to increase strength and endurance. The tests aimed to evaluate the following parameters: specific power and specific energy of lower and upper limbs or aerobic fitness. Results and discussions: For both dynamometric and endurance tests, statistically significant differences for all parameters have been registered only for the experimental group. The results showed an important improvement in the variables of the experimental group after training. Conclusions: The objective to improve the physical training of junior handball players by applying a complementary training program was achieved.