ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to investigate the injurious influence of aerobic dancing on the lower limbs injuries. Subjects were personally interviewed about exercise hours and the intensity of their classes, together with experience of injury, and their body configurations, alignments, ranges of motion, and muscular strengths were measured. EMG during aerobic dance exercise was measured in subjects with knee Q angles over and under 20 degrees.<BR>The incidence of lower limb injury was 64.3%, and the most frequent injury was shin splint. The injured individuals had significantly more high-intensity classes than normal. As to body configuration, the width in patella per femur was significantly lower and the value of patellar ligament per height was significantly higher in the injured than in the normal subjects. The range of motion of hip external rotation in the injured was significantly smaller than that in the normal subjects. EMG discharge of the vastus medialis in the injured with a knee Q angle of over 20 degrees was markedly greater than that in normal subjects with an angle of less than 20 degrees.
ABSTRACT
A study was done to examine the effects of wearing splints, for treatment of temporomandibular joint dysfunctions, on muscle strength and equilibrium in athletes.<BR>Forty collegiate athletes participated. All the subjects were interviewed and examined by dental investigators. Splints were constructed on the basis of vertical dimensions deemed appropriate by the subjects' dentists. Three areas were then studied : First, isometric muscle strength of grip, arm flexion, back extension, leg extension, and plantar flexion were measured with and without splints. Second, isokinetic muscle strength of knee extension and flexion were measured at angular velocities of 60 deg/s, 120 deg/s, and 240 deg/s, with and without splints. Third, a stepping test with closed eyes was used to determine equilibrium by measuring transfer distance, transfer angle and rotation angle with and without splints.<BR>The results are summarized as follows :<BR>1) Isometric muscle strength of back extension, leg extension, and plantar flexion were significantly increased when wearing splints (p<0.05) . Arm flexion strength and grip strength showed no significant alteration.<BR>2) Isokinetic muscle strength showed no significant difference at any angular velocity.<BR>3) In the stepping test with closed eyes, transfer distance showed a significant decrease when splints were worn (p<0.01) . Transfer angle and rotation angle showed no significant alteration.<BR>From the present results, it is suggested that wearing of splints is an effective aid for improving the muscle strength and equilibrium of athletes.
ABSTRACT
With disuse, e. g. that resulting from tail-suspension, skeletal muscle shows a decrease in both mass and strength, with concomitant atrophy. Type IIc fibers are observed during muscle fiber generation, regeneration and fiber type transformation. Thus, the recovery process of atrophied muscle fibers can be investigated by observing changes in type IIc fiber distribution. In this study, the behavior of type IIc fibers was examined in rats during recovery following 5 weeks of tail-suspension. Male rats were assigned to three groups : control (C), tailsuspension (S), and pair-weight (P), in which body weight was adjusted to that of the S group by controlled food consumption.<BR>The results were as follows : 1) After 5 weeks of tail-suspension, the weight of the m. soleus in the S group was less than 40% of that in the C group. 2) Weights of all muscles removed in the S group increased rapidly until 2 weeks into the recovery period, and returned to the level in the P group by 5 weeks. 3) Type IIc fiber distribution in the m, soleus in the S group was increased by about 35% after 5 weeks of tail-suspension, and had not returned to the level in the C group by 5 weeks of recovery. 4) Phanocytosis and central nuclei were observed in the atrophic muscle fibers of the S group.
ABSTRACT
It was known that physical training caused temporary changes in property of erythrocytes in a trainee.<BR>The purpose of this study is to determine how physical training bring about changes in blood corpuscle on long-distance runners under training for a month. In addition, a comparative study of distribution curves of red blood cell and changes of blood corpuscle was investigated.<BR>The number of long-distance runner was twelve, throughout a regularly training program for a month.<BR>Blood corpuscle (RBC, WBC, Ht, MCV) were count by Coulter Counter, and the hemoglobin content was measured by the Hemoglobinometer. The red cell distribution curves were analyzed, using Coulter Channelyzer.<BR>The results obtained are as follow:<BR>1) After the physical training, the macrocytes were decreased and microcytes were increased. Therefore red cell distribution curves shift to the left.<BR>2) Red blood cell count was not influenced by regular training over a month.<BR>3) MCV became markdly smaller between before and after the training, indicating a significance of p<0.01.<BR>4) The hemoglobin content increased between before and after the training, indicating a significance of p<0.05.<BR>5) It has been confirmed that hemoglobin content and density of a red blood cell was increased by the effect of physical training.