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[Objective]To investigate the effects of acupuncture on sports activities of athletes[Methods]A total of 1,804 athletes were targeted. The method used was a collective survey. Questionnaires were administered after obtaining consent from the participants; online questionnaires were also provided. The questionnaire evaluated profile (sex, age); sensation immediately after acupuncture treatment, duration of stimulus sensation, stimulus intensity, stimulus sensation, and therapeutic effect; timing of acupuncture treatment; and questions related to acupuncture as to whether the acupuncture caused any adverse effects on play (movement) or showed any positive effects.[Results]In total, 1,525 (84.5%) valid responses were obtained. The survey analyzed 841 subjects (55.1%) who underwent acupuncture. The most common response after acupuncture treatment was that the subjects felt lighter and were able to move more easily; 43.9% of subjects gave this response. In addition, 10.6% of respondents said that they continued to feel pain similar to the sensation during acupuncture treatment and 7.7% said they felt weak. The most common response at 59.8% was that the sensation felt during acupuncture disappeared quickly after treatment was ended, 58.6% of subjects said that the sensation felt after acupuncture was optimal, and 48.3% responded that the sensation from treatment remained and a positive effect was observed. The most common timing for receiving acupuncture for 21.8% of subjects was after practice or a match: [Discussion and Conclusion]Acupuncture for athletes should be performed according to the guidelines, taking into account the competition schedule and type of competition and the appropriate amount of acupuncture stimulation, thereby preventing problems during competition.
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[Objective] The purpose of this cross-sectional questionnaire-based study is to investigate the challenges of adverse events during treatment by acupuncture and moxibustion to an athlete. [Methods] In total, 1,804 subjects, including athletes who participated in marathons and university athletes were enrolled in this study. The survey was conducted by distributing the questionnaire or via online questionnaire to the athletes who fit the criteria for the study. The questionnaires were collected after consent was received from the participants; online questionnaires were also collected. The questionnaire was examined for age, sex, and type of competition, purpose of the acupuncture treatment and the actual effects, and treated area, content of adverse event, number of times the subjects received acupuncture, and informed consent, and free description of adverse events.[Results] In total, 1,525 (84.5%) valid responses to the questionnaires were received. The survey analyzed 841 subjects (55.1%) who experienced acupuncture and moxibustion. The following responses about adverse events of acupuncture were obtained: "pain at time of needle insertion"; 17.0%, "subcutaneous-bleeding"; 10.1% and "pain and feeling of heaviness due to the needle": 10.0%, among others. For moxibustion, responses included "burns"; 5.9% and "malaise"; 5.8%, among others. In the free description, there were 17 descriptions of discomfort due to excessive stimulation and difficulty in movement during exercise. Of the questions regarding whether or not they received informed consent, 215 were received orally (25.6%), 34 were received in written form (4.0%), 99 were received both orally and in written form (11.8%).[Discussion and Conclusion] Acupuncture for athletes causes a certain rate of adverse events. It was suggested that guidelines for athletes to receive acupuncture safely and training and education for practitioners are important.
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[Objective]Daily repetitive exercise is known to be necessary for players in sports. In this study, to further explore the potential functions of acupuncture, we studied whether electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation has efficacy for repetitive exercise-induced oxidative stress.<BR>[Methods]Six healthy male volunteers participated in both the non-treatment control group and the EA group in a crossover design. EA stimulation was applied to both the medial vastus muscles at 2 Hz and optimum intensity for each subject during ten min just before each exercise period. The subject performed ergometer exercise for 20 min with 75%of maximal oxygen uptake each day. This exercise period was performed once a day for three consecutive days. Blood lactate level (BLL) and plasma lipid peroxide (LP) concentration were measured as the markers for metabolism and oxidative stress, respectively. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the individual level of fatigue due to exercise.<BR>[Results]During and just after the exercise period, each value of BLL in the EA group was lower than the same points in the control group. Whereas LP concentrations before the exercise period on the first day in the control group was higher than the values in the same points on the second and third days. LP concentrations before the exercise period in the EA group were almost the same levels for three days. Furthermore, after the exercise period for the three consecutive days, LP concentrations and VAS in the EA group were lower than each value of the same points in the control group, and especially, the alteration of VAS showed a significant difference. <BR>[Conclusion]The increased tendency of LP concentrations before the exercise period for three days in the control group indicated that repetitive exercise induced the accumulation of excess lipid peroxide. It might be suggested that EA stimulation suppressed subjective fatigue by an enhanced energy metabolic rate and decreased production of lipid peroxide. Hence the evidence strongly supported that EA stimulation might be useful for sports conditioning.
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Background: Total femur replacement is a relatively rarely performed procedure for the reconstruction of an affected limb after resection of a malignant bone tumor.Objective: Report total femur replacement in a 17-year-old male patient after wide resection of the right femur for involvement of the proximal segment of the bone by Ewing’s sarcoma.Results: The complications that often arose from the use of the tumor prostheses after the tumor resection, e.g.,infection and migration/dislocation of the artificial bonehead, were overcome successfully. The patient has been under follow-up for a relatively long period of time (16 years) since the surgery. The operated limb function is nowrated at 70% according to the rating system by Musculo-Skeletal Tumor Society (MSTS). The patient has almost completely regained his ability to walk and carries on with activities of daily living.Conclusion: If appropriate measures are taken to deal with the complications, favorable function of the operated limb can be expected to be maintained for long periods after reconstruction using this technique.Keywords: Total femur replacement, Ewing’s sarcoma, complications
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<B>Aim</B><BR> The study aimed to develop an appropriate <I>in vivo</I> rat model of muscle strain to investigate whether electroacupuncture is useful for improving muscle strain.<BR><B>Methods</B><BR> An <I>in vivo</I> muscle strain model was developed with Wistar rats by the eccentric contraction (EC) evoked by pulling their hind limb with a stainless-steel wire that was connected to a weight; the EC was given under anesthesia during tetanic contraction in their gastrocnemius evoking by electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve. Development of muscle strain was evaluated by comparing the muscle tension induced by the twitch of the gastrocnemius, pain thresholds measured using the Randall-Selitto test, and the serum creatine kinase (CK) activity between the following three experimental groups : EC×1 group, EC was temporarily evoked to their hind limb only once (n=10); EC×5 group, EC was temporarily evoked to their hind limb five times consecutively (n=6); and control group, EC was not evoked to their hind limb (n=6). After confirming the absence of a significant difference in the parameters between the two EC conditions, the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) was evaluated using the model of one-time EC (EA group n=10). At 12 hours after EC, EA was carried out at a frequency of 50 Hz and an intensity of 0.5 mA for 15 min; this stimulation was given for six consecutive days.<BR><B>Results</B><BR> Muscle tension, pain thresholds, and the CK activity showed no remarkable changes in the control group during the experimental period. A significant decrease in the muscle tension was observed after EC in the EC×1 and EC×5 groups, and the decrease sustained until 48 and 24 hours after EC, respectively. Pain thresholds in the EC×1 and EC×5 groups were significantly lower than those in the control group at each of the time periods studied after EC, and were sustained at least until 120 hours after EC. The CK activity increased in the EC×1 and the EC×5 groups at 30 minutes after EC. Recovery in muscle tension after EC was faster in the EA group than in the EC×1 group. Pain thresholds also showed faster recovery in the EA group than in the EC×1 group, indicating statistically significant differences at 72, 96, and 120 hours after EC.<BR><B>Discussion</B><BR> The <I>in vivo</I> rat model, which was developed in the present study, was considered to be an appropriate model of muscle strain because it clearly showed a decrease in the muscle tension and pain thresholds, and an elevation in the CK activity. EA was considered to be capable of accelerating the recovery of muscle strain as it was found to improve muscle tension and pain thresholds in the model.