RESUMO
Background and Aims: Lower limbs' nerves are exposed to mechanical injuries in athletes [e.g. football players], because of the excessive physical demand of their job. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the influence of regular and intense sports, such as football, on nerves in the lower leg. This study was conducted during 2006 to 2007 in the Shiraz Rehabilitation Faculty, University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Methods: Nerve conduction studies were done on 20 male college student football players and 15 male inactive students [control] matched for age, height, weight, and foot skin temperature for comparison. Standard nerve conduction techniques using constant measured distances were applied to evaluate the tibial and common peroneal nerves in the dominant and nondominant limbs of each individual
Results: The motor latency of deep peroneal and tibial nerves of the dominant leg of football players was significantly prolonged compared with the inactive group [P < 0.05]. Moreover, sensory latency of superficial peroneal, tibial, and compound nerve action potential [CNAP] of tibial nerves of both legs [dominant and nondominant] in football players was significantly prolonged in comparison with the control group [P < 0.05]. There were significant delays of motor and sensory nerve conduction velocity [NCV] of tibial and common peroneal nerves in football players in comparison with the control group [P < 0.05]
Conclusion: It is concluded that, in athletes, the limbs involved in sport will be exposed to different external and internal damage and trauma. In other words, football is a sport with high contact and as a result it causes sub-clinical neuropathies due to nerve entrapment
RESUMO
Background: One of the most common causes of limited activity in persons is chronic low back pain and many factors may cause it
Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between strength of pelvic and thigh muscles as related to chronic low back pain in comparison with control group. Also sex as an affecting factor was studied
Methods: The subjects of the study were patients with chronic low back pain who were admitted to phisical therapy ward of Shiraz hospitals in 2000. 160 subjects [81 male and 79 female] with mean age of 41.3 were included in the study group. 56 with chronic low back pain and one 104 healthy subjects as control group. Data collection was performed by a questionnaire and by using manual muscle testing methods, the strength of fifteen muscles in total sides of pelvic and thigh regions were measured. Statistical analysis was done by T-Test and Levins-Test [P=0.05]
Findings: Findings revealed that the strength of all muscles in patients with chronic low back pain were significantly less than healthy subjects. Also sex influenced muscle strength and women had less power in pelvic and thigh muscles than men with chronic low back pain, but in healthy persons this difference were negligible
Conclusion: There is significant correlation between chronic low back pain and strength of muscles of pelvic and thighs. Therefore it seems that muscle strengthening of pelvis and thigh muscles may be an important adjunct to chronic low back pain management