The stroke rate influences performance, technique and core stability during rowing ergometer.

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of stroke rate on performance, technique and core stability during rowing ergometer. Twenty-four high-level rowers performed maximal intensity one-minute bouts at 20, 28 and 34 spm on a RowPerfect3 ergometer. Power at the handle, legs, trunk and arms levels were determined, and core kinematics and neuromuscular activations were measured. The power at the handle was enhanced with a higher stroke rate in the first half of the drive phase due to higher segment's powers. This resulted in technical changes, as for instance greater mean to peak power ratio at each segment level. The higher trunk power preceded a delayed trunk extension but without significant increase in the erector spinae activation. This underlines the role of the core stability to transfer forces at a higher stroke rate. However, no co-activation parameters between trunk flexors and extensors helped further to understand this force transfer. Rowing at low stroke rate can be a training strategy to work on earlier trunk extension, while maintaining erectors spinae levels of activation. Training at higher stroke rate will induce a rowing technique closer to competition with greater neuromuscular activations, and maximise power production.

Does the introduction of a cobot change the productivity and posture of the operators in a collaborative task?

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the main occupational diseases and are pathologies of multifactorial origin, with posture being one of them. This creates new human-robot collaboration situations that can modify operator behaviors and performance in their task. These changes raise questions about human-robot team performance and operator health. This study aims to understand the consequences of introducing a cobot on work performance, operator posture, and the quality of interactions. It also aims to evaluate the impact of two levels of difficulty in a dual task on these measures. For this purpose, thirty-four participants performed an assembly task in collaboration with a co-worker, either a human or a cobot with two articulated arms. In addition to this motor task, the participants had to perform an auditory task with two levels of difficulty (dual task). They were equipped with seventeen motion capture sensors. The collaborative work was filmed with a camera, and the actions of the participants and co-worker were coded based on the dichotomy of idle and activity. Interactions were coded based on time out, cooperation, and collaboration. The results showed that performance (number of products manufactured) was lower when the participant collaborated with a cobot rather than a human, with also less collaboration and activity time. However, RULA scores were lower-indicating a reduced risk of musculoskeletal disorders-during collaboration with a cobot compared to a human. Despite a decrease in production and a loss of fluidity, likely due to the characteristics of the cobot, working in collaboration with a cobot makes the task safer in terms of the risk of musculoskeletal disorders.

Characterizing the effects of an ergonomic handle on upper limbs kinematics and neuromuscular activity, comfort, and performance during ergometer rowing.

Articular stress and discomfort during repetitive movements may impact the risk of injuries of the upper limbs during ergometer rowing, especially when using a regular circular handle. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to propose and evaluate the influence of an ergonomic handle on upper limbs biomechanics, comfort and performance during ergometer rowing. An ergonomic irregular hexagon handle, with a 1:1.25 width/length diameters ratio, has been developed. Left upper limb kinematics and neuromuscular activity, perceived comfort and power production were monitored for 29 expert rowers. The ergonomic handle increased the perceived comfort while maintaining the overall articular stress and performance as the same level compared to the regular handle. We recommend using irregular hexagon handles with 1:1.25 ratio for ergometer rowing. Further improvements of the ergonomic handle such as an individualization based on the user's hand length may further enhance comfort and achieve better performance.

Associations between School-Behavior-Health Difficulties and Subsequent Injuries among Younger Adolescents: A Population-based Study.

Objective: School-behavior-health difficulties (SBHDs) may alter physical/mental capabilities and consequently increase injury risk during daily activities. This study assessed the associations of potential SBHDs and their cumulative number (SBHDcn) with various injury types among younger adolescents. Methods: The study population included 1,559 middle-school adolescents in France (10-18 years, 98% under 16,778 boys and 781 girls). They completed a questionnaire at school-year end collecting socioeconomic features (nationality, family structure, parents' education/occupation/income), school/out-of-school injuries during the school-year (dependent variables), and SBHDs starting before the school-year (low academic performance, alcohol/tobacco/cannabis/other-illicit-drugs use, physical/verbal violence, sexual abuse, perpetrated violence, poor social support, poor general health status, sleep difficulty, depressive symptoms, and suicide attempt). Data were analyzed using logistic regression models and Kaplan-Meier estimates. Results: Injuries were frequent during school-physical/sports-training (10.9%), other-school-training (4.7%), school-free-time (7.4%), out-of-school-sports-activity (16.5%), and traffic (2.2%). Single injury (one injury all injury types combined) and ≥2 injury types affected 23.3 and 7.9% of subjects, respectively. The proportion of adolescents without SBHDs decreased with age more quickly among those with each injury type than among those without injury. Various SBHDs were associated with most injury types, single injury, and ≥2 injury types (sex-age-adjusted odds/relative-risk ratios reaching 11, p < .001). A dose-effect association was found between SBHDcn 1-2/3-5/≥6 and both single injury and ≥2 injury types (sex-age adjusted relative risk ratios reaching 12.66, p < .001, vs. SBHDcn = 0). Socioeconomic features had a moderate confounding role in these associations. Conclusions: SBHDs strongly predict injuries among adolescents. Our findings may inform healthcare providers about their prominent role in detecting/reducing SBHDs and injuries.

Age-related decrease in functional mobility score when performing a locomotor task in an immersive environment.

In recent years, immersive virtual reality technology has emerged in the field of health. Its use could allow the assessment of the motor behavior of individuals in adaptable and reproducible immersive environments, simulating real situations. This study aimed to assess the effect of an immersive scenario on functional mobility during a simple locomotor task according to age. Sixty young adults and 60 older volunteers, who were autonomous and without cognitive and neurological impairment participated. A locomotor task based on the "Timed Up and Go" task was performed in real and virtual conditions. A functional mobility score was calculated by combining the time and the number of steps used and compared between young and older people. Results showed that correlations between time and the number of steps were the same in VR and real conditions, but the locomotor performance decreased significantly in VR for both populations. Additionally, older people exhibited a more reduced locomotor performance in a virtual environment than young adults, thereby their functional mobility score decreased more to complete the task, reflecting the adoption of a more secure locomotion strategy often related to the fear of falling, with an increase in time and number of steps to support balance. The major difference between reality and VR is the visual immersion with an HMD, and visual information is more important in the sensory integration of older people. Therefore, the reduction in visual field and lack of visual exproprioceptive information about the body segments in the virtual environment could explain these results. Finally, the effect of immersion in a virtual scenario on mobility exists for both populations but is accentuated by the aging process and is therefore age dependent.

Association of School Health Relationship Difficulties with Lack of Regular Physical Activity in Younger Adolescents: A Population Based Study.

Objective: Lack of regular physical activity (LPA) and the number of days/week with physical activity >60 minutes/day (Ndw) may be associated with school-health-relational difficulties (SHRDs) during the life-course. This study assessed their associations and the confounding role of socioeconomic features (nationality, family structure, parents' education/occupation/income) among younger adolescents. Methods: This cross-sectional population-based study included 1,559 middle-school adolescents from north-eastern France (10-18 years, 98% under 16 years, 778 boys and 781 girls). They completed over one-hour teaching period a questionnaire collecting last-12-month LPA and last-7-day Ndw (dependent variables), and risk factors including socioeconomic features, SHRDs (previous grade repetitions, last-12-month poor general health status/physical health/psychological health/social-relationships, depressive symptoms (and age at onset and duration from onset); cumulated number noted SHRDcn). Data were analyzed using logistic/linear regression models. Results: LPA was common (32.5%) and associated with all SHRDs (sex-age-adjusted odds ratio saOR reaching 1.99, p < .001) and depressive-symptoms duration (saOR 1.63 (p < .05) and 2.11 (p < .001) for 1-2 and ≥3 years, respectively, vs. no depressive symptoms). A dose-effect association was found between SHRDcn and LPA (24.0, 33.7, 45.6, and 53.5%; saOR 1.59, 2.58, and 3.43; for SHRDcn 1-2, 3-4, and ≥5 respectively, vs. SHRDcn = 0, p < .001). Ndw was similarly associated with all SHRDs and SHRDcn (sex-age-adjusted regression coefficient reaching -1.10 day/week, p < .001). These results were robust when controlling for socioeconomic features (18%

• Lack of physical activity (LPA) is strongly associated with school-health-relational difficulties (SHRDs) affecting most adolescents.• There are dose-effect associations between cumulative number of SHRDs and both LPA and number of days/week with physical activity >60 min/day (Ndw).• These links are robust when controlling for socioeconomic features which have a strong confounding role.• The risk of LPA and reduced Ndw increase with the duration of depressive symptoms from their onset.• Prevention to detect/reduce SHRDs may improve physical activity, especially for most at-risk adolescents.

Prediction of rowing ergometer performance by technical and core stability parameters.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of technical and core stability parameters on rowing ergometer performance defined as mean power at the handle. Twenty-four high-level rowers were evaluated at their competitive stroke rate on an instrumented RowPerfect 3 ergometer to determine leg, trunk and arm power output, while trunk and pelvis 3D kinematics were measured. Linear mixed models revealed that mean power at the handle was predicted by the power output of legs, trunk and arms (r2 = 0.99), with trunk power being the best predictor. Time to peak power, work ratio and mean to peak power ratio were relevant technical parameters significantly predicting the different segments' power. In addition, a greater trunk range of motion significantly influenced the power produced by this segment. Accordingly, achieving an earlier peak power together with enhanced work production at the trunk and arm levels, as well as distributing the segments power over the whole drive phase, could serve as recommendations for technical training of rowers on dynamic ergometers in order to produce higher power output. Furthermore, the trunk appears to play a major role as a power producer within the kinetic chain from the legs to the arms.

Effects of using immersive virtual reality on time and steps during a locomotor task in young adults.

Immersive virtual reality makes possible to perceive and interact in a standardized, reproductible and digital environment, with a wide range of simulated situations possibilities. This study aimed to measure the potential effect of virtual reality on time and number of steps when performing a locomotor task, in a young adult's population. Sixty young adults (32W, 28M, mean age 21.55 ± 1.32), who had their first immersive virtual reality experience, performed a locomotor task based on "Timed Up and Go" (TUG) task in real, in virtual reality in a stopped train and in virtual reality in a moving train. Time and number of steps variables representing primary locomotion indicators were measured and compared between each condition. Results showed significant increases in time and number of steps in the two virtual reality conditions compared to real but not between the two virtual reality conditions. There was an effect of virtual reality in young adults when performing the locomotor task. It means that technological and digital characteristics of the immersive virtual reality experience led to modify motor strategies employed. Adding a plausible visual optic flow did not appear to affect motor control further when the information is negligible and not essential for performing the task.

Real intensity of physical activity capacity of patients with chronic disease: a cross-sectional study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the real intensity level of exercise in a sample of patients with chronic disease from obesity, rheumatology, hematology and other departments involved in a hospital-based program of adapted physical activity (APA). For this cross-sectional study, we studied seventy-five patients with chronic disease and no beta-blocker treatment. They systematically performed a cardiopulmonary exercise test before participating in a supervised APA practice using a telemetry wireless system to monitor heart rate (HR) during the first session. Based upon the results of the functional evaluation of exercise performance, we studied two groups of patients: (1) No limitation in exercise performance (maximal oxygen uptake greater than or equal to 80% of the theoretical reference) and (2) limited exercise performance (maximal oxygen uptake less than 80% of the theoretical value). Fifty-two patients (69.3%) were women, mean age was 42.6 (± 13.8), and mean BMI was 36.7 (± 10.6). Most patients had been referred for obesity (57.3%). We found 39 patients with normal exercise capacities and 36 patients with limited exercise performance. There were no significant differences in demographic and clinical characteristics between the two groups. For all populations, the mean and median real intensity levels of exercise in a sample of patients were moderate (55-70% HR max) and were the same for both groups. During the most intensive 15-min bout of the APA session, the HR for patients in both groups was greater than 70% of the actual maximum HR. This study observed a moderate level of APA exercise intensity in patients suffering from various chronic diseases. We found no significant difference in intensity level of exercise between patients' capacities, i.e., with and without limitation of their maximal performance.

Physical Activity Capacity Assessment of Patients with Chronic Disease and the Six-Minute Walk Test: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) to determine the physical activity capacities of patients with chronic disease. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, we investigated 156 patients with chronic disease and no beta-blocker treatment. They systematically performed a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test to determine their heart rate peak (HRPeak) and maximal oxygen uptake (V'O2max). We considered two groups of patients based upon the results of the functional evaluation of exercise performance: (1) No limitation in exercise performance (V'O2max greater or equal to 80% of the theoretical reference) and (2) limited exercise performance (V'O2max less than 80% of the theoretical value). All patients also received a 6MWT on the same day as the exercise test. Results: We found 68 (43.6%) patients with normal exercise capacities and 88 (56.4%) patients with limited exercise performance. In this sample, 6MWT mean distances were 510 (87) and 506 (86) m, respectively. There were no significant differences between the two groups for distance and end-test heart rate. The correlation between matrix V'O2max measured during the maximal incremental exercise test and the 6MWT distance displayed a positive slope (r = 0.549 CI95 [0.431−0.656]­p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our results showed a moderate relationship between 6MWT and physical activity capacity for patients with chronic disease.

Physical Activity Capacity Assessment of Patients With Chronic Disease and the 1-Minute Sit to Stand Test: Is There an Interest?

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the 1-minute Sit to Stand test (1MSTS) to determine physical activity capacities for patients with chronic disease. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, we studied fifty patients with chronic disease and no beta-blocker treatment. They systematically performed a cardiopulmonary exercise test to determine maximal oxygen uptake (V'O2max). We considered two groups of patients based on the results of the functional evaluation of exercise performance: (1) No limitation in exercise performance (V'O2max greater or equal to 80% of the theoretical reference) and (2) limited exercise performance (V'O2max <80% of the theoretical value). All patients also received an 1MSTS on the same day. Results: We found 22 (44.0%) patients with normal exercise capacity and 28 (56.0%) patients with limited exercise performance. In this sample, mean 1MSTS repetitions were 27.1 (7.1) and 25.2 (8.7), respectively. There were no significant differences between the two groups for repetition and Borg Scale end test. The correlation between V'O2max measured during the exercise test and 1MSTS repetitions displayed a positive slope [r = 0.401 (95% CI 0.114-625)]. Conclusion: This study demonstrated a moderate relationship between 1MSTS and V'O2max for patients with chronic disease. 1MSTS did not permit the precise determination of physical activity capacities in this sample.

Influence of sidestepping expertise and core stability on knee joint loading during change of direction.

The aims of this study were twofold: first, to compare core stability and knee joint loading between sidestepping experts and nonexperts; secondly, to determine core predictors of knee joint loading. Thirteen handball male players (experts) and 14 karatekas (nonexperts) performed six unanticipated 45° sidestepping manoeuvers, while trunk and pelvis 3D kinematics as well as ground reaction forces were measured, and peak knee abduction moment (PKAM) was determined. Student t-tests enabled a comparison of both groups and a linear mixed model approach was used to identify PKAM predictors. Sidestepping experts demonstrated significantly lower pelvis rotation towards the new movement direction at the initial contact than nonexperts (4.9° vs. 10.8°) and higher PKAM (0.539 vs. 0.321 Nm/kg-bwt). Trunk medial lean, trunk axial rotation and pelvis anterior tilt at the initial contact predicted PKAM, while trunk axial rotation, pelvis medial lean and posterior ground reaction force predicted PKAM during the weight acceptance phase. Despite higher PKAM, handball players might not be at a higher risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury as the knee joint loading remained at a relatively low level during this sidestepping task. Core stability, in its three dimensions, is a key determinant of knee joint loading.

Does the Management of Visual and Audible Motion Information during an Immersive Virtual Reality Timed Up and Go Test Impact Locomotor Performance in the Elderly?

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Falling among the elderly is a major public health issue, especially with the advancing age of the baby boomers. The fall risk assessment tests for many lack a context that would bring them closer to everyday life. Thus, immersive virtual reality, which makes it possible to simulate everyday situations, could make it possible to strengthen the quality of the assessment of the risk of falls. However, it is necessary to understand how the use of a virtual reality device influences the motor control of elderly participants. If vestibular physiotherapists use VR to virtualize their tools, what impact would a visual simulation of movement have on motor control in a locomotor task, if this simulation were plausible? METHODS: Sixty-two elders (70.8 ± 6.7 years old) completed a Timed Up and Go task under 3 conditions: real, virtual reality, and virtual reality with visual and sound movement information. The virtual reality task takes place in a train either stationary at a station or in uniform linear motion. The time and number of steps were recorded using video, and comparisons between conditions were made using Friedman's test. RESULTS: The results show a significant increase in the time and number of steps in "virtual reality" condition compared to the "real" condition. They do not show significant differences between the 2 virtual conditions. CONCLUSION: The use of a running virtual train to provide plausible movement is particularly distinguished from vestibular physiotherapy applications with first a fixed visual support partially obscuring the optical flow. This visual aid coupled with the attention dedicated to the task inhibits the effect of the moving environment on locomotion. However, the visual optical flow will potentially have an effect in people with fear of falling. Virtual reality shows great potential for the simulation of realistic environments for the assessment of the risk of falls and opens up avenues for the development of tests.

The trunk's contribution to postural control under challenging balance conditions.

BACKGROUND: The double inverted pendulum model is imprecise when applied to studies of postural control. Although multijoint analyses have improved our understanding of how balance is maintained, the exact role of the trunk remains unclear. RESEARCH QUESTIONS: What is the trunk's contribution in postural control with respect to the other joints and how do trunk muscles control trunk kinematics? METHODS: Thirty-six healthy athletes (handball, karate, long jump) performed a highly challenging balance task while the ground support was dynamically tilted in the sagittal plane. The center of force (CoF) as well as lower limb joint angles and the trunk-pelvis angle were respectively measured with a force platform and inertial measurement units. The amplitude, sway path and standard deviation of the CoF and the joint angles were then calculated. Electromyography was used to record the activity of the rectus abdominis, external obliquus, and erector spinae muscles. Multiple linear regressions were computed to determine the joints' and muscles' contributions (ß-coefficients) in predicting CoF variables and trunk kinematics, respectively. RESULTS: The linear combination of joint kinematic variables accounted for between 33 % and 75 % of the variance in the CoF. The ankle had the highestß and was a significant predictor of all CoF variables. The trunk yielded the second highest ß-coefficient and was a significant predictor of the CoF sway path. Electromyography variables accounted for no more than 35 % of the variance in the trunk kinematics, and erector spinae activity was the only significant predictor. SIGNIFICANCE: The trunk appears to be the second most important element during this specific postural task, in the magnitude of body sway in particular. But neuromuscular control of these trunk processes is difficult to characterize with surface electromyography only. The trunk should be taken into account when seeking to improve overall postural control (e.g. during training, rehabilitation).

Impact of using immersive virtual reality over time and steps in the Timed Up and Go test in elderly people.

Today, falls constitute a substantial health problem, especially in the elderly, and the diagnostic tests used by clinicians present often a low sensitivity and specificity. This is the case for the Timed Up and Go test which lacks contextualization with regard to everyday life limiting the relevance of its diagnosis. Virtual reality enables the creation of immersive, reproducible and secure environments, close to situations encountered in daily life, and as such could improve falling risk assessment. This study aims to evaluate the effect of immersive virtual reality by wearing a virtual reality headset with a non-disturbing virtual environment compared to real world on the Timed Up and Go test completion. Thirty-one elders (73.7 ± 9 years old) volunteered to participate in the study and the mean times and number of steps to complete a Timed Up and Go were compared in two conditions: actual-world clinical and virtual reality conditions. The results showed that the mean completion times and most of the mean number of steps of the Timed Up and Go in virtual reality condition were significantly different to those in clinical condition. These results suggest that there is a virtual reality effect and this effect is significantly correlated to the time taken to complete the Timed Up and Go. This information will be of interest to quantify the potential part of virtual reality effect on the motor control, measured in a virtual task using virtual controlled disturbances.

Does the postural variable affect the determination of balance compensation level in vestibular schwannoma patients?

Previous sensory organization test (SOT) outcomes provided evidences that the vestibular schwannoma (VS) removal led to acute and slow changes in the ability to use vestibular cues for balance control. However, the assumptions behind the equilibrium score (ES) are somewhat controversial within the literature. Therefore, we compared the time-course of balance control in eighteen VS patients across different postural variables. Analyses of variance and unsupervised clustering (k-means) were used to compare the whole dataset of four postural variables: ES, a modified ES which factored in the time before a fall (cES), the mean amplitude (MA) and the mean velocity (MV) of center of pressure displacements. Early after surgery, postural performances significantly decreased (p < 0.01), especially when vestibular cues are predominant, with lower ES (12.5 ± 22.8%) and cES (26.6 ± 16.7%) and higher MA (27.7 ± 7.1 mm) and MV (95.2 ± 53.2 mm.s-1) than before or three months after surgery. For each postural variable, the k-means clustering divided the whole dataset into two clusters: cluster #1 corresponded to a SOT with low sway amplitude and cluster #2 with high sway amplitude and falls. Overall, whatever the selected postural variable, the main recovery profile of VS patients was highlighted, thus surpassing the ambiguities inherent of the ES calculation.

Visuo-oculomotor skills related to the visual demands of sporting environments.

The aim of this study was to assess the visuo-oculomotor skills of gaze orientation in selected sport activities relative to visual demands of the sporting environment. Both temporal and spatial demands of the sporting environment were investigated: The latency and accuracy of horizontal saccades and the gain of the horizontal smooth pursuit of the sporting environment were investigated in 16 fencers, 19 tennis players, 12 gymnasts, 9 swimmers and 18 sedentary participants. For the saccade test, two sequences were tested: In the fixed sequence, participants knew in advance the time interval between each target, as well as the direction and the amplitude of its reappearance; in the Freyss sequence however, the spatial changes of the target (direction and amplitude) were known in advance by participants but the time interval between each target was unknown. For the smooth-pursuit test, participants were instructed to smoothly track a target moving in a predictable sinusoidal, horizontal way without corrective ocular saccades, nor via anticipation or head movements. The results showed no significant differences between specificities of selected sporting activities via the saccade latency (although shorter than in non-athletes), contrary to saccade accuracy and the gain of smooth pursuit. Higher saccade accuracy was observed overall in fencers compared to non-athletes and all other sportsmen with the exception of tennis players. In the smooth-pursuit task, only tennis players presented a significantly higher gain compared to non-athletes and gymnasts. These sport-specific characteristics of the visuo-oculomotor skills are discussed with regard to the different cognitive skills such as attentional allocation and cue utilization ability as well as with regard to the difference in motor preparation.

Correlations between postural control and psychological factors in vestibular schwannoma patients.

BACKGROUND: Various individual factors have been described to influence postural performances related to vestibular schwannoma. However, psychological factors may also be involved in postural variations. OBJECTIVE: To identify relationships between postural performances, illness perceptions, coping, anxiety-depression and quality of life of patients with vestibular schwannoma. METHODS: Twenty-six patients who were scheduled for a surgical removal of a vestibular schwannoma underwent posturography tests and were asked to complete psychological questionnaires three days prior to surgery.The Sensory Organization Test, the Illness Perceptions Questionnaire-Revised, the Brief-COPE, the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale and the World Health Organization Quality of Life instrument were used for assessments. Correlations between posturography and psychological questionnaires were calculated. RESULTS: Balance disorders were associated with (i) impaired quality of life of patients, (ii) anxiety and depression affects, (iii) greater daily consequences, and with (iv) denial coping response. CONCLUSIONS: Given the association between balance disorders and psychological factors, health practitioners should be attentive to the deterioration of both aforementioned issues.

Prediction of Balance Compensation After Vestibular Schwannoma Surgery.

Background Balance compensation after vestibular schwannoma (VS) surgery is under the influence of specific preoperative patient and tumor characteristics. Objective To prospectively identify potential prognostic factors for balance recovery, we compared the respective influence of these preoperative characteristics on balance compensation after VS surgery. Methods In 50 patients scheduled for VS surgical ablation, we measured postural control before surgery (BS), 8 (AS8) days after, and 90 (AS90) days after surgery. Based on factors found previously in the literature, we evaluated age, body mass index and preoperative physical activity (PA), tumor grade, vestibular status, and preference for visual cues to control balance as potential prognostic factors using stepwise multiple regression models. Results An asymmetric vestibular function was the sole significant explanatory factor for impaired balance performance BS, whereas the preoperative PA alone significantly contributed to higher performance at AS8. An evaluation of patients' balance recovery over time showed that PA and vestibular status were the 2 significant predictive factors for short-term postural compensation (BS to AS8), whereas none of these preoperative factors was significantly predictive for medium-term postoperative postural recovery (AS8 to AS90). Conclusions We identified specific preoperative patient and vestibular function characteristics that may predict postoperative balance recovery after VS surgery. Better preoperative characterization of these factors in each patient could inform more personalized presurgical and postsurgical management, leading to a better, more rapid balance recovery, earlier return to normal daily activities and work, improved quality of life, and reduced medical and societal costs.

Vertigo in downhill mountain biking and road cycling.

Vertigo has been described after the practice of mountain bike. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of vertigo following competitions or training sessions of downhill mountain biking (DMB) or road cycling (RC). One hundred and two DMB riders, 79 road cyclists and 73 control participants filled in a survey intended to evaluate the prevalence of vertigo in daily living activities and following competitions or training sessions. Vertigo causal factors (crashes, head trauma, fatigue, characteristics of the path/road ridden) were recorded. DMB riders and road cyclists did not report more vertigo during daily living activities than controls. But DMB riders older than 30 had more risk to report vertigo than age-matched road cyclists (OR: 5.06, 95% CI: 1.23-20.62). Road cyclists aged between 20 and 29 were 2.59-fold (95% CI: 1.06-6.27) more likely to report vertigo than controls. After competitions and training sessions, DMB riders were 2.33-fold (95% CI: 1.22-4.41) more likely to report vertigo than road cyclists. Vertigo causal factors were crash with head trauma in DMB riders and fatigue in road cyclists. Vertigo during daily living activities may be of concern for cyclists, particularly older DMB riders. The accumulation of impacts (crashes, vibrations) during the career of a DMB rider may generate micro-traumatisms of the central nervous system and/or peripheral vestibular structures, particularly the otolith organs. In RC, the pathophysiological mechanisms generating vertigo might be effort-related disturbance of homeostasis. To avoid injuries, DMB riders should be aware that vertigo may occur at the end of training sessions or competitions.