The effect of a 10-week TOCA Football System intervention program on sport-specific motor skills among junior footballers.

Introduction: The objective of our study was to examine, in addition to using the TOCA Football System tool and training method, the effect of a 10-week intervention on elite youth athletes in terms of their sport-specific motor skills and anthropometric variables. Methods: The study covered a group of 32 young players practicing football (U14) (13.45 ± 0.64 years). The junior U14 footballers were randomly assigned to an intervention or TOCA group (TG, N = 15, 13.25 ± 0.58 years) and a control group (CG, N = 17, 13.63 ± 0.66 years). Before starting the test, we performed full anthropometric measurements and assessed the sample's agility with and without the ball and their sport-specific endurance. The measurements were then repeated after the 10-week intervention. Results: Within-group analysis showed significant improvements in muscle mass (p < 0.001), sport-specific endurance (p < 0.001), (p < 0.004) and agility (in TG) both with and without the ball (p = 0.002), (p = 0.004) however, we did not find a significant change in body fat percentage in either group (p = 0.988, p = 0.288). In the CG, "agility with the ball" changed significantly only (p = 0.023). In the between-group analysis with a repeated-measures analysis of variance (mixed-design ANOVA), there was no significant interaction in any performance variables. The main findings of this study indicate that a TOCA Football training program in addition to normal training during the in-season period does not produce additional effects in anthropometric factors, sport-specific endurance and agility performance with the ball (dribbling) and without the ball in comparison with the control condition. Discussion: From a practical point of view, the presented anthropometric and physical profiles of players can be useful for football coaches in optimizing soccer training. Overall, it also can be concluded that the device can be safely used in the sensitive age group in terms of the development of motor skills since we did not find any negative effects during the use of the device in terms of the parameters we examined. In addition to the expansion of the number of elements and the inclusion of other age groups, it is advisable to carry out further complex tests, as the TOCA Football System offers many research opportunities.

[The institutional presence of music therapists in aphasia therapy in Hungary]. / Zeneterapeuták intézményi jelenléte a magyarországi aphasiaterápiában.

INTRODUCTION: Numerous international studies have reported on the relevance of music therapy for aphasia, but music-based therapy for the rehabilitation of acquired language and speech disorders is not common in the clinical practice of Hungary. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study is to provide insights into the composition of professional teams involved in aphasia care in active neurology and stroke wards and rehabilitation departments in Hungarian hospitals, with a special focus on the presence of music therapists. We are looking for the answer to why the employment of music therapists in hospitals is so low in our country. METHOD: For our research, we selected the relevant institutions and departments from a list of hospitals on the website of the National Directorate General for Hospitals. Data were then collected from the websites of the hospital departments, supplemented or clarified with information from the head of department's physicians where necessary. RESULTS: None of the active neurology and stroke wards employ a music therapist. Two of the rehabilitation wards have a total of 4 music therapists. DISCUSSION: The low number of trained professionals in music therapy for aphasia is due to financial reasons, lack of professionals and lack of professional demand. CONCLUSION: Our research shows that music therapy is deeply underrepresented in the field of aphasia rehabilitation in Hungarian hospitals. The reasons for this are quite diverse and their elimination would require effective intervention in many areas. Orv Hetil. 2023; 164(19): 747-752.

[Hungarian validation of the Clubfoot Disease-Specific Instrument]. / Dongaláb-specifikus életminoség-kérdoív magyar adaptációja.

INTRODUCTION: Congenital structural clubfoot is the most common congenital deformity of the foot. Despite successful treatment, the affected side may present signs of athrophy, differences in length, functional maldevelopment and in some cases it may also result in pain. Although several international studies have been investigating the quality of life of individuals with clubfoot, no research has been done in Hungary. Patient-based assessment is used for the evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment and for the comparison of the traditional versus the Ponseti method. AIM: To gain permission for the use of the internationally most well-known Clubfoot Disease-Specific Instrument (hereafter: 'Clubfoot Specific Questionnaire') consisting of 10 items and two subscales, and furthermore, to adapt its parent and child-version for Hungary and to carry out the internal and external validity testing of the measure. METHOD: The Questionnaire was completed by 75 individuals (44 boys, 28 girls) belonging to three age groups (under age 12, aged 12-17.99 years and those aged above 18); the mean age was 12.45 years (range: 2-44 years). The measures used: the Hungarian version of the 'Clubfoot Specific Questionnaire' (adapted versions for the given age groups), and the Hungarian version of EQ-5D-3L to measure the general quality of life. RESULTS: Both the parent- and the child-version of the 'Clubfoot Specific Questionnaire' showed adequate internal validity (parent-version: 0.872, child-version: 0.923); the individual items showed medium to strong correlations with the EQ-5D-3L dimensions besides the existing significant connections. CONCLUSION: The Hungarian adaptation of the measure proved to be successful. The validated questionnaire provides a further tool for the assessment of the quality of life of individuals with clubfoot and also for the evaluation of the success rate of therapies. Orv Hetil. 2018; 159(31): 1269-1277.