Hip adduction and abduction strength profiles in elite and sub-elite female soccer players according to players level and leg limb-dominance.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the hip adduction and abduction strength in female soccer players is crucial for performance enhancement and injury prevention. This study compares the strength profiles in these muscle groups between elite and sub-elite female soccer players and assesses the impact of leg limb-dominance. METHODS: A descriptive-comparative study was employed. Eighty-two female soccer players were evaluated. Isometric hip-adduction and abduction strength were measured using a handheld dynamometer. RESULTS: Female elite and sub-elite soccer players displayed a mean and standard deviation (SD) on isometric hip-adductor strength for dominant (3.19 Nm/kg ± 0.69 vs. 2.40 Nm/kg ± 0.67) and non-dominant leg (3.32 Nm/kg ± 0.76 versus 2.42 Nm/kg ± 0.70), respectively. For isometric hip-abductor strength in elite and sub-elite players, a mean and SD of dominant (2.86 Nm/kg ± 0.56 vs. 2.07 Nm/kg ± 0.50) and non-dominant (2.80 Nm/kg ± 0.59 vs. 2.04 Nm/kg ± 0.43). In essence, elite players were stronger than sub-elite players on isometric hip-adduction (mean difference [MD] = 0.82 Nm/kg, CI95% = 0.42-1.12) and abduction (MD = 0.83 Nm/kg, CI95% = 0.54- 1.12) both in dominant and non-dominant, leg, whereas no differences existed for hip adduction:abduction ratios between groups and legs. CONCLUSIONS: Elite female athletes exhibited greater strength than sub-elite female players in both hip adduction and abduction, whereas adduction:abduction ratio values did not differ between the two groups or between different legs.

Impact of Pain Neuroscience Education Program in Community Physiotherapy Context on Pain Perception and Psychosocial Variables Associated with It in Elderly Persons: A Ranzomized Controlled Trial.

This study investigated the long-term effect (six-months) of a Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) program on pain perception, quality of life, kinesiophobia and catastrophism in older adults with multimorbidity and chronic pain. Fifty participants (n = 50) were randomly assigned to the pain education therapy group (PET; n = 24) and control group (CG; n = 26). The PET group received six sessions (i.e., once a week, 50 min) about neurophysiology of pain while the CG carried on with their usual life. Perception of pain through the visual analogue scale (VAS), quality of life (EQ-5D questionnaire), kinesiophobia (TSK-11) and catastrophism (PCS) were assessed after six months since the last PNE session. Statistically significant differences on VAS (t(48) = 44, p = 0.01, ES = 0.42 [0.13, 0.65]) was found in favor to PET group. No other statistically significant differences were found. This study found that the application of a PNE intervention in an isolated form was able to significantly reduce pain perception with low effect size in the long-term (six months after intervention) in elderly people with chronic pain.

Comparative Study of the Efficacy of Hyaluronic Acid, Dry Needling and Combined Treatment in Patellar Osteoarthritis-Single-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Osteoarthritis of the knee is one of the most common ailments worldwide, and pain management of this condition is critical. Methods: A multicentre randomized controlled trial RCT with three months of follow-up, conducted in parallel groups: hyaluronic acid (HA), dry needling (DN) and ultrasound (US) and isometrics of quadriceps. 60 participants took part in the RCT who were diagnosed with osteoarthritis (Grade 3) of the knee by MRI and active adults (age: 23.41 ± 1.68 years; height: 1.79 ± 0.08 m; body mass: 78.33 ± 9.03 kg; body mass index (BMI): 24.14 ± 1.45 kg/m2). After the assigned intervention, VAS, WOMAC, IPAQ and the Star Excursion Balance test were measured at baseline. At 24 h, 15 days, 30 days, 90 days and 180 days follow-up, all variables were measured again. Results: Comparing statistically significant differences between groups, VAS scores were significant at post-test measurement (HA vs. US + isometric and DN vs. US + isometric) at 24 h (HA vs. DN), at 15 days (HA vs. US + isometric and DN vs. US + isometric) and at 1 month (US + isometric vs. HA and US + isometric vs. DN). Conclusions: There is an improvement in pain intensity in knee osteoarthritis in the short term in patients undergoing DN and conventional US + isometric treatment, but in the long term the HA group shows an improvement in pain intensity. There is also a significant difference in the improvement of knee function at different phases of the study in the various intervention groups. The combination of DN and HA in clinical practice is the best option for the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Effects of ankle position during the Nordic Hamstring exercise on range of motion, heel contact force and hamstring muscle activation.

One of the main benefits of the Nordic Hamstring Exercise (NHE) is that it can be performed without the need of any extra material. However, numerous technical execution variables such as the ankle and pelvis position can influence the performance. The primary aims of this study were to investigate the effects of ankle position (i.e., plantar or dorsal flexion) on Nordic Hamstring Break Point (NHBP), repetition time and heel contact force. A secondary aim was to investigate differences in biceps femoris long head and semitendinosus muscle activation. Male professional field hockey players (n = 12) volunteered for the study. Paired t-tests were used to analyse the effect of ankle position on muscle NHBP, eccentric peak torque and repetition time. Ankle dorsal flexion resulted in a higher NHBP (p = 0.002, effect size [ES] = 1.48 [0.57 to 2.38]), repetition time (p = 0.004, ES = 0.98 [0.24 to 1.72]) and both absolute and relative heel contact force (p = 0.028, ES = 0.67 [0.01 to 1.34], p = 0.017, ES = 0.76 [0.07 to 1.44], respectively) compared to plantar flexion. Muscle activation was not significant different. This study showed a higher NHBP, absolute and relative heel contact force and repetition time with a dorsal flexed ankle vs. a plantar flexed ankle in the NHE, without changes in hamstrings muscle activation.

Acute Effects of Tecar Therapy on Skin Temperature, Ankle Mobility and Hyperalgesia in Myofascial Pain Syndrome in Professional Basketball Players: A Pilot Study.

(1) Background: Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a clinical condition characterized by localized non-inflammatory musculoskeletal pain caused by myofascial trigger points. Diathermy or Tecar therapy (TT) is a form of noninvasive electro-thermal therapy classified as deep thermotherapy based on the application of electric currents. This technique is characterized by immediate effects, and its being used by high performance athletes. (2) Methods: A total of thirty-two participants were included in the study who were professional basketball players. There was a 15-person Control Group and a 17-person Intervention Group. TT was applied in the Intervention Group, while TT with the device switched off (SHAM) was applied in the Control Group. The effects were evaluated through the Lunge test, infrared thermography, and pressure threshold algometry at baseline, 15, and 30 min after the intervention. (3) Results: the Intervention Group exhibited a greater increase in absolute temperature (F[1,62] = 4.60, p = 0.040, η2p = 0.13) compared to the Control Group. There were no differences between the groups in the Lunge Test (F[1.68,53.64] = 2.91, p = 0.072, η2p = 0.08) or in pressure algometry (visual analog scale, VAS) (F[3.90] = 0.73, p = 0.539, η2p = 0.02). No significant short-term significant differences were found in the rest of the variables. (4) Conclusions: Diathermy can induce changes in the absolute temperature of the medial gastrocnemius muscle.

The effects of the Nordic hamstring exercise on sprint performance and eccentric knee flexor strength: A systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention studies among team sport players.

OBJECTIVES: The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the Nordic hamstring exercise (NHE) on sprint performance (i.e., 5, 10 and 20m) and explore associations between study characteristics and sprint outcomes in team sport players. Secondary aims were to (1) investigate the effects of the NHE on eccentric strength of the knee flexors (ESKF) with categorical subgroup analysis to determine differences between recreationally, well-trained individuals and young athletes, (2) determine the relation between ESKF and sprint performance in team sport players, and (3) explore the effect of study characteristics (i.e., weekly volume, time duration and body mass) on ESKF. METHODS: Electronic databases were searched until the 20th of June 2020. 17 studies met the inclusion criteria. Random-effects meta-analyses were used to determine the mean difference (MD) or standardized change of mean difference (SCMD) between NHE and control group for sprint time and ESKF, respectively. RESULTS: NHE interventions showed a positive effect on sprint performance (-0.04s [-0.08, -0.01]). Sub-group meta-analyses indicated no significant differences in 5 and 20m sprint performance (MDsprint(5m)=-0.02s [-0.10, 0.06]) and (MD sprint(20m)=-0.05s [-0.30, 0.19]), respectively. A significant difference was however found for 10m sprint performance (MDsprint(10m)=-0.06s [-0.10, -0.01]). Meta-analysis on the effects of the NHE on ESKF showed a significant benefit of 0.83 SCMD [0.55, 1.12] in favour of the intervention group. CONCLUSIONS: Studies with some concerns or high risk of bias show that training programs involving the NHE can have small beneficial effects on sprint performance in team sport players. Studies with some concerns or high risk of bias showed moderate beneficial effects on ESKF among a sample of relatively untrained individuals. However, for well-trained team sport players, the improvements in ESKF were less consistent, suggesting a higher training intensity during the NHE may be required to induce adaptations.

Mechanomyographic Measures of Muscle Contractile Properties are Influenced by Electrode Size and Stimulation Pulse Duration.

The aim was to determine the effects of changing pulse duration and electrode size on muscle contractile properties. Thirty-six healthy young male participated in the study (age 24.8 ± 5.8 years; height 178.2 ± 0.6 cm; body mass 71.8 ± 7.3 kg; self-reported weekly moderate intensity activity 3.5 ± 1.2 h·week-1). Tensiomyography was used to assess rectus femoris (RF) and vastus medialis (VM) muscles neuromuscular properties of the dominant leg according to the electrode size (3.2-5 cm) and the stimulus length (0.2, 0.5, and 1 ms). Maximal radial displacement (Dm); Contraction time (Tc); Delay time (Td); Sustained time (Ts) and Half relaxation time (Tr) were measured. Relative and absolute reliability was quantified. To analyze the effects of the electrode and the stimulus length, a repeated-measures analysis of variance was used. Dm and Tc parameters showed for both muscles an excellent relative (0.95-0.99) and absolute reliability (1.6-4.2%). However, Ts and Tr showed low values of absolute reliability (4.4-40.9%). The duration of the stimulus length applied to the RF and VM and electrode size significantly influences muscle's contractile properties (p < 0.05; η2p = 0.09-0.60). The Dm increases substantially as the duration of the stimulus increases and with the use of the larger electrode in both muscles. However, Tc and Td are less affected by both conditions and not entirely clear. Practically, our study suggests that a stimulus pulse duration of 1 ms together with a 5 × 5 cm electrode is necessary to reach a reliable and reproducible assessment of both RF and VM muscles contractile properties.

Electromyographic Activity Evolution of Local Twitch Responses During Dry Needling of Latent Trigger Points in the Gastrocnemius Muscle: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: Trigger points (TrPs) are hypersensitive spots within taut bands of skeletal muscles that elicit referred pain and motor changes. Among the variety of techniques used for treating TrPs, dry needling is one of the most commonly applied interventions. The question of eliciting local twitch responses (LTRs) during TrP dry needling is unclear. Our main aim was to investigate the evolution of the electromyographic (EMG) peak activity of each LTR elicited during dry needling into latent TrPs of the gastrocnemius medialis muscle. METHODS: Twenty asymptomatic subjects with latent TrPs in the gastrocnemius medialis muscle participated in this cross-sectional study. Changes in EMG signal amplitude (root mean square [RMS]) with superficial EMG were assessed five minutes before, during, and five minutes after dry needling. The peak RMS score of each LTR was calculated (every 0.5 sec). RESULTS: Analysis of variance revealed a significant effect (F = 29.069, P <0.001) showing a significant decrease of RMS peak amplitude after each subsequent LTR. Differences were significant (P <0.001) during the first three LTRs, and stable until the end of the procedure. No changes (P =0.958) were found for mean RMS data at rest before (mean = 65.2 mv, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 47.3-83.1) and after (61.0 mv, 95% CI = 42.3-79.7) dry needling. CONCLUSIONS: We found that, in a series of LTRs elicited during the application of dry needling over latent TrPs in the medial gastrocnemius muscle, the RMS peak amplitude of each subsequent LTR decreased as compared with the initial RMS peak amplitude of previous LTRs. No changes in superficial EMG activity at rest were observed after dry needling of latent TrPs of the gastrocnemius medialis muscle.

Localization of Muscle Edema and Changes on Muscle Contractility After Dry Needling of Latent Trigger Points in the Gastrocnemius Muscle.

BACKGROUND: Myofascial trigger points (TrPs) are hyperirritable spots within taut bands of skeletal muscles that elicit local and referred pain when stimulated. Among the variety of techniques used for treating TrPs, dry needling (DN) is the most commonly applied intervention. The physiological mechanisms underlying the effects of DN remain to be elucidated. OBJECTIVE: To examine changes in skeletal muscle after DN in the area where the TrP is located. METHODS: We measured in vivo changes that occur in human skeletal muscle one hour after DN over a TrP with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and tensiomyography. The study included 18 asymptomatic subjects with a latent TrP in one medial gastrocnemius muscle, and the contralateral leg was used as control. RESULTS: The results showed that MRI signal intensity significantly increased one hour after the DN intervention, suggesting the presence of intramuscular edema. Tensiomyographic parameters showed higher muscle stiffness with an improvement in contraction time after DN. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study showing intramuscular edema after TrP DN in human skeletal muscle. Future research should focus on using DN therapy in patients with active TrPs and on monitoring changes occurring at longer follow-up with imaging techniques.