Effect of Supplementary Physical Training on Vertical Jump Height in Professional Ballet Dancers.

Dancers require many specific dance skills of a ballistic nature. The design of supplementary training to improve the strength of the lower limbs and jump height is a relevant area of research. The purpose of this study was (1) to compare the effect of plyometric training versus combined training on countermovement jump (CMJ), squat jump (SJ), and sauté in first position (sauté) height and (2) to observe whether changes in CMJ and SJ were associated with changes in sauté in female and male dancers. Eighty-one classical professional ballet dancers (41 women and 40 men, age = 22.9 [3.7] y, body mass = 59.7 [8.6] kg, height = 167.4 [7.3] cm) were divided into a control group and 2 experimental groups: plyometric training and combined training. All groups followed their common routine of training regarding classes and rehearsal practice, whereas the experimental groups added 2 sessions (1 h per session) for 9 weeks of supplementary training. Significant increases (medium to large effect size) in CMJ, SJ, and sauté height were found in the pretest versus posttest comparisons for both experimental groups. Significant, very large correlations were found between the magnitude of improvement in sauté and the magnitude of improvement in CMJ and SJ. Plyometric and combined training programs are effective ways to improve jumping ability in professional dancers. The improvement in CMJ and SJ has a good transference on sauté `performance. These findings support the use of traditional training methods to improve jump height in specific and nonspecific ballet jumping ability.

Impact of cognitive tasks on biomechanical and kinematic parameters of gait in women with fibromyalgia: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic disease whose symptoms may cause altered walking pattern, which is important given the relevance of walking in daily life activities. These activities use to require the ability to perform both a motor and a cognitive task simultaneously. The main aim of the current study was to evaluate the impact of performing a simultaneous cognitive task in the gait pattern of women with FM. METHODS: A total of 36 women recruited from a local association took part in this cross-sectional study. The time required to complete the 10-meters-walking-test and kinematic outcomes including number of steps, cadence, trunk tilt and ranges of motion were analyzed under single (motor task only) and dual task (motor and cognitive tasks simultaneously) conditions. The secondary task consisted in counting aloud backward in rows of two. RESULTS: Results showed a significant increment in the time required to complete the test (p < 0.01) when participants performed the motor and cognitive tasks at the same time. Moreover, relevant changes in kinematic parameters such as increment of number of steps (p < 0.01), cadence (p < 0.01), trunk tilt (p < 0.01) and both hip (p < 0.01) and knee (p = 0.03) ranges of motion were also observed. CONCLUSION: Adding a cognitive task to a primary motor task affects the walking motor pattern in women with FM, making it more stable and safer walking pattern when the attention is focused on two simultaneous tasks.

Effects of exergames on heart rate variability of women with fibromyalgia: A randomized controlled trial.

The objective of the present manuscript was to evaluate the effects of 24-weeks exergame intervention on the heart rate variability (HRV) of women with fibromyalgia. First, 56 women with fibromyalgia were assessed for eligibility. A total of 55 women fulfilled the inclusion criteria and participated in this single-blinded, randomized controlled trial. A 24-weeks of exergames were completed by the exercise group in the university facilities. It was focused on the mobility, postural control, upper and lower limbs coordination, aerobic fitness and strength. A total of 120 min per week, divided into two sessions of 60 min, was completed. A short-term 5 min record at rest was used to assess the HRV. Time (SDNN and RMSSD) and non-linear indexes (Higuchi´s Fractal Dimension, SD1, SD2, ln stress score, and SD1/SD2) of HRV were extracted. Fifty participants (achieving an 89.28% of adherence), recruited from the local fibromyalgia association completed the study. They were randomly divided into an exercise (age = 54.04[8.45]) and a control group (52.72[9.98]). Significant interaction (group*time) effects in SDNN, ln stress score, SD2, and SD1/SD2 ratio were found. The EG showed an increase of SDNN and a decreased ln stress score and SD2. The CG showed an increased ln stress score, SD1/SD2. In conclusion, 24-weeks of exergame intervention based on the tool VirtualEx-FM improved the autonomic control in patients with fibromyalgia. However, significant effects on Higuchi´s fractal dimension were not found. This is the first study using exergame as a therapy in women with fibromyalgia which has led to an improvement the autonomic balance in these patients.

Individualized Training Based on Force-Velocity Profiling During Jumping in Ballet Dancers.

PURPOSE: Ballet dancers are required to achieve performance feats such as exciting and dramatic elevations. Dancers with a greater jump height can perform a wider range of skills during their flight time and implement more specific technical skills related to the aesthetic components of a dance choreography. New findings suggest the relationship between force and velocity mechanical capabilities (F-V profile) as an important variable for jumping performance. A new field method based on several series of loaded vertical jumps provides information on the theoretical maximal force, theoretical maximal velocity, theoretical maximal power, and the imbalance between force and velocity (F-VIMB). The purpose of this study was to observe the effects of 9 wk of individualized F-V profile-based training during countermovement jumps (CMJs) in female ballet dancers. METHODS: CMJ and mechanical outputs of 46 dancers (age = 18.9 [1.1] y, body mass = 54.8 [6.1] kg, height = 163.7 [8.4] cm) were estimated in a pre-post intervention. The control group (10 participants) continued with the standardized training regimen (no resistance training), whereas the experimental group (36 participants) performed 2 sessions over 9 wk of a training plan based on their F-V profile. RESULTS: The experimental group presented significant differences with large effect sizes in CMJ height (29.3 [3.2] cm vs 33.5 [3.72] cm), theoretical maximal force (24.1 [2.2] N/kg vs 29.9 [2.8] N/kg), and theoretical maximal velocity (4 [0.6] m/s vs 3.2 [0.5] m/s). Significant differences with a very large effect size were found in F-VIMB (43.8% [15.3%] vs 24.9% [8.7%]). CONCLUSION: A training program addressing F-VIMB is an effective way to improve CMJ height in female ballet dancers.

Benefits of 24-Week Exergame Intervention on Health-Related Quality of Life and Pain in Women with Fibromyalgia: A Single-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of 24-week exergame-based intervention on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and pain in patients with fibromyalgia as well as to analyze the effectiveness of the intervention in subgroups of patients with different pain intensity levels. Design: Single-blinded, randomized controlled trial. Setting: University facilities Participants: Fifty-five women with fibromyalgia participated in the study. Intervention: The exercise group (EG) completed 24 weeks of exergames focused on mobility, postural control, upper and lower limbs coordination, aerobic fitness, and strength. A total of 120 minutes per week, divided into two sessions of 60 minutes, was completed. Main outcome measures: The Euroqol-5 Dimensions-5 Levels (EQ-5D-5L) was used to assess the HRQoL. In addition, pain intensity was measured using a visual analog scale (VAS). Results: Twenty-five out of 28 women allocated to the EG completed the intervention, which means an 89.29% of adherence. They were randomly divided into an exercise (age = 54.04 [8.45]) and a control group (52.72 [9.98]). Significant effects on the perceived health status and pain intensity (P < 0.05) were found. K-means clustering procedure revealed two groups with different response to the intervention. The respond group obtained significant effects of the exergame intervention in EQ-5D-5L, pain VAS, and VAS-EQ, compared with those who did not respond. Conclusions: Exergames could be a useful tool to improve perceived health status and pain intensity level in women with fibromyalgia with a reduced health-related quality of life.

Influence of depressive feelings in the brain processing of women with fibromyalgia: An EEG study.

Depression is one of the most common mental health problems which affects more than 10% of the global population. The prevalence of this disorder is higher in fibromyalgia patients. However, the influence of the combination of depression and fibromyalgia in the brain processing is poorly understood.To explore the modifications of EEG power spectrum in women with fibromyalgia when depressive feelings are elicited.Twenty eight women with fibromyalgia participated in this cross-sectional study. They were classified as women with depression or women without depression according to the score in the Geriatric Depression Scale. This questionnaire was used to elicit depression symptoms during the EEG recording. Analyses were performed with the standardized LOw Resolution Electric Tomography (sLORETA) software. Power spectrum were compared in the following frequency bands: delta, theta, alpha-1, alpha-2, beta-1, beta-2, and beta-3.Fibromyalgia patients with untreated depression showed a hypoactivation of the left hemisphere when compared with fibromyalgia patients without depression. In addition, when compared fibromyalgia patients without depression and women with both fibromyalgia and depression who were taking antidepressant medications, differences in EEG power spectrum in the studied frequency bands were not found.The current study contributes to the understanding on the influence of the combination of fibromyalgia and depression in the brain activity patterns. Patients with untreated depression showed a hypoactivation of the left hemisphere while eliciting depression symptoms. However, further research is needed, antidepressant medication might reduce the differences between patients with depression and those who do not suffer from depression symptoms.

Impact of Fibromyalgia on Alpha-2 EEG Power Spectrum in the Resting Condition: A Descriptive Correlational Study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this prospective cross-sectional study was to analyze the differences between patients with fibromyalgia and non-pain controls in terms of EEG power in the eyes-closed resting state. This study also aims to evaluate potential correlations between EEG power and subjective pain. METHODS: The fibromyalgia patients were recruited by the Extremadura Association of Fibromyalgia (AFIBROEX) in Cáceres, Spain. Age- and sex-matched healthy controls (1:1 ratio) were recruited from university facilities and people close to the AFIBROEX by public calls. All underwent EEG during a 1-minute resting period with their eyes closed. The theta, alpha-1, alpha-2, beta-1, beta-2, and beta-3 frequency bands were analyzed by using EEGLAB. Self-reported visual analog scale pain scores were determined just prior to EEG. RESULTS: A total of 62 women participated in the study, 31 of them diagnosed with fibromyalgia and 31 healthy controls. Fibromyalgia group exhibited a significantly lower alpha-2 in C4, T3, P4, Pz, and O2 compared to the healthy controls. Interestingly, pain correlated negatively with alpha-2 in Cz, P4, and Pz only in the fibromyalgia group. CONCLUSION: The fibromyalgia group exhibited decrease alpha-2 power in central, temporoparietal, and occipital brain areas. Furthermore, higher values of pain correlated with lower level of alpha-2 power in Cz, P4, and Pz. These findings may point the importance of alpha-2 power in pain in women with fibromyalgia.

Impact of adding a simultaneous cognitive task in the elbow's range of movement during arm curl test in women with fibromyalgia.

BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia symptoms cause a significant reduction in the ability to perform daily life activities. These activities require the ability to perform more than one task simultaneously. The main objective of this study was to evaluate how dual-task could modify range of movement, duration of repetitions and performance in the arm curl test in healthy controls and patients with fibromyalgia. METHODS: Twenty women participated in this study, divided into two groups: 1) patients with fibromyalgia (N = 10, age = 52.00 [5.08]) and 2) age- and gender-matched healthy controls (N = 10; age = 51.60 [4.09]). The participants had to perform the arm curl test in two conditions: single test condition and performing a dual-task. The dual-task condition consisted of remembering three random unrelated words. RESULTS: Patients with fibromyalgia completed fewer repetitions than controls during dual-task condition (p-value = 0.015). Furthermore, both groups showed a significant decrease in the range of movement in the dual-task condition when comparing the mean of the three first repetitions with the three last ones (p-value < 0.05). INTERPRETATION: The motor task might be prioritized over the cognitive task at the beginning of the test. However, at the end of the test, the cognitive task could require more attention due to the increased time since the words were heard, and also the motor task could require less attention after some repetitions have been performed. Thus, the addition of a cognitive task could lead to a less conscious execution of the motor task at the end of the test, which may be consistent with a reduced range of movement.

Differences Between High vs. Low Performance Chess Players in Heart Rate Variability During Chess Problems.

Background: Heart rate variability (HRV) has been considered as a measure of heart-brain interaction and autonomic modulation, and it is modified by cognitive and attentional tasks. In cognitive tasks, HRV was reduced in participants who achieved worse results. This could indicate the possibility of HRV predicting cognitive performance, but this association is still unclear in a high cognitive load sport such as chess. Objective: To analyze modifications on HRV and subjective perception of stress, difficulty and complexity in different chess problem tasks. Design: HRV was assessed at baseline. During the chess problems, HRV was also monitored, and immediately after chess problems the subjective stress, difficulty and complexity were also registered. Methods: A total of 16 male chess players, age: 35.19 (13.44) and ELO: 1927.69 (167.78) were analyzed while six chess problem solving tasks with different level of difficulty were conducted (two low level, two medium level and two high level chess problems). Participants were classified according to their results into two groups: high performance or low performance. Results: Friedman test showed a significant effect of tasks in HRV indexes and perceived difficulty, stress and complexity in both high and low performance groups. A decrease in HRV was observed in both groups when chess problems difficulty increased. In addition, HRV was significantly higher in the high performance group than in the low performance group during chess problems. Conclusion: An increase in autonomic modulation was observed to meet the cognitive demands of the problems, being higher while the difficulty of the tasks increased. Non-linear HRV indexes seem to be more reactive to tasks difficulty, being an interesting and useful tool in chess training.

Impact of adding a cognitive task while performing physical fitness tests in women with fibromyalgia: A cross-sectional descriptive study.

Fibromyalgia symptoms cause a significant reduction in the ability to perform daily life activities. These activities often require the ability to perform more than 1 task at the same time.The aim was to investigate how the addition of a cognitive task modifies the performance in physical fitness tests in fibromyalgia and healthy controls.A total of 61 women participated in this study, 31 of them diagnosed with fibromyalgia by a rheumatologist. They performed 3 physical fitness tests (arm curl, handgrip, and 10-steps stair tests) in 2 conditions:The dual task cost was calculated as the difference between the performances in the regular and dual-task (DT) conditions.Healthy controls obtained significantly better results than fibromyalgia in both, dual and single-task conditions. Women with fibromyalgia significantly decreased the performance in the 10-steps stair test when a cognitive task was added. Between-group differences in the dual-task costs (DTC) were not found.Women with fibromyalgia showed lower physical performance than healthy controls in both, single and dual task conditions. In addition, differences between single and dual task conditions were observed in the 10-steps stair test in women with fibromyalgia. This could be related with a reduction in the ability to perform daily life activities. However, results regarding DTC indicate that both groups may be similarly influenced by the addition of a secondary cognitive. Thus, further research with different difficulty levels of DT conditions is needed in fibromyalgia.