Five-week sensory motor training program improves functional performance and postural control in young male soccer players - A blind randomized clinical trial.

Sensory motor training programs are used in the rehabilitation and prevention of injuries among soccer players. Inconsistencies are found in the literature regarding the duration of the protocols and the exercises and equipment used. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the benefits of a five-week sensory motor training program on the functional performance and postural control of young soccer players. METHODS: The study sample comprised 22 young male soccer players who were evaluated using: the Figure-of-Eight Test (F8), Side Hop Test (SHT), Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), and a force platform. The players were randomly divided into a control group (N = 10), who continued their soccer practice sessions and an intervention group (N = 12), who continued their soccer practice sessions and were also enrolled in a supervised five-week sensory motor training program. RESULTS: After the five-week training program, the intervention group obtained significant results in the F8, SHT and SEBT, as well as in the following parameters: area of pressure of sway center (COP), mean velocity and mean frequency of COP. CONCLUSION: The five-week sensory motor training program, carried out with easily available and low cost equipment, was effective at improving functional performance and postural control in young soccer players.

Análise da Flexão Lombar e Incapacidade Funcional: um Estudo Comparativo Entre Sujeitos Assintomáticos e Pacientes com Lombalgia / Lumbar Flexion and Functional Disability: a Comparative Study between Asymptomatic Subjects and Patients with Low Back Pain

Analisou-se a flexão lombar e incapacidade funcional em pacientes com lombalgia. Foi caracterizado como um estudo transversal, com amostra de 100 indivíduos, com 50 sujeitos assintomáticos no grupo controle e 50 no grupo com queixas lombares, com idade entre 20 e 65 anos e diagnóstico clínico de lombalgia. Foram excluídos os pacientes que realizaram cirurgias lombares, portadores de doenças reumáticas, hérnia de disco e fraturas. A amostra foi submetida à análise da mobilidade de flexão lombar pelo teste de Schöber e avaliação da incapacidade funcional pelo questionário de Roland-Morris. Para a análise estatística, utilizou-se o teste de Shapiro Wilk, ?t? de Student e Mann-Whitney. Como resultados, o grupo com queixas lombares foi composto por 38 indivíduos do gênero feminino (76%) e 12 do masculino (24%) com idade 38,2 (DP=13,9) anos; e o grupo controle por 38 indivíduos do gênero feminino (76%) e 12 do masculino (24%) com idade de 38,1 (DP=13,6). A análise da flexão lombar apresentou índice de Schöber de 4,2 (DP=1,4) para o grupo lombalgia e 5,5 (DP=1,7) para o controle (p=0,0003). Os resultados da análise de incapacidade funcional pelo Questionário de Roland-Morris demonstraram média de 10,1 (DP=5,4) questões marcadas no grupo lombalgia e 0,0 (DP=0,0) no grupo controle, (p=0,0007). Concluiu-se que indivíduos com lombalgia têm menor flexão lombar e maior incapacidade funcional, fatores que devem ser considerados na avaliação e tratamento fisioterápico destes pacientes.

Lumbar flexion and functional disability in patients with low back pain was investigated. This study was characterized as transverse, and the sample was composed by 100 individuals, of which 50 asymptomatic individuals were the control group, and 50 were the low back pain group, aged between 20 and 65 years and clinical diagnosis of low back pain. Patients that have undergone lumbar surgeries, bearers of rheumatic diseases or disk hernia and fractures were excluded. The sample was submitted to the analysis of the lumbar mobility through Schober test and the evaluation of the functional incapacity was done by Roland-Morris questionnaire. For the statistical analysis, Shapiro Wilk?s test, test ?t? of Student and Mann-Whitney were used. As results the group with low back pain was composed by 38 female individuals (76%) and 12 male individuals (24%) with average age of 38.2 (SD=13.9), and the group control composed by 38 individuals female (76%) and 12 male (24%) with average of age 38.1 (SD=13.6). The lumbar mobility analysis presented Schober index of 4.2 (SD=1.4) for the group with low back pain and 5.5 (SD=1.7) for the control group (p=0.0003). The results of the analysis of functional incapacity through Roland-Morris Questionnaire displayed an average of 10.1 (SD=5.4) subjects in the low back pain group and 0.0 (SD=0.0) in the control group (p=0.0007). It was concluded that individuals with low back pain have lower lumbar mobility and more functional disability, which should be considered in the assessmentand physical therapy treatment of these patients.