1,721,067 research outputs found

    Surface EMG signal alterations in Carpal Tunnel syndrome: a pilot study

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    Carpal Tunnel syndrome (CTS) is one of the most common compartmental syndromes and nerve conduction studies are widely considered as the standard to diagnose the pathology. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate whether multichannel surface electromyography can detect muscle alterations in patients diagnosed with severe CTS. Surface EMG signals were recorded at 10, 20, 30, and 80\% MVC from the flexor and abductor pollicis brevis muscles of five patients with CTS and five control subjects. Subjects with severe CTS showed different interference patterns, lower signal amplitude, lower neuromuscular efficiency, and lower myoelectric manifestations of fatigue with respect to the control group. At submaximal levels, action potentials recorded from the flexor and abductor pollicis brevis muscles of the CTS group were characterized by lower conduction velocity and lower mean spectral frequency than the healthy group. These findings support, among others, the hypothesis of a selective loss of fast motor units (type II fiber) associated with CT

    Relationship among explosive power, body fat, fat free mass, and pubertal development in youth soccer players. A preliminary study

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    Purpose Changes in body size and functional capacities are highly individual during puberty, and the performance of a soccer player is often closely related to their maturity status. The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationships among explosive power, body fat, fat free mass and pubertal development in young soccer players. Methods Explosive power (countermovement jump— CMJ), body mass index (BMI), percentage of body fat (%BF), fat free mass (FFM) and a Self-Administered Rating Scale for pubertal development (PDS) values of 11 ‘‘Giovanissimi’’ (age 13 year), 13 ‘‘Allievi’’ (age 15 year) and 10 ‘‘Juniores’’ (age [17 year) male soccer players were compared. The statistical analysis was performed using an analysis of variance among categories with Fisher’s post hoc as appropriate. Furthermore, Pearson correlations among variables were calculated considering all subjects and also within categories. Results Statistical differences emerged among categories in CMJ (F(2,30) = 28.3, p\0.01), body fat weight (F(2,31) = 29.2, p\0.01) and PDS (F(2,29) = 18.5, p\0.01), while %BF values showed statistical differences only for ‘‘Giovanissimi’’ and ‘‘Juniores’’ (F(2,31) = 3.4, p = 0.01). CMJ showed significant correlations with FFM (r = 0.68) and PDS (r = 0.63), PDS with FFM (r = 0.66) and BMI with %BF(r = 0.71) and FFM (r = 0.71).A high correlation was found within categories. Conclusion Since we found differences between categories and no correlation between chronological age and pubertal status, this study highlights the importance of assessing of puberty in youth soccer team
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