1,720,989 research outputs found
EXERCISE PROTOCOLS WITH UNSTABLE DEVICES TO ENHANCE THE EFFICIENCY OF NEUROMUSCULAR MECHANISMS IN POSTURAL CONTROL
Full text linkIl controllo della postura e dell’equilibrio sono fondamentali per svolgere in sicurezza le attività della vita quotidiana e, più in generale, tutte le attività motorie. Le gymnastic ball sono dispositivi instabili utilizzati per attuare strategie di allenamento e riabilitazione all’interno di programmi di allenamento funzionale e propriocettivo. Al giorno d’oggi, la presenza di gymnastic ball o altri dispositivi instabili durante la pratica di allenamento coinvolge ampie fasce della popolazione. Le gymnastic ball, infatti, vengono utilizzate per il miglioramento delle prestazioni atletiche, per scopi ricreativi e riabilitativi, nonché per migliorare la qualità della vita quotidiana in persone con specifiche necessità fisiche. I dispositivi instabili sono ampiamente applicati negli esercizi di riabilitazione e di forza per aumentare l’attività muscolare, la intensità dell’esercizio e la propriocezione articolare. Inoltre, diversi canali di informazione suggeriscono spesso la gymnastic ball come alternativa alla seduta classica. Le gymnastic ball, rispetto alle sedie convenzionali, non forniscono una base stabile di appoggio e quindi possono richiedere un maggiore impegno muscolare per mantenere la postura del corpo. Tuttavia, è difficile dedurre se un aumento della forza muscolare o un miglioramento possa derivare all’uso quotidiano della gymnastic ball come seduta o all’interno di protocolli di allenamento. In effetti, la ricerca a sostegno di queste ipotesi è scarsa e contraddittoria. Pertanto, considerando lo stato dell’arte e la varietà della ricerca relativa ai dispositivi instabili e al loro utilizzo all’interno dei programmi di allenamento, questo progetto mira a rispondere alle attuali domande e lacune nella ricerca attuale, nonché ad indicare aperture per continuare la futura indagine sul campo. In dettaglio, attraverso l’applicazione di tecniche quali l’elettromiografia di superfice, l’analisi cinematica e cinetica, questo progetto mira in primo luogo ad approfondire il ruolo dei dispositivi instabili in risposta all’esercizio considerando i principali parametri posturali e neuromuscolari.Posture and balance control are essential to safely achieve daily living activities and motor tasks in general. Unstable devices during training practice encompass large sections of the population. Currently, gymnastic balls are the most unstable devices used to implement training and rehabilitation strategies in functional and proprioceptive training programs. Gymnastic balls are used for improving athletic performance, recreational and rehabilitation purposes, and daily-living quality of life enhancement in people with specific necessities. Moreover, several information channels frequently suggest gymnastic ball sitting. However, it is hard to infer if an increase in muscle strength could be due to the daily use of the gymnastic ball. Research supporting and objectifying the use of gymnastic balls or other unstable devices (e.g., balance discs, wobble boars) in training practice is few and contradictory. Hence, considering state of the art and the variety of research regarding unstable devices and their use within the training programs, this three-year research project aimed to answer questions and gaps in the current research and point out openings for future investigation in the field. In detail, by applying surface electromyography, kinematic, and kinetic analysis techniques, this project aimed to deepen the role of unstable devices in response to exercise to enhance postural and neuro-muscular control mechanisms
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis in the workplace: The office is on fire
Full text linkFrom the second half of the previous century, there has been a shift toward occupations largely composed of desk-based behaviors. This, inevitably, has led to a workload reduction and a consequent lower energy expenditure. On this point, small increments of the non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) could be the rationale to reach health benefits over a prolonged period. Different published researches suggest solutions to reverse sitting time and new alternative workstations have been thought to increase total physical activity. Therefore, the purpose of this narrative review is to summarize the current state of the research regarding the “NEAT approach” to weight-gain prevention in work environments. This review analyzes the main evidence regarding new alternative workstations such as standing, walking workstations, seated pedal, and gymnastic balls to replace a standard office chair
A review of the effects of calcium channels blockers on airway smooth muscle activity and respiratory mechanics
No full textExpertise level influences postural balance control in young gymnasts
No full textThe specificity of postural balance control in sports as gymnastic where complex motor skills are involved is widely debated in literature. The aim of this study was to investigate in young gymnasts whether the amount of training influenced postural balance control in a simple-task and in a sport-specific task
Validity and reliability of an unstable board for dynamic balance assessment in young adults
Full text linkScientific literature is giving greater importance to dynamic balance in fall prevention. Recently, the validity and reliability of the most employed functional tests for dynamic balance assessment has been investigated. Although these functional tests are practical and require minimal equipment, they are inherently subjective, as most do not use instrumented measurement data in the scoring process. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of an instrumented unstable board for dynamic balance objective assessment in young adults through double-leg standing trials. A test-retest design was outlined with the unstable board positioned over a force platform to collect objective Center of Pressure (CoP) related and kinematic parameters. Fifteen young adults participated in two evaluation sessions (7-day apart) that comprised ten trials per two dynamic conditions (anterior-posterior and medio-lateral oscillations) aiming to maintain the board parallel to the ground. Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) was employed to assess the validity of the kinematic parameters with those derived from the CoP. The test-retest reliability was investigated through Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), Standard Error of the measurement, Minimal Detectable Change, and Bland-Altman plots. Statistically significant correlations between the CoP and kinematic parameters were found, with r values ranging from 0.66 to 0.95. Good to excellent intrasession (0.89≤ICCs≤0.95) and intersession (0.66≤ICCs≤0.95) ICCs were found for the kinematics parameters. The Bland-Altman plots showed no significant systematic bias. The kinematics parameters derived from the unstable board resulted valid and reliable. The small size of the board makes it a suitable tool for the on-site dynamic balance assessment and a complement of computerized dynamic posturography
Transfer of balance performance depends on the specificity of balance training
No full text: This study investigated whether a 4-wk training on an easy-level (EL) unstable board could induce a transfer of balance performance in a hard-level (HL) unstable board and in an unexpected perturbation-based task. Nonlinear center of pressure (CoP) analysis investigated whether training could induce postural control adaptations in trained and untrained tasks. Thirty-four subjects were divided into a training (TR, N = 17) group and a control (CTRL, N = 17) group. Balance was assessed before (T0) and after (T1) a balance training under static and dynamic conditions (EL, HL, and perturbation-based task). A force platform allowed the calculation of CoP displacement while balance performance based on the angular displacement of the unstable boards was assessed with an inertial sensor. From the angular displacement, we calculated three parameters of balance performance: full balance (FB), fine balance (FiB), and gross balance (GB). Stabilogram diffusion analysis (SDA) and sample entropy (SampEn) indirectly assessed neuromuscular control mechanisms. Results showed improvements in the TR from T0 to T1 in balance performance for FB (P < 0.001), FiB (P < 0.05), and GB (P < 0.01) on EL and HL boards. In the perturbation-based task, the earliest CoP response consequent to perturbation improved after training (P < 0.01). SampEn and SDA revealed increased automaticity (P < 0.05) and efficiency (P < 0.05) of balance control in the EL and HL tasks after training. Balance training led to highly task-specific adaptations and improvements that can be transferred between functionally similar balance tasks. Postural strategies learned during training seemed barely transferable to a different balance task, as the unexpected perturbation of the base of support.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Our study showed that improvement in balance performance is task-specific, with transfer depending on functional similarities between the trained and the untrained tasks. Computational nonlinear methods highlighted that training could extend the improved efficiency and automaticity of balance control of the trained task to a similar untrained task. Therefore, the benefits of balance training may not generalize to all balance challenges, highlighting the importance of targeted testing and training approaches
Different Gymnastic Balls Affect Postural Balance Rather Than Core-Muscle Activation: A Preliminary Study
Full text linkBackground: In proprioceptive training, unstable devices produce multidirectional perturbations that must be counterbalanced by the postural control systems and core-muscle activation. We investigated whether different sizes and shapes of three gymnastic balls could affect core-muscle activation and postural balance when performing the same exercise. Methods: Eleven young healthy subjects were assessed on the balls, assuming two body postures (bipedal seated and unipedal seated) and performing a dynamic exercise. Two balls were spherical with different diameters, and one was ovoid. Postural balance and muscle activation were assessed through center of pressure (CoP)-related parameters and surface electromyography. Results: Statistical analysis showed a significant effect of the gymnastic balls (p p p p Conclusions: The shapes and sizes of the gymnastic balls produced different degrees of destabilization under the same body posture but left the core-muscle activation unaltered. In the dynamic exercise, the conformation of the balls did not represent the main determinant in producing destabilizing effects
Are Static and Dynamic Postural Balance Assessments Two Sides of the Same Coin? A Cross-Sectional Study in the Older Adults
Full text linkThe aim of this study was to investigate if the combination of static and dynamic postural balance assessments gives more accurate indications on balance performance among healthy older adults. We also aimed at studying the effect of a dual-task condition on static and dynamic postural balance control. Fifty-seven healthy older adults (age = 73.2 ± 5.0 year, height = 1.66 ± 0.08 m, and body mass = 72.8 ± 13.8 kg) completed the study. Static and dynamic balance were assessed both in single-task and dual-task conditions through a force plate and an oscillating platform. The dominant handgrip strength was also measured with a dynamometer. Pearson’s correlation revealed non-statistically significant correlations between static and dynamic balance performance. The dual-task worsened the balance performance more in the dynamic (+147.8%) than in the static (+25.10%, +43.45%, and +72.93% for ellipse area, sway path, and AP oscillations, respectively) condition (p < 0.001). A weak correlation was found between dynamic balance performance and handgrip strength both in the single (p < 0.05; r = −0.264) and dual (p < 0.05; r = −0.302) task condition. The absence of correlations between static and dynamic balance performance suggests including both static and dynamic balance tests in the assessment of postural balance alterations among older adults. Since cognitive-interference tasks exacerbated the degradation of the postural control performance, dual-task condition should also be considered in the postural balance assessment
Sport-specific balance tests account for youth alpine skiers’ ranking
Full text linkObjective: Alpine skiing requires complex motor skills and fine adjustments to maintain balance in dynamic and challenging conditions. This study aimed to understand whether the balance ability in unspecific (UST) and sport-specific (SST) tasks could depend on the skiers’ ranking level. The balance performance of the dominant and non-dominant limbs in the SST was also investigated.Methods: Twenty-five skiers (14.96 ± 1.61 yrs; 1.69 ± 0.69 m; 59.9 ± 9.52 kg) were divided into high-ranking (position < 50) and low-ranking (position > 50) groups. Subjects performed three balance conditions: static (ST), dynamic UST, and dynamic SST. Subjects stood on an unstable board over a force platform during UST. During SST, subjects wore ski boots, grasped ski poles, and each foot was clipped to an unstable board over two force plates. From the center-of-pressure (CoP) trajectory the area of the 95th percentile ellipse and the CoP mean velocity were calculated. Angular displacements were recorded by a 12-camera system, to calculate the full balance (FB), fine (FiB), and gross (GB) balance in UST and SST.Results: Balance control was higher (p < 0.01) in high-ranking than low-ranking skiers only in the SST. Kinematic parameters (i.e., FB, FiB, and GB) showed a higher (p < 0.001) balance performance in SST than UST independently from the group. Dominant and non-dominant limbs motion was similar (Pearson correlation, r = 0.97) in SST independently from the skiers’ ranking.Conclusion: High-ranking skiers showed better balance control and performance than low-ranking skiers only when the task was sport-specific. Therefore, we suggest testing balance under sport-specific conditions to discriminate the youth skiers’ abilities
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