Articles

Anthropometric, physiological characteristics and rugby-specific game skills of schoolboy players of different age categories and playing standards

Rugby is increasingly gaining popularity among school-aged male junior players in countries hardly known for dominating international rugby, such as Zimbabwe. Given rugby combativeness, participating adolescen...

Authors: Matthew Chiwaridzo, Gillian D. Ferguson and Bouwien C. M. Smits-Engelsman

Health coaching for promoting physical activity in low back pain patients: a secondary analysis on the usage and acceptance

Multicomponent interventions combined with health coaching are widely recommended to improve a healthy lifestyle. The aim of the present study was to analyse the usage and acceptance of a multicomponent interv...

Authors: Lea Anna Lisa Dejonghe, Kevin Rudolf, Jennifer Becker, Gerrit Stassen, Ingo Froboese and Andrea Schaller

Correction to: How to squat? Effects of various stance widths, foot placement angles and level of experience on knee, hip and trunk motion and loading

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported an error in the following sentence on page 8: “In general, knee varus (negative ΔD*) is a much more common deficit than valgus, and a mor...

Authors: Silvio Lorenzetti, Mira Ostermann, Fabian Zeidler, Pia Zimmer, Lina Jentsch, Renate List, William R. Taylor and Florian Schellenberg

Promoting healthy ageing through light volleyball intervention in Hong Kong: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Our pilot study has demonstrated improvements in health outcomes through participation in a new sport, light volleyball (LVB), among older adults. In response to the promising results of the LVB pilot study an...

Authors: Ka Man Leung, Pak-Kwong Chung, Aileen W. K. Chan, Lynda Ransdell, Parco Ming Fai Siu, Ping Sun, Jinjin Yang and Tie Cheng Chen

Intensive, personalized multimodal rehabilitation in patients with primary or revision total knee arthroplasty: a retrospective cohort study

Recent evidence has shown that many patients suffer from persistent pain and impaired function after primary or revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Post-surgical complications may in addition decrease phys...

Authors: Jesper Bie Larsen, Lisbeth Mogensen, Lars Arendt-Nielsen and Pascal Madeleine

Futureproofing triathlon: expert suggestions to improve health and performance in triathletes

Given the multi-modal nature of triathlon (swimming, cycling, running), training for a triathlon event has numerous potential health benefits including physical fitness. However, triathletes also have a high p...

Authors: Michael D. Kennedy, Camilla J. Knight, Joao Henrique Falk Neto, Katie S. Uzzell and Sara W. Szabo

The effect of home-based low-volume, high-intensity interval training on cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition and cardiometabolic health in women of normal body mass and those with overweight or obesity: protocol for a randomized controlled trial

There is a high prevalence of women in South Africa with overweight and obesity which is associated with an increased risk of cardiometabolic disorders. Perceived barriers such as lack of time and motivation r...

Authors: Emmanuel Frimpong, Chloe Dafkin, Janine Donaldson, Aletta Maria Esterhuyse Millen and Rebecca Mary Meiring

The effect of low level laser irradiation on oxidative stress, muscle damage and function following neuromuscular electrical stimulation. A double blind, randomised, crossover trial

Low level laser therapy (LLLT) is among novel methods for preventing and treating muscle damage and soreness induced by volitional exercise, but little is known about using LLLT before neuromuscular electrical...

Authors: Ewa Jówko, Maciej Płaszewski, Maciej Cieśliński, Tomasz Sacewicz, Igor Cieśliński and Marta Jarocka

Longitudinal changes in body composition and waist circumference by self-reported levels of physical activity in leisure among adolescents: the Tromsø study, Fit Futures

It is not clear how physical activity affects body composition in adolescents. Physical activity levels are often reduced during this period, and the relative proportion of body fat mass and lean mass undergo ...

Authors: Nils Abel Aars, Bjarne K. Jacobsen, Bente Morseth, Nina Emaus and Sameline Grimsgaard

Sports participation related to injuries and illnesses among ambulatory youth with chronic diseases: results of the health in adapted youth sports study

Although sports participation leads to important health enhancement for youth with chronic diseases or physical disabilities (CDPD), it may pose an increased risk for injury or illness. This study investigated...

Authors: Kristel Lankhorst, Janke de Groot, Tim Takken and Frank Backx

The effects of two weeks high-intensity interval training on fasting glucose, glucose tolerance and insulin resistance in adolescent boys: a pilot study

Current evidence of metabolic health benefits of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) are limited to longer training periods or conducted in overweight youth. This study assessed 1) fasting and postprandial...

Authors: Emma J. Cockcroft, Bert Bond, Craig A. Williams, Sam Harris, Sarah R. Jackman, Neil Armstrong and Alan R. Barker

Attitudes and behavior related to performance-enhancing substance use among elite Saudi football players

To investigate the attitudes, beliefs and behavior related to performance enhancing substances (PES) use in elite Saudi football players.

Authors: Mohammed Al Ghobain

Physical activity promotion in daily exercise therapy: the perspectives of exercise therapists in German rehabilitation settings

This study aims to explore exercise therapists’ perspectives on the topic of physical activity promotion (PAP) with a focus on identifying (i) the intervention content and methodological approaches used for pr...

Authors: Wolfgang Geidl, Judith Wais, Cheyenne Fangmann, Ewnet Demisse, Klaus Pfeifer and Gorden Sudeck

Effects of individualized follow-up with a smartphone-application after cardiac rehabilitation: protocol of a randomized controlled trial

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs are evidence-based and widely recommended. However, benefits from CR are likely lost among individuals who discontinue their regular exercise routines and healthy habits. O...

Authors: Pernille Lunde, Asta Bye, Astrid Bergland and Birgitta Blakstad Nilsson

Sporting programs aimed at inactive population groups in the Netherlands: factors influencing their long-term sustainability in the organized sports setting

The organized sports sector has received increased interest as a setting to stimulate physical activity among inactive target groups. To include many inactive people and to obtain population health benefits, i...

Authors: Linda Ooms, Mette van Kruijsbergen, Dorine Collard, Chantal Leemrijse and Cindy Veenhof

Horizontal jumping biomechanics among elite female handball players with and without anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: an ISU based study

Handball is a strenuous body-contact team sport that places high loads on the knee joint. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear is one of the most devastating injuries that any handball player can suffer, and ...

Authors: Igor Setuain, Eder Bikandi, Francisco Antonio Amú Ruiz, Fernando Urtasun and Mikel Izquierdo

Immediate effect of ACL kinesio taping technique on knee joint biomechanics during a drop vertical jump: a randomized crossover controlled trial

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of an ACL Kinesio Taping technique (ACL-KT) on knee joint biomechanics during a drop vertical jump (DVJ).

Authors: Weerawat Limroongreungrat and Chuanpis Boonkerd

Cervicovestibular rehabilitation in adult with mild traumatic brain injury: a randomised controlled trial protocol

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is an acknowledged public health problem. Up to 25% of adult with mTBI present persistent symptoms. Headache, dizziness, nausea and neck pain are the most commonly reported s...

Authors: Pierre Langevin, Philippe Fait, Pierre Frémont and Jean-Sébastien Roy

Six weeks of balance or power training induce no generalizable improvements in balance performance in healthy young adults

Training programs for fall prevention often fail to induce large general effects. To improve the efficacy of fall prevention programs, it is crucial to determine which type of training is most effective in ind...

Authors: Louis-Solal Giboin, Markus Gruber and Andreas Kramer

Validity of simplified, calibration-less exercise intensity measurement using resting heart rate during sleep: a method-comparison study with respiratory gas analysis

The recent development of wearable devices has enabled easy and continuous measurement of heart rate (HR). Exercise intensity can be calculated from HR with indices such as percent HR reserve (%HRR); however, ...

Authors: Hirotaka Matsuura, Masahiko Mukaino, Yohei Otaka, Hitoshi Kagaya, Yasushi Aoshima, Takuya Suzuki, Ayaka Inukai, Emi Hattori, Takayuki Ogasawara and Eiichi Saitoh

Stimulating injury-preventive behaviour in sports: the systematic development of two interventions

In addition to the beneficial health effects of being active, sports are also associated with a risk of sustaining injuries. To avoid the occurrence of sports injuries, preventive measures can be applied. The ...

Authors: E. Kemler, H. Valkenberg and V. Gouttebarge

Disrupting prolonged sitting reduces IL-8 and lower leg swell in active young adults

Evidence suggests that disrupting prolonged bouts of sitting with short bouts of physical activity can significantly reduce blood glucose and improve insulin sensitivity; however, limited research is available...

Authors: Shilpa Dogra, Mitchell Wolf, Michael P. Jeffrey, Ryan C. A. Foley, Heather Logan-Sprenger, Holly Jones-Taggart and Julia M. Green-Johnson

Correction to: Factors associated with non-attendance at exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported that the family name of Daniel Lindholm was incorrectly published.

Authors: Sabina Borg, Birgitta Öberg, Margret Leosdottir, Daniel Lindholm, Lennart Nilsson and Maria Bäck

How can we get more people with long-term health conditions involved in parkrun? A qualitative study evaluating parkrun’s PROVE project

People with long-term health conditions face barriers to physical activity and community health interventions despite potential life-changing benefits for self-management of their condition and wellbeing. A we...

Authors: Helen Quirk and Steve Haake

Novel causes and consequences of overtraining syndrome: the EROS-DISRUPTORS study

Hormonal physiology in athletes, dysfunctional paths leading to overtraining syndrome (OTS), and clinical and biochemical behaviors that are independently modified by the presence of OTS remain unclear. Althou...

Authors: Flavio A. Cadegiani and Claudio E. Kater

Improved maximal strength is not associated with improvements in sprint time or jump height in high-level female football players: a cluster-randomized controlled trial

Maximal strength increments are reported to result in improvements in sprint speed and jump height in elite male football players. Although similar effects are expected in females, this is yet to be elucidated...

Authors: Sigurd Pedersen, Kim Arne Heitmann, Edvard H. Sagelv, Dag Johansen and Svein Arne Pettersen

Kettlebell training in clinical practice: a scoping review

A scoping review of scientific literature on the effects of kettlebell training. There are no authoritative guidelines or recommendations for using kettlebells within a primary care setting. Our review objecti...

Authors: Neil J. Meigh, Justin W. L. Keogh, Ben Schram and Wayne A. Hing

Effects of a blocked versus an alternated sequence of balance and plyometric training on physical performance in youth soccer players

The sequence of blocked balance training (BT) followed by blocked plyometric training (PT) showed greater improvements in physical performance than vice versa and is explained by a preconditioning effect of BT...

Authors: Thomas Muehlbauer, Vincent Wagner, Dennis Brueckner, Simon Schedler, Gerrit Schwiertz, Rainer Kiss and Marco Hagen

Relaxation and exercise in lymphoma survivors (REIL study): a randomised clinical trial protocol

Lymphoma survivors commonly report ongoing complaints including fatigue, pain, depression and decreased quality of life (QoL) following treatment. Although evidence suggests that both relaxation and exercise c...

Authors: Suchita Hathiramani, Ruth Pettengell, Hannah Moir and Ahmed Younis

The effect of adding TENS to stretch on improvement of ankle range of motion in inactive patients in intensive care units: a pilot trial

Patients hospitalized in intensive care units (ICUs) are susceptible to joint contracture and diminished range of motion. This is due to immobility as well as other underlying factors such as brain damage. Joi...

Authors: MohammadBagher Shamsi, Aliakbar Vaisi-Raygani, Asghar Rostami and Maryam Mirzaei

Effects of a behaviour change intervention aimed at increasing physical activity on clinical control of adults with asthma: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

In adults with asthma, physical activity has been associated with several asthma outcomes. However, it is unclear whether changes in physical activity, measured via an accelerometer, have an effect on asthma c...

Authors: Patricia D. Freitas, Rafaella F. Xavier, Natália F. P. Passos, Regina M. Carvalho-Pinto, Alberto Cukier, Milton A. Martins, Vinícius Cavalheri, Kylie Hill, Rafael Stelmach and Celso R. F. Carvalho

Impact of wearable physical activity monitoring devices with exercise prescription or advice in the maintenance phase of cardiac rehabilitation: systematic review and meta-analysis

Physical activity (PA) is a component of cardiac rehabilitation (CR). However, life-long engagement in PA is required to maintain benefits gained. Wearable PA monitoring devices (WPAM) are thought to increase ...

Authors: Amanda L. Hannan, Michael P. Harders, Wayne Hing, Mike Climstein, Jeff S. Coombes and James Furness

Factors associated with non-attendance at exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation

Despite its well-established positive effects, exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (exCR) is underused in patients following an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The aim of the study was to identify factors...

Authors: Sabina Borg, Birgitta Öberg, Margret Leosdottir, Daniel Lindolm, Lennart Nilsson and Maria Bäck

Lights out, let’s dance! An investigation into participation in No Lights, No Lycra and its association with health and wellbeing

Organized, leisure time physical activities are an important part of a population approach to increase total physical activity participation. Dancing is a type of organized leisure time activity which may be u...

Authors: Bridget C. Foley, Amy Jo Vassallo and Lindsey J. Reece

Reliability and methodology of quantitative assessment of harvested and unharvested patellar tendons of ACL injured athletes using ultrasound tissue characterization

Ultrasound tissue characterization (UTC) imaging has been previously used to describe the characteristics of patellar and Achilles tendons. UTC imaging compares and correlates successive ultrasonographic trans...

Authors: Carla S. Pereira, Rafael C. G. Santos, Rod Whiteley and Taija Finni

New method for the mathematical derivation of the ventilatory anaerobic threshold: a retrospective study

Ventilatory anaerobic threshold (VAT) is a useful submaximal measure of exercise tolerance; however, it must be visually determined. We developed a new mathematical method to objectively determine VAT.

Authors: Hirotaka Nishijima, Kazuyuki Kominami, Kazuo Kondo, Masatoshi Akino and Masayuki Sakurai

Cardiac hypertrophy is stimulated by altered training intensity and correlates with autophagy modulation in male Wistar rats

The mechanism for cardiac hypertrophy process that would be a benefit for improvement of cardiovascular endurance needed to be investigated throughly. Specific intensity of training may play a role for homeost...

Authors: Julia Windi Gunadi, Vita Murniati Tarawan, Iwan Setiawan, Ronny Lesmana, Roro Wahyudianingsih and Unang Supratman

Abstracts from the 5th International Scientific Conference on Exercise and Quality of Life

Authors:

Effects of a tailored strength training program of the upper limb combined with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in chronic stroke patients: study protocol for a randomised, double-blind, controlled trial

A significant proportion of individuals are left with poor residual functioning of the affected arm after a stroke. This has a great impact on the quality of life and the ability for stroke survivors to live i...

Authors: Marie-Hélène Milot, Stephania Palimeris, Hélène Corriveau, François Tremblay and Marie-Hélène Boudrias

Frequency of a very brief intervention by physiotherapists to increase physical activity levels in adults: a pilot randomised controlled trial

There is evidence that brief physical activity interventions by health professionals can increase physical activity levels. In addition, there is some evidence that simply measuring physical activity alone can...

Authors: Nicole Freene, Rachel Davey and Steven M McPhail

The effects of textured insoles on quiet standing balance in four stance types with and without vision

Wearing a textured shoe insole can decrease postural sway during static balance. Previous studies assessed bipedal and/or unipedal standing. In contrast, we aimed to investigate if textured insoles modulated p...

Authors: Ryan P. W. Kenny, Daniel L. Eaves, Denis Martin, Anna L. Hatton and John Dixon

Universal goniometer and electro-goniometer intra-examiner reliability in measuring the knee range of motion during active knee extension test in patients with chronic low back pain with short hamstring muscle

Both universal goniometer and electro-goniometer are used for measuring joint range of motion in physiotherapy. Active knee extension test is a way to assess hamstring shortness in patients with chronic low ba...

Authors: MohammadBagher Shamsi, Maryam Mirzaei and Seyyed Saeed Khabiri

Cross-cultural adaptation and measurement properties of the Dutch knee self efficacy scale (K-SES)

Self-efficacy is related to outcome after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. The Knee Self Efficacy Scale (K-SES) available in Swedish and English, was developed to measure self-efficacy in present (K-SES_pre...

Authors: Wim van Lankveld, Nicky van Melick, Bas Habets, Yvette Pronk, J. Bart Staal and Robert van Cingel

Long-term members’ use of fitness centers: a qualitative study

Although the health benefits of physical activity are well documented, a large proportion of the population remains less active than recommended by current guidelines. Commercial fitness centers provide an opp...

Authors: Liv Riseth, Torunn Hatlen Nøst, Tom I. L. Nilsen and Aslak Steinsbekk

Forces applied at the footrest during ergometer kayaking among female athletes at different competing levels – a pilot study

Power output and force development during exercise are thought to be important indices of performance in elite athletes. The aim of this preliminary study was to determine the forces applied at the footrest du...

Authors: Å. B. Tornberg, P. Håkansson, I. Svensson and P. Wollmer

Angle-specific analysis of isokinetic quadriceps and hamstring torques and ratios in patients after ACL-reconstruction

Strength deficits, muscle imbalances, and quadriceps inhibition are common after the surgical reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), even after the patient’s returned-to-sport. Typically, asym...

Authors: Christian Baumgart, Wouter Welling, Matthias W. Hoppe, Jürgen Freiwald and Alli Gokeler

Comparison of the kinematics and kinetics of shoulder exercises performed with constant and elastic resistance

Internal and external rotation exercises of the shoulder are frequently performed to avoid injury and pain. Knowledge about the motion and loadings of the upper extremities during these exercises is crucial fo...

Authors: Ramona Häberle, Florian Schellenberg, Renate List, Michael Plüss, William R. Taylor and Silvio Lorenzetti

Exercise as ‘precision medicine’ for insulin resistance and its progression to type 2 diabetes: a research review

Type 2 diabetes and obesity epidemics are in effect in the United States and the two pathologies are linked. In accordance with the growing appreciation that ‘exercise is medicine,’ it is intuitive to suggest ...

Authors: Fred J. DiMenna and Avigdor D. Arad

A protocol to prospectively assess risk factors for medial tibial stress syndrome in distance runners

Medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) is a lower leg injury with a reported incidence rate of up to 35% in active individuals. Although numerous prospective studies have tried to identify risk factors for devel...

Authors: Joshua Mattock, Julie R. Steele and Karen J. Mickle

Effects of high intensity interval training on exercise capacity in people with cystic fibrosis: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

In people with cystic fibrosis (CF), higher exercise capacity is associated with better health-related quality of life (HRQoL), reduced risk of hospitalisation for a respiratory infection and survival. Therefo...

Authors: Abbey Sawyer, Vinicius Cavalheri, Sue Jenkins, Jamie Wood, Nola Cecins, Bhajan Singh and Kylie Hill