A Randomized Controlled Trial on Posture Improvement and Trunk Muscle Strength by Round Shoulder Posture Improvement Exercise

Author(s):  
Eunsang Lee ◽  
Won-je Choi ◽  
Dae-in Jung ◽  
Seungwon Lee

The aim of this article was to examine investigates the effects of posture-improving exercises on round shoulder posture (RSP) and back muscle strength. 35 college students participated in this study and were measured for both shoulder height and muscle strength. After pretest, participants were divided into shoulder stabilization exercise group (SSEG, n1=12), antagonist strength exercise group (ASEG, n2=12), and control group (CG, n3=11). SSEG and ASEG exercised with a trainer 3 times a week for 30 minutes during 4 weeks. After completion of intervention, there was a significant difference in both shoulders and trunk muscle strength is significant difference for SSEG, ASEG and CG. This study has found that strengthening exercise is more effective in RSP reduction. However, it is the opinion of the researchers that the 4 week exercise period was not long enough to achieve significant results for other measurements. Further comparative studies related to the effects of strength exercises on RSP reduction, lung capacity, and trunk muscle strength is necessary.

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 423
Author(s):  
Sejil T. Verghese ◽  
Maria Pauline ◽  
Arun Das ◽  
Anura V. Kurpad

Lysine is the limiting amino acid in the predominantly cereal and legume based typical Indian diet and its supplementation has been shown to positively affect muscle strength in short term adult and animal models; but similar studies are lacking in children. This study looked at the effect of a 3-month lysine and iron intervention on muscle strength and growth parameters in prepubertal Indian girls. The study was a randomized controlled trial conducted in 40 normal Indian girls in the 9-10 yrs age group. The control group received only iron (6.25mg) supplementation, while the intervention group received both iron and lysine supplementation that increased the lysine intake to 50mg/kg/day. Muscle strength was estimated in both upper limbs with a hand dynamometer and muscle endurance was estimated in the non-dominant hand. Height and weight were recorded to assess growth. A significant difference was seen in the increase in the non-dominant hand grip strength between the groups (intervention: 1.4 vs control: 0.2 kg, p=0.042) at the end of the study. There was a trend of increased height gain (about 25%) and weight gain (about 50%) in the intervention group compared to control group. Lysine supplementation for 3 months increased non-dominant forearm muscle strength in Indian children.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Stępień ◽  
Tomasz Osiak ◽  
Witold Rekowski ◽  
Andrzej Wit

Background: Neck and trunk muscle strength and relationship with motor function in individuals with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is not investigated well. Information on maximum muscle strength that children with SMA may develop considerably expands the possibilities of assessing the effectiveness of pharmacological treatment methods and therapeutic procedures. This study sought to assess neck and trunk muscle strength in patients with SMA and to compare it with values noted in healthy children.Methods: The study involved 56 individuals with SMA aged 5–16 not treated pharmacologically, including 9 patients with SMA type 1 (SMA1), 27 with SMA type 2 (SMA2), and 20 with SMA type 3 (SMA3). The control group included 111 healthy individuals aged 5–16. Neck and trunk muscle strength was assessed by means of a maximum voluntary isometric contraction method with the use of a handheld digital muscle tester MICROFET2. Moreover, relative strength was also calculated by standardising the maximum voluntary isometric contraction according to body mass. The Kruskal–Wallis test, Mann–Whitney U-test, and Spearman's rank correlation were used for statistical analysis.Results: The reliability of the neck and trunk muscle strength measurements with the handheld digital muscle tester was excellent with ICC > 0.9. The values of muscle strength in SMA groups were significantly lower than in the control group. The values of relative torque of the neck muscles expressed in percentage values calculated with regard to the control group were at the level of 47.6–51.6% in SMA1 group, 54.8–58.1% in SMA2 group and 80.6–90.3% in SMA3 group. The percentage values for upper and lower trunk muscle strength were at the level of 42.6–68.4% in SMA1 group, 56.9–75.4% in SMA2 group and 76.7–94.8% in SMA3 group.Conclusion: Handheld dynamometry provides reliable measures of neck and trunk muscle strength in SMA children. Neck and trunk muscle strength in children with SMA is lower than in healthy controls and depends on disease type, which confirms the theory based on clinical observations. Further, study is needed to investigate the effect of pharmacological treatment on the strength of the neck/trunk muscles, and relationship between neck and trunk muscle strength and motor capabilities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrique V. Taveira ◽  
Claudio A. B. de Lira ◽  
Marilia S. Andrade ◽  
Ricardo B. Viana ◽  
Hirofumi Tanaka ◽  
...  

Trunk muscle strength and control is an important prerequisite for everyday activities among elderly people decreasing the predisposition to falls. High levels of physical exercise performed by older athletes could offer benefits to core/trunk muscle strength and postural control compared with recreational physical activities and among elderly people with lower levels of physical activity. The present study aimed to compare trunk muscle strength and postural control of older running athletes vs. older physically active adults. Participants were master road runners (RUN, n = 15, six women, 64.3 ± 3.6 years) and physically active elderly (control group, CON, n = 15, six women, 65.4 ± 5.0 years) people that were submitted to the evaluations: esthesiometer, posturography (force plate), and isokinetic test (Biodex dynamometer) of trunk muscle extension and flexion. RUN presented higher values for relative peak torque of trunk extensor muscles at 60°/s (p = 0.046) and 180°/s (p = 0.007) and relative average power during trunk extension at 60°/s (p = 0.008) and 180°/s (p = 0.004) compared to CON. CON had a higher medial-lateral oscillation speed of the center of pressure in the stable condition with eyes closed (p = 0.004) compared to RUN. RUN presented higher isokinetic torque of extensor trunk muscles and better postural control than CON. This supposedly could help with postural control and balance and contribute to the prevention of falls among the elderly. The practice of running systematically by master athletes may partially explained our findings.


Author(s):  
Kuan-Yin Lin ◽  
Hui-Ching Cheng ◽  
Chia-Jui Yen ◽  
Ching-Hsia Hung ◽  
Yu-Ting Huang ◽  
...  

Background: Cisplatin administration may induce muscle atrophy, thereby reducing the fitness level of patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). To date, only animal studies have been conducted to test the effectiveness of exercise interventions in diminishing side effects of cisplatin. Aim: To determine whether exercise training improves physical fitness and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients receiving chemotherapy for Head & Neck (H&N). Material and methods: This pilot-randomized controlled trial was conducted on 57 participants receiving chemotherapy for HNC. The participants were randomized into an exercise group and a control group. The exercise group received moderate-intensity combined aerobic, resistance and flexibility exercises three times a week for eight weeks during chemotherapy. The control group received no specific information regarding exercise. The outcome measures including body composition, muscle strength, balance, flexibility, cardiovascular fitness and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were assessed at baseline and eight weeks following baseline. Results: The body composition (body fat percentage, p = 0.002; skeletal muscle percentage, p = 0.008), dynamic balance (p = 0.01), muscle strength (upper extremity, p = 0.037; lower extremity, p = 0.025) and HRQoL (p = 0.001) showed a significant difference between the exercise group and the control group eight weeks following baseline. Significant deteriorations were noted in flexibility, muscle strength, cardiovascular fitness and several domains of HRQoL scale in the control group at eight weeks following baseline. Conclusions: This study found that a combined aerobic, resistance and flexibility exercise program during chemotherapy may improve physical fitness (i.e., muscle strength, balance, flexibility and body composition) and HRQoL and alleviate the deterioration of cardiovascular fitness in patients with HNC. Further research studies with large sample sizes are warranted to investigate the long-term effects of exercise in this population.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Lumnije Hoxha Kamberi

Aim: Osteoporosis is a multifactorial progressive skeletal disorder characterized by reduced bone mass. Exercise is widely recommended to reduce osteoporosis, falls and related fragility fractures. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of land exercise (LE) and aquatic exercise (AE) on physical function and bone mineral density (BMD). Methods: Fifty-eight postmenopausal women, aged 50-70 years,  diagnosed with osteoporosis according to BMD measures, enrolled in this study. The subjects were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (LE group) or the control group (AE group). Physical function and BMD were assessed in all subjects in both groups before and after 10 months of intervention. The muscle strength,   flexibility, balance, gait time and pain were measured to assess physical function. Bone mineral density at the lumbar spine was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups in the baseline anthropometric data. The two groups were similar with respect to age, weight, height, and body mass index (p>0.05). After the exercise program, muscle strength, flexibility, gait time, pain, and bone density (p<0.001)  significantly improved with LE compared to AE. There was no significant difference between the two groups in balance at the 10-month follow-up. Conclusion: Significant improvements in physical function and BMD suggest that LE is a possible alternative for     postmenopausal women with OP. Clinical rehabilitation impact: In the current  available literature there is insufficient data regarding combined regimens,       additionally, conclusions from our research can inspire further studies in order to promote land and water based exercise.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 153473542110408
Author(s):  
Yueh-Hsia Chen ◽  
Cheng-Ya Huang ◽  
Wei-An Liang ◽  
Chi-Rung Lin ◽  
Yuan-Hung Chao

Objectives: Spinal accessory nerve dysfunction is one of the complications of neck dissection in patients with oral cancer. This study aimed to explore the effects of long-term scapular-focused exercises and conscious control of scapular orientation on scapular movement and quality of life (QoL). Methods: This study was a randomized controlled trial with concealed allocation, assessor blinding, and intention-to-treat analysis. Thirty-six patients with oral cancer were randomly allocated to the motor-control group (scapular-focused exercise + conscious control of scapular orientation) or the regular-exercise group (scapular-focused exercises only). Both groups received conventional physical therapy after neck dissection for 3 months. Shoulder pain intensity, active range of motion (AROM) of shoulder abduction, scapular muscle strength and activity under maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC), scapular muscle activity when performing scapular movements, and QoL were measured at baseline, 1 month after the start of the intervention, and the end of the intervention. Results: Both groups showed significant improvement in all outcomes except shoulder pain intensity. After the 3-month intervention, the motor-control group had more significant improvement in AROM of shoulder abduction with a 19° difference (95% CI: 10-29, P < .001), muscle strength of upper trapezius with an 11 N difference (95% CI: 2-20; P = .021), and QoL than the regular-exercise group. When performing shoulder horizontal adduction and flexion, the relative value (%MVIC) of serratus anterior was smaller in the motor-control group with a 106%MVIC difference (95% CI: 7-205, P = .037). Conclusions: Scapular-focused exercises have promising effects on spinal accessory nerve dysfunction. Combining scapular-focused exercises with conscious control of scapular orientation has more remarkable benefits on AROM of shoulder abduction, UT muscle strength, and muscle activation pattern than the scapular-focused exercises alone. Conscious control of scapular orientation should be considered to integrate into scapular-focused exercises in patients with oral cancer and scapular dyskinesis. Trial registry name and URL, and registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov (URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov ; Approval No: NCT03545100)


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-120
Author(s):  
Ayça Aktaç Gürbüz ◽  
Orçun YORULMAZ ◽  
Gülşah DURNA

Scientific research into the reduction of stigmatization, particularly related to specific problems such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), is scarce. In the present study, we examine the impact of a video-based antistigma intervention program for OCD in a pretest-posttest control group research. After being randomly assigned to either an intervention (n= 101) or control group (n= 96), the participants reported their attitudes on a hypothetical case vignette before and after OCD vs. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) videos, and again six months later as a follow up assessment. The mixed design analyses for the group comparisons indicated that although there was no significant difference in the measures of the control group, the participants watching the anti-stigma OCD video, in which the focus was psychoeducation and interaction strategies, reported significantly lower scores on social distances and negative beliefs for the case vignettes they read, and this difference was maintained six months later. Then, the present results indicate the effectiveness of our anti-stigma intervention program for OCD. Interventions to reduce stigmatization can also be viewed as effective tools for changing the attitudes of people toward OCD, although further research and applications are needed related to specific disorders if a longlasting impact is to be achieved.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Farokh Saljughi ◽  
Mitra Savabi-Esfahani ◽  
Shahnaz Kohan ◽  
Soheila Ehsanpour

Mother-infant attachment is an intimate, lasting and satisfying relationship that leads to better cognitive, emotional and social growth of the infant. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of breastfeeding training by role-play on mother-infant attachment behaviours. This research was a randomised clinical trial (parallel design). Inclusion criteria were: no history of mental disorders; ability to read and write the Persian language to complete the questionnaire; no history of drug and tobacco intake in primigravida women. The sample comprised 100 pregnant women (in 2 groups), selected through simple random sampling at healthcare centres. The researcher reviewed prenatal care registries of selected healthcare centres and extracted the names of pregnant women in their early third trimester. The data were imported into randomisation software. The control group received routine breastfeeding training, while the intervention group received routine training together with training through role-play. The data collection tool was the Maternal Behaviour Inventory Questionnaire. Consequently 75 samples were analysed in SPSS16. Independent t-tests and chi-square tests were used to examine the difference between the two groups. Results showed that the mean score of mother-infant attachment one week after delivery was significantly higher in the intervention group in comparison to that in the control group (p<0.001). No significant difference was observed between the two groups in maternal age, age of marriage, neonatal gender, maternal employment and education, number of parity, and number of abortions (P>0.05). Since breastfeeding training through role-play could affect mother-infant attachment, it is suggested that this type of training should be provided for pregnant women to promote mother-infant attachment and exclusive breastfeeding.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azita Kamjoo

Background: Pain control is considered as the key issue in modern midwifery. Along with medical painkillers, reflexology is viewed as a non-medical and noninvasive method. Hence, we aimed to investigate the effect of reflexology on the intensity of pain and length of labor. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial, participants included 240 Iranian primiparous women with term and singleton pregnancy. Having a 3-4 cm cervical dilatation once they visited the hospital. Through a convenient sampling method, they were selected and then randomly divided into two groups. In the intervention group, reflexology was performed, and the intensity of pain during the active phase of labor along with the length of labor in the active phase was measured by visual analog scale (VAS) and compared with the control group. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, and Mann-Whitney U-test. Result: Data analysis showed a statistically significant difference between the intensity of pain in the 5-7 and 8-10 cm dilatation in the two groups (P=0.01). Moreover, the labor length in the active phase was found to be significantly shorter in the intervention group (P<0.001). Conclusion: It appears that reflexology can lead to a reduction in the pain and length of labor. Therefore, through instructing this technique, a goal of midwifery, which is reducing labor pain and its length can be achieved. Keywords: Reflexology, Labor Pain, Labor Length, Primiparous Women


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