position sense

After anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture, copers have better neuromuscular control and kinesiophobia than non-copers. Using a knee brace can improve mechanical stability and proprioception after an injury. This study aims to determine the effect of using a hybrid knee brace in acute ACL rupture on coping ability, kinesiophobia, and proprioception.

In this randomized clinical trial study, 30 people with acute ACL rupture were allocated into the experimental (Mean±SD age: 29.6±7.7 years, Mean±SD time since injury: 37.7±20.7 days) and control groups (Mean±SD age: 27.8±7.0 years, Mean±SD time since injury: 48.0±21.3 days). The sampling method was nonprobability, convenient sampling, and was randomly assigned to the control and intervention groups using permutation blocks (four blocks of four). The experimental group used the hybrid knee brace for 4 weeks during daily activities, 4 hours a day, along with routine physiotherapy. The physiotherapy program included increasing the knee’s range of motion, reducing edema, and strengthening exercises for the quadriceps and hamstring muscles, which were performed by an experienced therapist for both groups in 10 sessions. After one month, the coping ability was measured by screening examination; kinesiophobia was measured by the Tampa scale (TSK-11), and proprioception was assessed by joint position sense measurement by a dynamometer. Mixed within-between analysis of variance was used to evaluate the variables. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software, version 22 with a significant level of 0.05.

Based on the screening examination, 7 people in the experimental group (53.8%) and 3 in the control group (23.1%) were copers after the intervention. However, the difference between the two groups was not significant. Regarding joint position sense, the experimental group had less deviation from the target angle (3.22±1.55 degrees) than the control group (6.32±1.70 degrees) (P<0.001). The score of the Tampa questionnaire improved in both groups (P<0.001) without any significant difference between them.

Using a hybrid knee brace after an acute ACL injury can increase proprioception and coping ability in the patients and may reduce the need for ligament reconstruction surgery.

Background and Aims:

 Shoulder impingement syndrome (SIS) can affect the proprioception and disturb the normal neuromuscular reactions that the protect the shoulder joint. There are various therapeutic strategies including stretching exercises to prevent the negative effects of SIS. This study aims to investigate the effects of static, slow and fast dynamic stretching on shoulder joint proprioception in male volleyball players with SIS.

Methods:

 Participants were 18 professional male volleyball players (Age: 26.52±1.5 years, weight: 89.72±7.02 kg, height: 196.78±6.32 cm) in Kerman, Iran suffering from SIS who were selected using purposeful and convenience sampling methods. All subjects were randomly performed one type of stretching exercises for three consecutive days at the same hour and their proprioception were measured by the Leighton flexometer and target angle reconstruction with external and internal shoulder rotations before and after stretching. The data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA.

Results:

 The static stretching signifcantly reduced the shoulder joint proprioception (P=0.001), while the dynamic stretching at different speeds had a significant positive effect on shoulder joint proprioception (P=0.001). There was no significant difference between the two types of slow and fast dynamic stretching (P=0.8).

Conclusion :

It seems that dynamic stretching at different speeds has a better effect on shoulder joint proprioception than static stretching in male volleyball players with SIS.

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created widespread and long-lasting impacts on human health. Infection induces harm and damage to various systems, including the respiratory, digestive, kidney, and central nervous systems. Hence, considering its effects on the central nervous system (CNS) and nervous disorders and the fact that the CNS can impact balance and “position sense”, the objective of this study was to compare static balance, dynamic balance, and knee joint position sense among women (with COVID-19 and healthy subjects).

In this study, 15 women infected with COVID-19 (age: 47.73±3.44 years, height: 162.53±4.17 cm, mass: 70.33±4.67 kg, and body mass index (BMI): 26.63±1.62 kg/m2) and 15 healthy women (age:47.53±3.27 years, height: 161.13±4.56 cm, and mass: 67.66±4.25 kg, and BMI: 26.11±2.10 kg/m2) were analyzed. Sharpendromberg and time up and go tests were utilized to respectively evaluate static and dynamic balance as well as knee joint position sense. The data were recorded by angular reconstruction and via a digital camera. Balance and sense of status tests were performed for both groups, and ultimately, the results were evaluated utilizing an independent t-test.

The findings revealed a significant difference between static and dynamic balance among the two groups of women (with COVID-19 & healthy) (P<0.05). Moreover, there was a significant difference between knee joint position sense (P<0.05), where the COVID group had 2.64 degrees more reconstruction error than the healthy group.

The static, dynamic balance, and knee joint position sense of the COVID group decreased, which can lead to an increase in the contingency of dropping/falling among these individuals.