Physical Treatments Journal
Volume:10 Issue: 2, Spring 2020

At the end of 2019, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) of coronavirus 2SARS-CoV-2) emerged in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, and infected over 16 million people around the world. Individuals with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have an influenza-like illness and respiratory tract infections. We can categorize patients in three main groups: asymptomatic infected cases, patients with mild upper respiratory tract illness, and patients with severe viral pneumonia with respiratory failure. According to reports, almost 80% of cases are asymptomatic or show mild symptoms, 15% have severe symptoms, and the other 5% are critical cases requiring ventilation and life support.

Several studies have been done on the effects of fasting on human health indicating the beneficial effects of fasting on weight control, lipid metabolism, and lowering blood pressure in healthy people. The present study aimed at investigating the effects of Ramadan fasting on apolipoproteins A and B (Apo A and Apo B) and the atherogenic index of the fasting and non-fasting students.

This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 29 men aged 20-25 years. The samples were divided into the fasting (n=15) and non-fasting (n=14) groups. Serum levels of apolipoproteins A and B, biochemical-hematological factors, and atherogenic index were measured three days before the fasting month and after Ramadan. The inter-group and intra-group comparison was performed using student’s t-test, and one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to assess the differences between the groups. 

In the fasting group, a significant reduction was observed in Apo B, triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein to high-density, and triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio. However, the Apo A (P=0.001) and high-density lipoprotein (P=0.004) significantly increased after the intervention. The Atherogenic index, white blood cells, red blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelet count significantly decreased in the fasting group (P≤0.05).

According to the results, fasting during Ramadan could improve the biochemical and hematological factors. Therefore, it is recommended to use some biochemical and hematological indices to compare the effects of fasting to improve in of students these parameters.

Considering the influence of horizontal velocity on many biomechanical characteristics of walking, the purpose of this study was to investigate how inter-lower-limbs local and global asymmetry is influenced by changes in walking speed from slow to fast. 

Ground reaction force data and trajectory of attached markers of bilateral lower limbs of 15 right leg-dominant able-bodied males were collected at each of three walking velocity conditions (slow, normal, and fast). Walking step frequencies were controlled with a metronome. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was performed on net sagittal joint moments of the stance phase to identify the actions of each joint and the lower limbs separately. Lower limb behavior was assumed symmetrical if the PCA curves extracted from each joint (local gait asymmetry) or each of the lower limbs (global gait asymmetry) described the same portion of the stance phase.

Based on findings, the PCA method highlighted different functional tasks for ankle, knee, and hip joints suggesting local gait asymmetry at slow, normal, and fast walking. Also, at slow walking speed, total lower limbs showed global gait asymmetry, however, for normal and fast walking speeds, results showed global gait symmetry.

Considering the possibility of the effect of movement velocity on walking behavior, it is recommended that this factor should be controlled during walking investigations in clinical and research settings.

This case-control study aimed at comparing the kyphosis angle, position of the shoulder, the strength of rotator cuff muscles, and the range of shoulder motions in volleyball players with and without impingement syndrome.

The participants were 22 male professional volleyball players with at least 5 years of training experience. Eleven volleyball players with impingement syndrome and eleven without impingement syndrome were selected from accessible gyms by simple non-probabilistic sampling. The research tools were a flexible ruler, a measuring tape, a goniometer, a pull-up bar, a dynamometer, and tests to measure the distance between spinal midline and the shoulder, kyphosis angle, flexibility, range of motion, and isometric strength of the shoulder girdle muscles in abduction, adduction, flexion, extension, horizontal adduction, and horizontal abduction. Data were analyzed using SPSS V. 19 software and the Shapiro-Wilk test and independent t-test.

There was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of kyphosis angle, the distance between spinal midline and the shoulder, range of motion of the glenohumeral joint in abduction, and isometric strength of the shoulder girdle muscles in abduction, flexion, and extension (P<0.01). However, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of flexibility of the shoulder when lying on the abdomen with arms stretched out in front, endurance in the strength of the shoulder girdle muscles, and isometric strength of the shoulder girdle muscles in adduction, horizontal adduction, and horizontal abduction (P>0.01).

The results of this study showed that angle of kyphosis, scapula distance to spine, range of motion of the shoulder, factor profile of a range of motion, and isometric muscle strength of shoulder girdle altered in people with shoulder impingement syndrome, and dysfunctions in these factors may result in shoulder impingement syndrome and athlete performance inefficiency.

The anterior cruciate ligament is one of the most vulnerable knee ligaments. The biomechanical and neuromuscular differences of the trunk during sports activities are the main cause of non-collision injury. Therefore, the aim of the present research was to investigate the effect of six weeks selected core stability exercises on the jumping-landing pattern and trunk endurance in adolescent volleyball players with trunk defects.

The present semi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test design was conducted on 65 adolescent volleyball players from Shiraz, of whom 22 athletes with trunk defects were selected during the initial screening. Available sampling was done and the subjects were randomly divided into the experimental (n=11, average age: 16.36±0.41 years, height: 1.74±0.02 m, and weight: 61.54± 3.12 kg) and control (n=11, average age: 16.18±0.50 years, height: 1.70± 0.02 m, and weight: 61.27 ±2.36 kg). The tuck jump test was used to assess the subjects' trunk defect. Core stability exercises were performed for six weeks, three days a week. To evaluate the jumping-landing pattern and trunk muscular endurance, the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) and McGill protocol were used, respectively, and to analyze the results, the Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and independent t-test at a significant level of P<0.05 were used .

A significant difference was observed in the jumping-landing pattern (P=0.001) and trunk muscular endurance (P=0.001) between the two control and experimental groups.

The results of the present research showed that six weeks selected core stability exercises improved the jumping-landing pattern of adolescent volleyball players with trunk defects and also improved their trunk muscular endurance. Therefore, sports coaches are recommended to use the trunk defect screening test, as well as the core stability exercises protocols to prevent sports injuries in adolescent volleyball players.

Changes in the position of the scapula due to its multiple roles, including acting as a muscle binding site and stabilization in this area can reduce the physiological and biomechanical efficiency of the shoulder, which ultimately increases shoulder injury. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the functional stability of shoulder girdle between asymmetric and symmetric scapula.

This was conducted on 156 male students in Tehran who were selected by purposeful cluster and enrolled in the research after obtaining informed consent. Kibler test was used to examine the symmetry of the scapula; 78 subjects had symmetrical and 78 asymmetrical scapula. We used Davis and Y tests to evaluate the stability of the shoulder girdle. To study the difference between groups, an independent t-test was used at a significant level of P≤0.05 using SPSS software.

The mean scores of the two groups in the Davis test were significant (P=0.0001) and also there was a significant difference between the symmetric and asymmetrical scapular groups in the normalized scores of each direction and the combined score of each hand (P=0.0001).

Asymmetry of the scapular bones due to disruption of the position of the scapula, and consequently a decrease in functional stability and quality of the optimal function can be considered to predict shoulder injuries.

Baseball is a team sport that has a total of nine main players and includes explosive, endurance, and strength movements that can cause multiple injuries over a season due to repetitive movements, long training, and competition. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the epidemiology of shoulder and elbow injuries in Iranian Premier League baseball players.

79 players participate in the Iranian Baseball Premier League, of whom 23 players had shoulder and elbow injuries with a mean age of 26.13±5.89 years and an average experience of 7.93±5.99 years playing baseball during three years. They were assessed during the three seasons of 2019 using a modified injury report form. 

The results showed the highest number of injuries among the various posts; the pitcher (43.5%) and the players with 1-5 years of experience (47.8%) showed more injuries than more experienced players (more than 5 years). Injuries in training were more than competitions (60.86%). The shoulder injury was more during the training (78.6%) and competition (55.6%) than the elbow area. Strain, rupture, and muscle contusion were the most common types of injury among players with a prevalence of 52.2%. The most common types of injuries were non-contact (78.3%) and overuse (69.9%). Fatigue was one of the most important causes of injury during training (42.9%) and competitions (55.6%).

According to the results, coaches can develop strategies to prevent and reduce injuries in this sport.