Physical Treatments Journal
Volume:13 Issue: 3, Summer 2023

The purpose of current review was investigating the effect of core stability exercises (CSE) on volleyball players. 

Current research was a PRISMA systematic review. It reviewed comprehensively the Impact of CSE on volleyball players. It carried out searching in Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, PEDro, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Scopus databases and in Persian Google Scholar, Megapaper databases, IRANDOC, Magiran, SID, Medilib, IranMedex. The keywords in two groups including: Group 1: “Core stability exercise” OR “core stability training” OR “core stability endurance” OR “trunk stability” OR “central stability exercises” OR “core intervention” OR “core stability control” OR “core strengthening exercise” OR “trunk resistance exercise” and group 2: “Volleyball” OR “volleyball player“ OR “volleyball athletes” from 2000 to February of 2023. Current research used both English and Persian languages.

We got 146 articles. After removing duplicate titles, we selected 127 abstracts for review. Finally, 18 articles were included in the present review.

The outcomes of current review show that CSE have the ability to improve movement capabilities, performance, and sports skills as well as prevent injuries from volleyball players. Of course, to interpret the outcomes of the current research caution needs to be taken, considering the restrictions such as the difference in the sample size under study, measurement methods, and components of different core stability protocols.

Military boots mileage is a main factor that can affect the risk of running injuries. The present study aims to evaluate the effect of three types of military boots mileage on knee muscular co-contraction during running.

Fifteen healthy males received three pairs of new military boots. Participants wore these boots for more than 6 months. Electromyography activity of lower limb muscles during running at constant speed was recorded during pre- and post-intervention. Then, knee muscular co-contraction was calculated.

Results showed a significant increase during loading response (P=0.030, n2p=0.157) and push-off (P=0.008, n2p=0.302) phases for general knee co-contraction at post-test compared to the pre-test. Also, directed mediolateral knee co-contraction showed a significant increment during mid-stance (P=0.028, n2p=0.040) and push-off (P=0.039, n2p=0.115) phases at post-test compared to the pre-test. 

It can be concluded that knee joint instability while using polyurethane thermoplastic is more than polyurethane boots. Also, our results demonstrated that maintaining knee stability in the anterior-posterior direction while using polyurethane thermoplastic is better than in polyurethane boots.

Altered movement patterns and spine instability are crucial factors in the etiology of chronic non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP). The faulty recruitment pattern of core muscles causes poor support and increased loading on the lumbar spine, ultimately leading to postural instability. This study aims to examine the effect of core stability exercises (CSE) combined with abdominal hollowing (AH) on postural balance in patients with CNSLBP.

The present study is a double-blind clinical trial. Thirty women with CNSLBP were recruited for the clinical trial. Patients were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (15 patients in each group). The experimental group followed CSE with AH for 8 weeks. The control group received no intervention. Primary outcomes included pain (10 cm visual analogue scale), disability (Oswestry questionnaire), and proprioception (goniometer). Secondary outcomes included static and dynamic balance (biodex balance system). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to compare the results and confidence intervals between groups.

The experimental group compared to the control group with a high effect size had a significant difference in reducing pain (P=0.021, ηp2=0.183), disability (P=0.007, ηp2=0.237), and postural reconstruction error (P=0.000, ηp2=0.566). Also, the experimental group compared to the control group with a high effect size had a significant difference in the improvement of static (P=0.008, ηp2=0.367) and dynamic balance (P=0.008, ηp2=0.757).

The CSE combination with AH affects three active, passive, and nervous systems. It seems that the CSE combination with AH can modify the faulty movement control in local muscles, proprioception restoration, and subsequently lead to postural stability.

One of the most significant risk factors for throwing athletes is an internal rotation deficit of the shoulder joint. This study aims to investigate 8-week online scapular-focused training on the scapular kinematics, proprioception, and strength of particular shoulder muscles in female volleyball players with glenohumeral internal rotation deficit.

The present study was conducted using a two-group with pre and post-test design. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 30 female athletes with abnormalities in the shoulder joint’s internal rotation were split into two groups, experimental (n=15) and control (n=15). In the pre-test, goniometers were used to measure shoulder range of motion, isokinetic devices were used to measure proprioception and rotator cuff muscle strength, and inclinometers were used to measure scapular kinematics. The experimental group’s participants underwent 8-week online scapular-focused training, lasting 30 minutes over three sessions each week. These exercises encompassed strength (with TheraBand) and stretching activities. Ultimately, intra-group and inter-group differences were examined using SPSS software, version 20 using paired t-tests and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) at a significance level of 0.95.

The results of paired t-test revealed that only the experimental group and the pre-test and post-test had a significant difference in all study variables (P<0.05). Additionally, the results of the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) demonstrated a significant difference between the two groups’ shoulder proprioception at 45° and 90° in the post-test (P=0.001 and P=0.01, respectively). The two groups also differed significantly in the scapular kinematics at all angles of 45°, 90°, and 135° as well as at the limit of the shoulder’s range of motion (P=0.01, P=0.04, P=0.001, and P=0.001, respectively). Additionally,  significant differences were observed between the two groups in all variables of isokinetic strength of concentric internal rotation, isokinetic strength of concentric external rotation, isokinetic strength of eccentric internal rotation, and isokinetic strength of eccentric external rotation (P=0.001, P=0.02, and P=0.001, respectively). 

Based on the results, it can be concluded that 8-week online scapular-focused training improves scapular kinematics, proprioception, and shoulder internal and external rotator muscle strength in female volleyball players experiencing internal rotation deficiencies of the shoulder joint. It is advised that coaches, experts, and occupational therapists employ these workouts to enhance the aforementioned factors in female volleyball players experiencing shoulder internal rotation deficiencies.

Coronary angiography can cause post-procedural pain, and limited flexibility in the hips and knees may contribute to this discomfort. This study was designed to assess the flexibility of the hip and knee and its relationship with pain after femoral angiography.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 42 participants (27 men and 15 women, aged 30-85 years) after non-emergency angiography at Dr. Shariati Hospital. Demographic data, employment status, and angiography history were collected through an individual data questionnaire. Muscle flexibility was assessed using a goniometer and tape measure, and visual analog scale (VAS) was applied to evaluate the score of pain. A Spearman correlation coefficient and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to examine the relationship between variables and pain.

The analysis revealed no significant difference in mean pain scores between men and women (P=0.662), employment status (P=0.265), or history of angiography (P=0.262). We observed positive correlations between pain and the modified Thomas test for hip extension, active knee extension test, and forward bending test (rho=0.745, rho=0.594, and rho=0.433; P=0.00, P=0.00, and P=0.04, respectively). Conversely, the modified Thomas test for knee flexion showed a negative correlation with pain (rho=-0.591, P=0.00). No significant differences were found between the sit-and-reach test and pain (rho=0.337, P=0.29). Age demonstrated a positive correlation with pain (rho=0.312, P=0.04). However, weight did not show a significant correlation with pain (rho=-0.074, P=0.64).

A relationship was observed between some flexibility tests and pain. Reduced hip and knee flexibility correlated with higher pain levels after femoral angiography. While age showed a positive relationship with pain, weight did not show any relationship with pain. These results emphasize the importance of considering flexibility in managing pain after femoral angiography.

This study aims to investigate the impact of neuromuscular exercises (NE) and local-indigenous games (LIG) on the static and dynamic balance of obese children.

Thirty obese children were randomly assigned to NE (n=15, mean age 10.47±2.1 years, body mass index (BMI) 29.15±3.01 kg/m2) or LIG (n=15, mean age 10.67±1.52 years, body mass index (BMI) 29.45±3.41 kg/m2) groups. Both groups underwent 12 training sessions, during which dynamic and static balance were measured with the Biodex device before and after training. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and independent t-test were used to compare balance indices between the two groups.

No significant differences were observed in static anterior-posterior balance between NE (0.82±0.10) and LIG (0.68±0.09). Similarly, no significant differences were found in static lateral-medial balance (NE: 0.82±0.10; LIG: 0.68±0.09) (P>0.05). Moreover, the dynamic anterior-posterior balance did not differ significantly between NE (0.79±0.08) and LIG (0.97±0.26) as well as the dynamic lateral-medial balance did not differ significantly (NE: 0.74±0.10; LIG: 0.93±0.15) (P>0.05).

This study suggests that both NE and LIG are effective in improving balance indices in obese children. However, no significant differences were observed between the two interventions.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of specialized Kyokushin karate exercises on the activity of leg muscles and the height of the medial longitudinal arch in adolescent girls with foot pronation.

This study recruited twenty-four adolescent girls with foot pronation who voluntarily agreed to participate and were randomly assigned to either a training group (n=12) or control group (n=12). The training program consisted of eight weeks of specialized Kyokushin karate exercises. The fibularis longus, tibialis anterior, and lateral gastrocnemius muscles activity was measured during single-leg landing using surface electromyography. The medial longitudinal arch height was measured using the navicular drop test. All statistical analyses, including independent and paired t-tests, were conducted using SPSS software, version 26 at a significance level of 0.05. 

The results showed that following eight weeks of specialized Kyokushin karate exercises, there was a significant increase in the activity levels of the tibialis anterior (P=0.005) and lateral gastrocnemius (P=0.04) muscles in the training group compared to the control group. However, there was no significant change in the activity of the fibularis longus muscle in the training group compared to the control group (P>0.05). Within the training group, there was a significant increase in the activity of all three measured muscles (fibularis longus, P=0.009; tibialis anterior, P=0.008; and lateral gastrocnemius, P=0.008) from post-test to pre-test (P<0.05). Additionally, the study found that the amount of navicular drop in the training group was significantly reduced compared to the control group (P=0.04) after eight weeks of training

This study demonstrated that eight weeks of specialized Kyokushin karate exercises resulted in a significant increase in the activity levels of the tibialis anterior and lateral gastrocnemius muscles in adolescent girls with foot pronation. These exercises also improved the height of the medial longitudinal arch, indicating a potential solution for correcting flat feet. Therefore, we recommend Kyokushin karate exercises to improve muscle activity and arch height in adolescent girls with foot pronation.