Research in Sport Medicine and Technology

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Background: In rehabilitation medicine using targeted and personalized approaches are proposed, so that training protocols adjustments, based on gender, age, level of disability and the rate of progress can have more favorable results. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of personalized comprehensive rehabilitation training on some induces of physical function in women with MS presenting different levels of disability.
Material & Methods:  In this quasi-experimental study, 92 patients admitted to the MS Society of Shahrekord city were selected and on the basis of disability were categorized into 3 groups of mild, moderate and severe. Then each group was randomly divided into experimental and control group. The personalized comprehensive rehabilitation training program was done 12 weeks, 3 times per weeks. Muscles strength, endurance and speed of walking, were assessed. Independent and Covariance test were used for data analysis.
Results: The results showed that 12 weeks training cause improving in muscles strength, speed of walking in women with MS presenting different levels of disability (p<0.05). Endurance of walking improve significantly in mild group (p<0.05), but in moderate and severe group were not significantly (P˃0.05).
Conclusion: The implementation of the comprehensive rehabilitation exercises affected the recovery of patients with MS and made a significant difference in physical functions of patients.
 

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Purpose: Core endurance is one of the factors that measuring the core stability. Researches have shown that the change in the attention during the activities causes changes in the electromyography activity of the muscles as well as changes in the quality of the movement. The purpose of this research is to determine whether changes in the focus of the attention can change the measurement of the core stability. Methods: 22 healthy non-athletes participated in this research ((,which their core stability was measure by McGill test. These people were divided into three groups and performed this test in three consecutive days with a different attention (internal, external, control). Results: The results of the one-way repeated-measures ANOVA showed that there was a significant main effect of type of attention on core stability of nonathletic persons. However, the average core stability of the external attention stage was significantly higher than the average of the pre-test stage (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Focus of attention can cause changes in the measurement of the core stability, in such a way that adopting the external focus of attention during the test recorded more average core stability.





 

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Different postural stability and functional movements may play an important role in secondary injuries in people with flexible flatfeet compared to people with normal feet. However, the difference between static and dynamic stability and functional movements of people with and without flexible flatfeet has not been investigated. This study compared static and dynamic stability and functional movements of subjects with and without flexible flatfeet and examined the relationship between functional movements and static and dynamic stability. 96 subjects (flexible flatfeet group: 25; normal feet group: 71) functional movement screening test (FMS); Sharpened Romberg balance test and Y balance test were performed. The scores of functional movements and static stability in the normal feet group were significantly higher than the flexible flatfeet group (p≤0.05). The total score of the Y test was not significantly different between the two groups (p≥0.05). In the group of normal feet, a significant correlation was observed between functional movement scores and dynamic stability (p≤0.05). These results show that subjects with flexible flatfeet have different movement performance and static stability compared to subjects with normal feet, but they have similar dynamic stability. It may indicate that there is no connection between static and dynamic stability and these two functions are separate from each other.
 

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The purpose of this research was to design and implement a system for the surveillance of sports injuries in students. Sports injuries of male and female high school students in Ilam province were recorded by physical education teachers using online methods and paper forms during one academic semester. At the end, a questionnaire was used to survey them regarding these methods. The research is of a descriptive-comparative type and Chi-square (x²) was used at the significance level (P<0.05) to analyze the results. A total of 151 injuries were reported, of which 76 injuries (50.4 percent) were registered with the online method, 70 injuries (46.3 percent) with the online paper method, and 5 injuries (3.3 percent) with the paper method. Online registration (146 injuries) is significantly more used than paper registration (75 injuries) (p=0.001) physical education teachers give the reasons for using the online method more: availability, easier working with it, and recovery It is easier to record information. On the other hand, they mentioned the interruption and slowness of the internet speed as things that can cause disruption. According to the results, it seems that the use of online methods is more effective in registering sports injuries in schools.

 

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Introduction and aim: One of the serious challenges in sports is injury prediction methods that can help prevent and reduce injuries. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to answer the question, of Do functional movement screen, Y balance, and landing error scoring system tests have the power to predict sports injuries in female student athletes? Methodology: This study was a prospective cohort study. The population of the current research was university female athletes, and the research sample was 124 female student athletes participating in the 15th Iranian Student Sports Olympiad who were evaluated in an available manner. The Y balance test, landing error scoring system, and functional movement screening test were taken from the subjects before the Olympiad, and the injuries of the athletes during the competitions were recorded by the data collection form. In order to statistically analyze the data, the logistic regression test and Pearson correlation coefficient were used. Results: The results of the research showed that a total of 26 injuries were registered during the competition in 124 subjects. None of the predictor variables had the ability to predict the criterion variable (p>0.05). Conclusion: In general conclusion based on the results of this research, it is not possible to predict general injury using functional tests.

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The purpose of this study was determining validity and reliability of the Athlete Fear Avoidance Questionnaire (AFAQ). For this purpose, 120 atheltes with different levels of skills in different fields, were chosen and completed the the AFAQ, the Kinesiophobia Questionnaire, and the Pain Catastrophizing Scale and the Sport Injury Appraisal Scale. AFAQ was confirmed by using translation-back translation method and face validity and translation accuracy. Cronbach's alpha index, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson correlation coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficient were used to check construct validity, internal consistency and temporal reliability. The results showed that the one-factor model of the athletes' fear-avoidance questionnaire had a poor fit, for this reason, after conducting the exploratory factor analysis and identifying three factors in these questionnaires, the confirmatory factor analysis model also fitted the data well with this the three-factor model. So that the CFI index was 0. 96 and the TLI index was 0. 94 as well as the RMSE index of 0. 05 and the chi-square ratio to the degree of freedom(X²/DF) was 1. 39. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was also confirmed. Based on this, the Persian version of the AFAQ has 3 factors and includes 10 questions and three catastrophic constructs (items 1, 5, 8), fear of movement (4, 6, 7) and fear-avoidance beliefs (items 2, 3, 9, 10) was confirmed in the community of Iranian athletes.
 

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Aim and Background: Ankle is one of the most common sports injuries caused by direct collisions with opposing players or the ground, tackles from inside and outside, jumping and landing. Among these injuries, external ankle sprain is one of the most common injuries that is associated with ankle instability. The purpose of this research is to compare balance exercises and hopping on the proprioception of athletes with functional ankle instability.
Materials and methods: 30 athletes with functional instability of the ankle were randomly divided into 2 study groups of the clinical trial. The first group included athletes with functional ankle instability doing hopping exercises (15 people), the second group included athletes with functional ankle instability doing balance exercises (15 people). At first, the proprioception of their ankle joint was evaluated with the help of photography, and then they did exercises for 6 weeks, and at the end, the proprioception of the ankle joint was evaluated again. SPSS version 20 software was used to analyze the data of this research.
Results: The results showed that balance and hopping exercises significantly reduced the absolute error of ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion reconstruction (p<0.05). Also, there is a significant difference between the two groups of balance exercises and hopping (p<0.05).
Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that balance and hopping exercises improved the proprioception of the ankle joint in athletes with functional instability of the ankle, and hopping exercises are more effective than balance exercises.
 

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Introduction and aim: Fatigue of injury-prone athletes and their placement in situations such as performing shear maneuvers increases the risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury. Therefore, this research aims to answer the question, does functional fatigue change the effect of neuromuscular training on kinetic variables during cutting in injury-prone male athletes?
Methodology: The current research is semi-experimental and was carried out in two control and experimental groups as a pre-test and post-test design with and without fatigue before and after neuromuscular exercises. 32 males student-athletes aged 18 to 25 with trunk control defects were purposefully selected and randomly placed in the control group (16 people) and the experimental group (16 people). The force plane was used to measure ground reaction forces. Analysis of variance test was used for statistical analysis at a level smaller than P<0.05.
Results: The results of the present study showed a significant improvement in ground reaction force variables in the post-test of the experimental group compared to the pre-test (P<0.05). While none of these variables had significant changes in the control group (P>0.05).
Conclusion: It seems that doing trunk and hip neuromuscular training in athletes with a trunk control defect leads to a significant improvement in the stability of the trunk control, so in the conditions with and without fatigue, they were able to show a significant improvement in the selected parameters of the ground reaction forces. Therefore, this training method can probably be recommended as a beneficial method for athletes and the mentioned conditions

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 Rectal prolapse is a complication arising from internal sphincter dysfunction causing significant challenges. A primary factor in its development is pelvic floor muscle weakness. Accordingly, the present study aimed to compare the effects of core stabilization functional, EMS, and combined exercises on muscle strength and endurance of the pelvic floor in patients with rectal prolapse. In this semi-experimental study, with a design pre and post-test and a control group, 48 women with rectal prolapse in Isfahan with an average age=45.2 years and a BMI=26.2 kg/m2, were selected and divided into 4 groups(n= 12); Functional training, EMS training, Combined training and Control randomly. Functional training protocol consisted of 9 movements, 3 sessions per week and each session lasted for 30 minutes in the first week and gradually increased to 90 minutes in the 8 week. Also, EMS trainings were carried out for 8 weeks, 3 sessions per week for 40 minutes, using EMS and Biofeedback devices. Furthermore, the combined training protocol was implemented for 8 weeks and 3 sessions per week (in each session, at first EMS training and then functional training) for 40 minutes according to the overload principle. Strength and endurance of pelvic floor muscles were measured before and after the exercise program. In order to analyze the data, multivariate covariance and post hoc Bonferroni tests were used using SPSS 26 software at a significant level (P≥0.05). The results of the study showed a significant increase in the strength and endurance of the pelvic floor muscles in EMS and combined exercise groups (P≥0.05). However, in the functional exercises group, although an increase in the strength of the pelvic floor muscles was observed, this increase was not significant (p≥0.05). Also, the changes caused by the combined group on the variables were significantly more than the groups of functional and EMS exercises alone (P≥0.05). These results show the effect of electrical stimulation along with functional training on increasing the endurance and strength of the pelvic floor muscles, which, as a result, improves rectal prolapse. Therefore, it is suggested that sports therapy centers, doctors, and therapists use these methods, especially combined exercises, to improve rectal prolapse.

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Introduction and Purpose: Non-specific chronic back pain(NSLBP) is one of the main problems of the health community, which has a high prevalence. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of 8 weeks of suspended core stability exercises on the core stability, pain level, static and dynamic balance in the females with NSLBP.
Methods: In the present study, 21 females  with NSLBP were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The Core stability, Pain level, Static and Dynamic balance were measured by valid tests of Core stability, Visual analogue scale (VAS) and Biodex balance system respectively. The SPSS25 software were used for data analysis.
Results: Based on the results of the study, unlike the control group, there was a significant difference in core stability, pain level, the static and dynamic balance variables from pre-test to post-test in the experimental group(P≤0/05). Also this difference was observed between the experimental and control groups(P≤0/05).
Conclusion: According to the results of this research and suspension system of TRX exercises, Core Stability Exercises with TRX straps which is not elasticity, may simultaneously improve core stability, static and dynamic balance and decrease pain in female with NSCLBP.

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Background and Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the effect and sustainability of eight weeks corrective exercises, postural reeducation and their combination on core stability in young females with lumbar hyperlordosis.

Methods: 55 female students with increased lumbar lordosis randomly divided into four groups (corrective exercise, postural reeducation,combination of exercise and postural reeducation and control). The degree of lordosis was measured by a flexible ruler and core muscls endurance by Mcgill tests before and after eight weeks, and then after  eight weeks of follow-up. 

Results: The results of repeated measure of ANOVA test indicated a significant difference between pre-test and post-test in study groups in reducing core stability. The results showed that pretest and posttest of exercise group compared with the postural reeducation and control group had a significant difference in core stability (p <0.05). In terms of sustainability the results showed that the difference between the exercise group and combined group with the control group was significant core stability score (p <0.05).

Conclusion: It seems that the use of corrective exercises, combined and postural reeducation program, are likely to be effective in improving core stability in young females with lumbar hyperlordosis, but the effect of the combined program was more than the other interventions.

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One of the most common abnormalities in the lower extremity, is the flexible flat foot. Pes planus is a condition where medial longitudinal is flatter than normal and the entire sole of the foot comes into near complete or complete contact with ground and causes distortions in the structures of the skeletal parts of the foot. The purpose of this study was the effect of six weeks of local and comprehensive corrective exercises on proprioception, balance and ankle navicular drop in 10-18 years old female with flexible flat foot deformity. This research was quasi-experimental study performed in two phases: pre-test and post-test. Fifty one female with flexible flat foot postures entered the study as subject. They were randomly divided into 2 experimental groups (local and comprehensive) and 1 group control. As one of the inclusion criteria, a navicular drop test was performed for subject to assess the condition of the foot posture. The experimental group performed corrective exercise for 6 weeks (3 sessions per week for 30 minutes) while control group performed the routine exercise. Ankle proprioception, balance and navicular drop was evaluated before and after the interventions. Statistical analysis was performed in SPSS software version 26. A covariance analysis test was use to evaluate the between-group difference, and paired sample test was used to evaluate the within-group changes. This study's finding showed that the corrective exercise group in the post-test had a better performance than pre-test in proprioception, navicular drop and balance (P=0.000) but in the control group, no significant difference was observed between the two stages of the test (P>0.05). it was also observed in the comparison between groups that in the post-test in the variables of the proprioception, navicular drop and balance of the experimental group achieved better results than the control group (P>0.05). This study show that six weeks of local and comprehensive corrective exercises has significantly improved proprioception, navicular drop and balance in 10-18 years old female with flexible flat foot. According to the results obtained in this study, it seems that corrective exercises can be used in this group to improve proprioception, static balance and posture

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Introduction and aim: The purpose of this study was to Comparison of the effect of neuromuscular trainings with and without supervision on core stability and proprioception and pain of housewives' with nonspecific chronic low back pain.
Methodology: In this semi-experimental study 30 housewives from Qazvin city selected and randomly divided into three experimental groups. (neuromuscular trainings without supervision: age: 46±10/4 yr., Height:154/7±8/7 cm., weight:74/8± 6/2 kg), neuromuscular trainings with supervision (age: 40/7±9/1 yr. Height: 161/9±5/9 cm., weight: 65/3±7/5 kg) And control: age: 46/4± 10/3 yr, Height:155/1± 8/8 cm., weight: 69/4± 10 kg)) with nonspecific chronic low back pain (age: 30-60 yr) Were affected. Training sessions held for 8 weeks under researcher supervision (3 session of 90 minutes per week). To assess pain and proprioception of trunk and core stability, Visual analogue scale (VAS), goniometer and McGill and Bearing-Sorensen test were used respectively. ANOVA was used to analyses data and for pairwise comparison, Tukey's test was used.
Results: Results of this study show that pain in two experimental groups (neuromuscular trainings with and without supervision) were significantly reduced compared to the control group (P=0.000), as well as deep sense and central stability in both neuromuscular trainings with and without supervision groups and these groups significantly increased compared to the control group (P=0.000), but there were no significant differences between neuromuscular trainings with and without supervision groups for all variables (p≥0.05).
Discussion and conclusion: According to the results it's recommended that these exercises, because of the minimum cost, when and where to focus on and execute people with non-specific chronic low back pain.

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Introduction: Scapular asymmetry is considered as a significant abnormality in the resting position of the scapula. The present study aims to evaluate the stability, functional quality, and performance of the shoulder girdle among CrossFit athletes with and without scapular asymmetry.
Methods: Totally, 60 male CrossFit athletes aged between 20-30 years old with over one year of experience in CrossFit training were invited to participate in the study. Then, the participants were divided into two groups including the asymmetry (N=16) and normal shoulder status (N=22). In the next step, the statistical analysis was performed using the Shapiro-Wilk and Mann-Whitney U tests (p<0/05). Finally, the Nordic and DASH (disability of arm, shoulder, and hand) questionnaires, as well as the Davies CKCUES (close kinetic chain upper extremity stability) test, LSST (lateral scapular slide test), and YBT (Y Balance test) were administered.
Results: The Shapiro-Wilk test indicated a non-normal distribution of the data (p<0.000). Additionally, no significant difference was observed by the Mann-Whitney U test.
Conclusion: Based on the results, no significant difference was reported in sports performance quality, activity levels, or pain compared to the control group, despite the presence of asymmetry, representing that participation in CrossFit may mitigate the adverse effects related to scapular asymmetry.

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The study aimed to investigate the impact of gait retraining using verbal feedback on pain and peak vertical ground reaction force in runners with patellofemoral pain syndrome, a common treatment and prevention method for the condition that involves modifying movement patterns to ensure knee joint stability. The current research was applied, and a semi-experimental study method with a pre-test-post-test design was used. The statistical sample of this research was made up of 20 runners with patellofemoral pain syndrome who were identified by a physiotherapist using the Clark test and were randomly divided into two control and experimental groups. The experimental group performed eight weeks of running and three sessions per week along with the walking retraining protocol with verbal feedback from the researcher, while the control group did not receive any intervention to their exercise. The variables studied in this research were the pain factor and the peak vertical ground reaction force, which were recorded respectively using a visual analog scale and a Bartek dynamometer with a sampling frequency of 1000 Hz in both pre- and post-test stages. The results of the the mixed analysis of variance test with repeated measurements showed that the interactive effect of time on the group was significant and, the gait retraining protocol by verbal feedback reduced pain (P=0.000) and the peak vertical ground reaction force in the experimental group (P=0.003). The existence of differences in pain variables and peak ground reaction force during running confirms the need to use different strategies in the training of athletes. It is suggested that trainers have a special look at the gait retraining approach by verbal feedback to correct the movement pattern while running, in rehabilitation, and specialized exercises.
 

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 The purpose of this study was to investigate eight weeks of dynamic neuromuscular stabilization exercises on movement performance indicators, walking kinematics and lower limb damage in students with weak lumbopelvic control. Methodology: 30 female students with a mean age of 16.65±0.75 years, height of 161.80±4.11 cm, weight of 62.70±5.64 kg who had weak lumbopelvic control were purposively selected and randomly divided into two experimental groups n=15 and control groups n=15. The experimental group performed the neuromuscular for eight weeks, three sessions per week for 60 minutes, while the control group did not receive the intervention to assess lumbopelvic control a biofeedback device was used for jumping, static balance was used for stork test,  dynamic balance was used for Y test, landing error was used for landing Error Scoring System Test, and lower limb motor function was used for tests (single-leg jump test, triple jump test, 6 - meter jump test in time, and cross jump test results: The present study showed that the effect of DNS exercises on motor performance indices 0.012, gait kinematics 0.001, and lower limb injury 0.012 was significant P<0.05.
 

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Purpose: Upper cross syndrome leads to widespread changes such as head forward, increased cervical lordosis, back kyphosis, round shoulder. Correcting musculoskeletal abnormalities and providing appropriate activities and movements to eliminate such disabilities and inefficiencies is of particular importance. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of massage therapy on upper cruciate syndrome in male students. methods: In this research, 30 students with upper cruciate syndrome were divided into 2 groups (massage group (15 people) - control group (15 people)). The amount of head forward was evaluated with a camera and back kyphosis was evaluated with a flexible ruler method, and then for 8 weeks of Yomi Ho therapy massage, SPSS version 24 software was used to analyze the data of this research. results: The results of multivariate and univariate covariance analysis showed that there is a significant difference between the two massage therapy groups and the control group in head forward and kyphosis variables (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that Yu Mi Ho therapy massage is an effective method in improving upper cruciate syndrome and especially on forward head and kyphosis abnormalities.
 

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Background and Aims: The current study aims to investigate the immediate effect of a researcher-made wedge treadmill on the activity of the selected lower limb muscles of flat feet individuals, so by activating the muscles, it can be used to help in the area of corrective exercise and correction of flat feet, rehabilitation and injury prevention.
Methods: The current study was a semi-experimental intervention based on the creation and introduction of a new tool and its effect evaluation. 16 subjects over 18 years old with flat feet deformity were included in this study. The subjects performed the protocol of walking at a normal speed on the researcher-made wedge treadmill at each of the lateral angles of 0, 5 and 15 degrees for 90 seconds. The electromyographic activity of five selected muscles was recorded at those angles. Statistical analysis was performed on Matlab and SPSS software. Friedman's test was used to evaluate the significant differences between angles and Bonferroni's post hoc test was used to compare two-by-two means.
Results: According to the results, the average activity of selected muscles (peroneus longus, tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius, soleus and hallucis longus) during walking between angles of 5 and 15 degrees on a wedge treadmill had a statistically significant difference compared to 0 degrees (P≤0.05).
Conclusion: This study showed that the amount of muscle activity of the lower limbs of subjects with flat feet during walking at 5 and 15-degree lateral angles has a significant difference compared to the same people walking at a zero-degree angle. Our results suggest that using the researcher-made wedge treadmill can significantly increase lower limb muscle activity in people with flat feet.

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Introduction and purpose: The landing error scoring system is a valid and reliable tool for functional assessment of jump-landing movement. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of sports training on the landing error scoring system in athletes.
Methodology: Searching between 2014 and 2024 from IranDoc, Magiran, PubMed, Google Scholar, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, PEDro and (ISI) Institute for Scientific Information databases using the combination of jump-landing keywords. Landing mechanics, landing kinetics and kinematics, injury prevention, training, rehabilitation and landing error scoring system were done. A total of 88 articles related to this field were found, after reviewing and screening through the inclusion criteria, 8 articles were reviewed in full text.
Results: Various exercises, including neuromuscular, suspension, knee injury prevention, fatigue and kinesiotype, have been used to be effective on the landing error scoring system test. As a result of corrective exercises and fatigue, the experimental groups showed an improvement and a decrease in the jump-landing movement performance in the landing error scoring system, respectively.
Discussion and conclusion: It seems that in order to prevent jump-landing movement errors and possible injuries caused by it, exercises should be done that, in addition to increasing concentration and coordination in movement, make athletes resistant to factors such as danger.