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We are glad to introduce the sixth Journal Club. This edition is focused on several relevant studies published in recent years in the field of Motor Control and Learning, chosen by our Editorial Board members and their colleagues. We hope to stimulate your curiosity in this field and to share with you the passion for sport seen also from the scientific point of view. The Editorial Board members wish you an inspiring lecture.
Introduction: Musicians often perform in forced postures over a long period of time, which in the worst case may lead to playing-related musculoskeletal disorders. In this context, the ergonomics of the musician's chair (construction and surface quality) can be an influencing factor, with impact on the seating position of the upper body and the pressure distribution of the bottom. Therefore, the relationship between different musician chairs and musicians of different playing levels (professional, amateur or student) was analyzed in order to gain useful insights whether playing experience, playing level, playing style (symmetrical or asymmetrical) or gender have an impact.
Method: The total dataset of 47 musicians (3 playing levels: professional, amateur, student) were analysed on six musician chairs with different ergonomic layout. Sitting on each chair without instrument (condition 1) and with instrument (condition 2), the upper body posture (videorasterstereography) and the seat pressure (load distribution) were recorded.as Also, a subjective assessment concerning constitutional data, sitting behaviour, prevailing pain in the musculoskeletal system, sport activity and chair comfort rating, was completed using a questionnaire.
Results: There were significant differences shown in 6 of 17 variables, where all between and within factors were accounted for with a MANOVA. Two measurements of the upper body posture (scapular distance and scapular height) differentiated between playing level. Four of the pressure measurements (pressure under the sit bone and the thigh for the left and the right side) differentiated between chairs and the two conditions (with and without instrument). Chairs with soft cushioning had a mean pressure reduction of about 30%. The pressure was increased by about 10% while playing an instrument. Subjective rating was correlated to age for some of the chairs.
Discussion: Differences between chairs are mainly associated with the pressure distribution under the sitting surface. Playing with an instrument puts an additional force onto the surface of the chair that is more than the weight of the instrument. No relationship between pressure data and upper body posture data could be found. Therefore, it can be speculated that the intersubject variability is larger than systematic differences introduced by the chair or instrument.
Background: Up to 80% of breast cancer patients suffer from Cancer Related Cognitive Impairments (CRCI). Exercise is suggested as a potential supportive care option to reduce cognitive decline in cancer patients. This study will investigate the effects of a high-intensity interval endurance training (HIIT) on CRCI in breast cancer patients. Potentially underlying immunological and neurobiological mechanisms, as well as effects on patients’ self-perceived cognitive functioning and common cancer related side-effects, will be explored.
Methods: A single-blinded randomized controlled trial will be carried out. The impact of HIIT on CRCI will be compared to that of a placebo-intervention (supervised myofascial release training). Both interventions will be conducted simultaneously with the patients’ first-line chemotherapy treatment typically lasting 12–18 weeks. Fifty-nine women with breast cancer will be included in each of the two groups. The study is powered to detect (α = .05, β = .2) a medium effect size difference between the two groups (d = .5) in terms of patients’ change in cognitive testing performances, from baseline until the end of the exercise-intervention. The cognitive test battery, recommended by the International Cancer and Cognition Task Force to assess CRCI, will be used as primary measure. This includes the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (learning/verbal memory), the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (verbal fluency) and the Trail-Making-Test A/B (attention/set-switching). The following endpoints will be assessed as secondary measures: Go-/No-Go test performance (response inhibition), self-perceived cognitive functioning, serum levels of pro- and antiinflammatory markers (tumor necrosis factor alpha, Interleukin-6, Interleukin-1 alpha, Interleukin-1 beta, C-reactive protein, Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist and Interleukin-10), serum levels of neurotrophic and growth factors (brain-derived neurotrophic factor, insulin-like growth factor 1 and vascular endothelial growth factor), as well as common cancer-related side effects (decrease in physical capacity, fatigue, anxiety and depression, sleep disturbances, quality of life and chemotherapy compliance).
Discussion: This study will provide data on the question whether HIIT is an effective supportive therapy that alleviates CRCI in breast cancer patients. Moreover, the present study will help shed light on the underlying mechanisms of potential CRCI improving effects of exercise in breast cancer patients.
Trial registration: DRKS.de, German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS), ID: DRKS00011390, Registered on 17 January 2018.
Background: Effects of playing high stringed bow instruments on the upper body posture have not been analysed so far. The instrument-specific seating position when playing in an orchestra is compared to the habitual seating position.
Methods: Three dimensional back scans were performed in 13 professional violinists and viola players of a radio orchestra (8 f / 5 m). Trunk position in their habitual seating position and in the instrument- specific seating position imitating playing was compared. Statistical differences were calculated using Wilcoxon Matched Pairs Test with Bonferroni Holm correction.
Results: Significant differences were found between the seated position with instrument and without (p < 0.001, 0.03, 0.02 or 0.01) in the spine (trunk length, sagittal trunk decline, lumbar bending angle, maximal rotation, standard deviation rotation, lumbar lordosis), the shoulder (scapula distance, scapula rotation, scapula angle right) and pelvis distance.
Conclusions: Playing an instrument changes the static seating position by increased rotation of the spine and specific shoulder adaptations holding the instrument (left arm) and the bow (right arm), with minor effects on the pelvis. This forced position may result in chronic health effects. The method used in this study is an approach to better understand the involved muscular structures and possible resulting health damages.
Einleitung und Hintergrund: Self-Myofascial-Release (SMR), eine in den letzten Jahren populär gewordene Trainingsform, beschreibt das Training mit sog. Hartschaumrollen oder anderer Hilfsmittel zur Selbstmassage. Mit dem Ziel der Nachahmung einer manuellen Behandlung übt der Trainierende mit dem eigenen Körpergewicht oder etwa einem Massagestick Druck auf das zu behandelnde Gewebe aus und bewegt sich rollend über das Sportgerät. Aktuelle Forschungsergebnisse deuten auf einen positiven Effekt von SMR auf Parameter der Beweglichkeit sowie der Regeneration hin, die zu Grunde liegenden Mechanismen sind bisher allerdings noch unklar. Bezüglich der Beweglichkeitsverbesserung könnten neurophysiologische Veränderungen im Bereich der Dehnwahrnehmung und Dehntoleranz eine Rolle spielen. Auf mechanischer Ebene könnte es analog zum statischen Stretching zu einer akuten Veränderung der viskoelastischen Gewebeeigenschaften kommen. Ebenso werden Effekte von SMR auf Gleiteigenschaften einzelner Faszienschichten postuliert. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war daher die Evaluation der Akuteffekte von SMR auf die Beweglichkeit, die passive Gewebespannung und -steifigkeit sowie die Gleitbewegungen einzelner Faszienschichten am vorderen Oberschenkel.
Methodik: Nach Fallzahlplanung durchliefen in einem Cross-Over Studiendesign insgesamt 16 Probanden (w=6, m=10, 32±3 Jahre, 177,6±2,4cm, 78,2±5,2kg) alle der drei folgenden Interventionen in ausbalancierter, randomisierter Reihenfolge: a) 2x60 Sekunden SMR am vorderen Oberschenkel, b) 2x60s passives, statisches Stretching des vorderen Oberschenkels und c) eine passive Kontrollbedingung. Mindestens drei Tage vor Beginn des ersten Messtermins erhielten alle Probanden eine standardisierte Gewöhnungseinheit, in der alle Messungen sowie die SMR Intervention durchgeführt wurden. Die passive Gewebespannung und -steifigkeit bei 13, 9, 5 und 1 Grad vor dem individuellen Bewegungsende sowie die Position der ersten Dehnwahrnehmung wurden mittels isokinetischem Dynamometer (Biodex System 3 Professional), die aktive und passive Kniegelenksbeweglichkeit mittels ultraschallbasiertem 3D-Bewegunsanalysesystem (Zebris CMS20) vor sowie direkt nach der jeweiligen Intervention erhoben. Ebenso wurden Gleitbewegung einzelner Faszienschichten vor und nach der jeweiligen Intervention anhand von Ultraschallvideos (Siemens Acuson X300) und anschließender Cross-Correlation-Analyse berechnet. Die statistische Überprüfung auf Inter- und Intragruppeunterschiede erfolge nach Überprüfung der Anwendungsvoraussetzungen mittels Friedmann-Test und anschließendem post-hoc Wilcoxon-Test oder ANCOVA (Baselinewerte als Covariate) und post-hoc Vergleichen mit geschätzten Randmitteln und zugehörigen 95%-Konfidenzintervallen.
Ergebnisse: Die aktive und passive Gelenkbeweglichkeit verbesserte sich nach SMR im Mittel um 1,8° bzw. 3,4° signifikant. Nach statischen Dehnen war lediglich die Verbesserung der passiven Kniegelenksbeweglichkeit von im Mittel 3,2° signifikant, nach der passiven Kontrolle blieben aktive und passive Beweglichkeit unverändert. Der Winkel der ersten Dehnwahrnehmung vergrößerte sich SMR (+4,3° (1,4°-7,2°)) und Stretching (+6,7° (3,7°-9,6°)), blieb nach Kontrollbedingung jedoch unverändert (+0,3° (-2,5°-3,1°)). Passiver Gewebewiderstand und -steifigkeit veränderten sich nach keiner der Interventionen in keinem getesteten Winkel signifikant. Veränderungen in der Gleitbewegung einzelner Faszienschichten ergaben sich lediglich nach SMR. Die Gleitbewegung der tiefen Schicht gegenüber des Muskels sowie die Gleitbewegung zwischen oberflächlicher und tiefer Schicht verringerten sich nach SMR signifikant zur Baseline (-5,7mm (-11,3mm – -0,1mm) bzw. (-4.9mm (-9.1mm – -0.7mm)).
Diskussion: Die vorliegenden Ergebnisse bestätigen den positiven Einfluss von SMR auf die aktive und passive Beweglichkeit und liefern erste Hinweise bezüglich der zu Grunde liegenden Mechanismen. Während biomechanische Parameter wie passive Gewebespannung nach SMR und Stretching unverändert blieben, deuten Veränderungen der Dehnwahrnehmung auf einen Einfluss neurophysiologischer Mechanismen hinsichtlich akuter Effekte auf die Beweglichkeit hin. Die Ausschüttung verschiedener Neurotransmitter wie z.B. Oxytocin könnte Schmerz- und auch Dehnwahrnehmung nach SMR beeinflussen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen weiter, dass SMR zu einer Veränderung der Gleitbewegung einzelner Bindegewebsschichten am vorderen Oberschenkel führte. Diesbezüglich könnten veränderte thixotrophe Eigenschaften des losen Bindegewebes zwischen Faszie und Muskels sowie Veränderungen des Hydratationsgrades eine Rolle spielen.
Aus den Ergebnissen der vorliegenden Studie lassen sich verschiedene Implikationen für die Trainings- und Therapiepraxis ableiten. So eignet sich SMR u.a. als Alternative zu statischen Dehnmethoden zur akuten Verbesserung der Beweglichkeit, zur Veränderung der Dehnwahrnehmung (etwa bei akuten und schmerzhaften Bewegungseinschränkungen) und möglicherweise zur Normalisierung der Gleiteigenschaften einzelner Bindegewebsschichten. Unklar bleiben bisher die Übertragbarkeit der Ergebnisse auf andere Körperregionen sowie die Effekte von SMR bei Patienten mit strukturellen Bindegewebsveränderungen. Ebenso sind die langfristigen Effekte von SMR bisher unklar und bieten Anschlusspunkte zukünftiger Studien.
In the publication of this article, there are reference errors in four positions the respective references are missing since reference Fischer was omitted. In addition for reference Egli et al. the in text citation only appeared at the end of the paragraph, but not following important statements. This has now been included in this correction. ...
Objective: Classifications of posture deviations are only possible compared with standard values. However, standard values have been published for healthy male adults but not for female adults.
Design: Observational study.
Setting: Institute of Occupational Medicine, Social Medicine and Environmental Medicine, Goethe-University Frankfurt/Main.
Participants: 106 healthy female volunteers (21–30 years old; 25.1±2.7 years) were included. Their body weight ranged from 46 to 106 kg (60.3±7.9 kg), the heights from 1.53 to 1.82 m (1.69±0.06 m) and the body mass index from 16.9 kg/m² to 37.6 kg/m² (21.1±2.6 kg/m²).
Outcome measures: A three-dimensional back scan was performed to measure the upper back posture in habitual standing. The tolerance ranges and CI were calculated. Group differences were tested by the Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney U test.
Results: In normal posture, the spinal column was marginally twisted to the left, and the vertebrae were marginally rotated to the right. The kyphosis angle is larger than the lumbar angle. Consequently, a more kyphotic posture is observed in the sagittal plane. The habitual posture is slightly scoliotic with a rotational component (scapular depression right, right scapula marginally more dorsally, high state of pelvic right, iliac right further rotated anteriorly).
Conclusions: Healthy young women have an almost ideally balanced posture with minimal ventral body inclination and a marginal scoliotic deviation. Compared with young males, women show only marginal differences in the upper body posture. These values allow a comparison to other studies, both for control and patient data, and may serve as guideline in both clinical practice and scientific studies.
Effects of single-point acupuncture (HT7) in the prevention of test anxiety : results of a RCT
(2018)
Background: The number of students using neuro enhancement to improve their performance and to prevent test anxiety is increasing. The acupuncture point Heart 7 (HT7) has been described as being prominent in reducing states of anxiety.
Methods: We conducted a randomized placebo-controlled, two-armed pilot trial to investigate the efficacy of a single-point acupuncture treatment at bilateral HT7 compared to sham laser acupuncture on test anxiety. Test anxiety was induced applying the standardised protocol of the Trier Social Stress Test. Outcome measures included saliva samples analysed for cortisol and amylase, anxiety questionnaires and heart rate variability.
Results: Twenty-five male subjects (age 28 ± 5 years) were allocated to either verum acupuncture (n = 12) or sham laser acupuncture (n = 13). Cortisol peaked 20 min after the stress test (2-fold, 18.11 ± 2 nmol/l) and amylase 10 min after (2-fold, 259 ± 49 U/ml) with no difference between groups. There were no differences between groups regarding either anxiety questionnaires or physiological parameters. Compared to reference data (3-fold increase in cortisol), increase in stress hormones and heart rate seemed somewhat reduced.
Conclusions: Acupuncture may be a possible approach for the treatment of anxiety. Due to the lack of a no control treatment group, we cannot determine the magnitude of possible specific needle effects at HT7 to promote specific effects in the neuroendocrine system. Finally this study only examines the efficacy of a single time treatment.
Background: The focus of this case report is on the role of inflammation as a contributor to pain in plantar fasciitis and its cure by the injection of local anesthetics.
Case presentation: This is a case report on a 24-year-old white man, a middle-distance runner, with chronic unilateral plantar fasciitis and perceived heel pain for almost 1.5 years. He was treated with neural therapy (that is, injection of < 1 ml procaine 1% which is a local anesthetic with strong anti-inflammatory properties) of the surgical scar and along the surgical puncture channel. The follow-up period from the time of first presentation until publication was 2.5 years. At admission, pain intensity (visual analog scale) in the affected leg was severe (10 cm, visual analog scale; range 0–10 cm) when walking and moderate (5 cm, visual analog scale) when standing. After the first session of injections he could stand pain-free and pain when walking was markedly reduced (− 90%). After the third session, he reported no pain in the affected leg and could return to sports at his former level (no difference in training load compared to non-injured state). There was no recurrence of inflammatory signs or heel pain despite intense athletics training up to the date of publication.
Conclusions: In prolonged cases of plantar fasciitis, inflammation is an important component in the development of persistent pain. The results of our case describe the effects of three neural therapy sessions that abolished inflammation and associated heel pain. Neural therapy might be an effective and time-efficient approach in the treatment of plantar fasciitis, enabling an early return to sports.
Background: Immigration has a strong impact on the development of health systems, medicine and science worldwide. Therefore, this article provides a descriptive study on the overall research output.
Methods: Utilizing the scientific database Web of Science, data research was performed. The gathered bibliometric data was analyzed using the established platform NewQIS, a benchmarking system to visualize research quantity and quality indices.
Findings: Between 1900 and 2016 a total of 6763 articles on immigration were retrieved and analyzed. 86 different countries participated in the publications. Quantitatively the United States followed by Canada and Spain were prominent regarding the article numbers. On comparing by additionally taking the population size into account, Israel followed by Sweden and Norway showed the highest performance. The main releasing journals are the Public Health Reports, the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health and Social Science & Medicine. Over the decades, an increasing number of Public, Environmental & Occupational Health articles can be recognized which finally forms the mainly used subject area.
Conclusion: Considerably increasing scientific work on immigration cannot only be explained by the general increase of scientific work but is also owed to the latest development with increased mobility, worldwide crises and the need of flight and migration. Especially countries with a good economic situation are highly affected by immigrants and prominent in their publication output on immigration, since the countries’ publication effort is connected with the appointed expenditures for research and development. Remarkable numbers of immigrants throughout Europe compel medical professionals to consider neglected diseases, requires the public health system to restructure itself and finally promotes science.