Medicine and science in sports and exercise
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Med Sci Sports Exerc · Jan 2014
Paraspinal muscle morphology and composition: a 15-yr longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging study.
The purposes of this study were to define the natural progression of age-related changes of the lumbar paraspinal muscles during adulthood and to investigate the influence of lifestyle and individual factors (e.g., physical activity levels at work and leisure, body mass index, and low back pain [LBP]). ⋯ The present longitudinal study suggests that over adulthood, the multifidus and erector spinae undergo similar morphological changes. Moreover, our findings suggest that the long-term progression of lumbar paraspinal muscle changes evaluated through magnetic resonance imaging are not associated with the range of physical demand levels as were typical of Finnish men or LBP history.
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Med Sci Sports Exerc · Jan 2014
Physical activity and improved diastolic function in spinal cord-injured subjects.
Subjects with spinal cord injury (SCI) have been reported to present impaired left ventricular (LV) diastolic function in comparison with able-bodied (AB) ones. The present study investigated the effect of regular physical activity on the cardiac structure and function of SCI subjects. ⋯ Regular physical activity is associated with improved LV diastolic function in SCI subjects and might exert distinct cardiac structural effects in tetraplegic and paraplegic subjects.
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Med Sci Sports Exerc · Jan 2014
Autonomic cardiovascular control in Paralympic athletes with spinal cord injury.
Disruption of autonomic control after spinal cord injury (SCI) results in life-threatening cardiovascular dysfunctions and impaired endurance performance; hence, an improved ability to recognize those at risk of autonomic disturbances is of critical clinical and sporting importance. ⋯ We demonstrate for the first time that neurological level and SSR score provide the optimal combination of assessments to identify those at risk of abnormal cardiovascular control. We advocate the use of autonomic testing in the clinical and sporting classification of SCI athletes.
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Med Sci Sports Exerc · Dec 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialIs ultrasound-guided injection more effective in chronic subacromial bursitis?
Although ultrasound (US)-guided subacromial injection has shown increased accuracy in needle placement, whether US-guided injection produces better clinical outcome is still controversial. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the efficacy of subacromial corticosteroid injection under US guidance with palpation-guided subacromial injection in patients with chronic subacromial bursitis. ⋯ The US-guided subacromial injection technique produced significantly greater improvements in passive shoulder abduction and in some items of the SF-36. US is effective in guiding the needle into the subacromial bursa in patients with chronic subacromial bursitis.