نشریه پژوهش در توانبخشی ورزشی
پیاپی 21 (بهار و تابستان 1402)

The aim of this research is to review the available evidence for the effect of myofascial interventions on range of motion and stress transfer in other parts of the body, derived from the theory of biotensegrity, fasciintegrity and myofascial chains.

The current research is an evidence-based systematic review, in which Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) studies published between 2005 and 2022 were searched in the reliable databases of Pub Med, Scopus, Google Scholar and Science Direct with keywords related to myofascial interventions. The PEDro scale meaning was used for the quality of the selected studies.

The result of the database search was 217 articles, after reading the title and abstract, 10 articles were selected for final review. These studies were conducted on 503 men and women with an age range of 18-40 years. The interventions that were performed on certain parts of the body included stretching, release and contraction, and various methods were used to investigate the transfer of tension in the muscle chains, finally, all articles showed the transfer of tension in the posterior surface chain immediately after the intervention.

All the studies reviewed in this research confirmed the transmission of stress and increased range of motion in the posterior superficial chain. Fascia tissue widely covers the human body and under the influence of things such as age, direction of tissue, exercise, emotions and pathology, they show different reactions and this can challenge the research results.

The present study aimed to investigate the scientific framework of the studies on the injuries of athletes performing ball games and offer a convenient conclusion and more comprehensive and better-classified information compared to previous studies.

The articles published by scientific databases, including Sport Discus, Scopus, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and PubMed, were searched. The searched keywords were sports injuries, volleyball, basketball, handball, soccer, and football.

The present systematic review investigated articles that fulfilled the entry criteria and studied the processes and rates of injuries in the athletes of ball games.Investigations showed that ankle injuries were the most prevalent ones in volleyball, basketball, and handball, while injuries in lower body parts, particularly knees, were commoner in football. It was shown that the majority of the reported injuries occurred during a match. Moreover, excessive training, inconvenient recovery, and rivals’ fouls were the most significant causes of injuries in the investigated sports.

The present study showed that there was a significant difference between the existing studies in terms of the manner of reporting the injuries of athletes in ball games, and this made it difficult to reach appropriate and practical conclusions. Thus, it seems necessary and important to harmonize the characteristics in future studies.

During heading, soccer players purposefully hit the ball with an unprotected head. Heading can lead to a wide range of nervous system disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the symptoms of centeral nervous system (CNS) disorder caused by heading. The 2w-HeadCount Questionnaire was used to count the number of head-to-ball kicks. Collected data from 52 football players (30 U-21 players with a mean age of 19.21±1.10 and a mean experience of 4.37±1.03 years and 22 retired footballers with a mean age of 44.59±1.22 and a mean experience of 18.14±1.81 years) were compared. From 16660 exposure sessions per year (training and matches), 89384 headings and 249 symptoms of CNS disorder were observed. The results showed that the incidence rate was 90.62 heading per 1000 hours exposure. Defenders reported the highest number of heading. The number of heading per year was not significantly different between play positions (P=0.698). The incidence of head impacts was 0.55 in match and 0.45 in training (0.82 mild and 0.18 moderate and higher severity). Retirees have experienced more of these symptoms in match and U-21 in practice. The incidence of head injuries due to non-heading mechanisms was significantly different between U-21 and retired footballers (P=0.00). The results showed that the incidence rate of heading technique in Iranian footballers is high. It is estimated that Iranian footballers perform heading above the concussion threshold. Therefore, the need to implement restrictive guidelines in young footballers is suggested.

Injury surveillance studies are essential factors in protecting the athlete's health. Minimum data set is a standard evaluation tool used during the data collection process to ensure that decision makers have access to a uniform set of information.  The purpose of this study was to create a set of minimum data to record a large number of sports injuries from community and amateur sports that can be used to develop a standard surveillance system in Iran.

The sport injuries minimum data set was developed through a four-stage process: 1. Systematic review, 2. Classification of the data elements, 3. Validation of the data elements using the Delphi technique, 4. Determination of the accessibility of data elements using focus group discussion.

A systematic review identified 1905 eligible articles that were relevant to the objectives of the study. From this number of articles 15 articles had all the inclusion and exclusion criteria and 101 data elements were subsequently extracted from these articles. The data elements were classified by five experts and validated by two rounds of a Delphi technique. The accessibility of the data elements was then evaluated during a focus group discussion. Finally, 86 data elements were selected as the minimum data set.

The proposed data set can be used as a standard tool for collecting sport injuries. This minimal data set can help information system designers to develop surveillance and registry systems.

The closure of sports centers during the Covid-19 pandemic exposed women to osteoporosis. The aim of the present study was the effectiveness of 24 weeks of resistance exercises with online supervision along with educational text messages on bone health indicators and preventive behaviors of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women with osteopenia during the Corona era. In this clinical trial, 20 postmenopausal women with osteopenia with an average age (52±3.46) performed a bone density test using a DXA device and completed the health belief pattern questionnaire. Then they were randomly divided into two groups of 10 people. The experimental group did resistance exercises online for 6 months and received educational text messages based on the health belief model, and the control group returned to their normal lives without intervention. The results of the research showed that during 6 months of resistance training of the experimental group, there was a significant increase in the mineral density of the femur and lumbar vertebrae, the mineral content of the femur and lumbar vertebrae, the T score of the femur and lumbar vertebrae, and the Z score of the femur and lumbar vertebrae. Lumbar vertebrae compared to the control group (p<0.005). Educational text messages increased the average scores in the structure of perceived sensitivity, perceived intensity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and self-efficacy in the experimental group (p<0.05). Considering the effectiveness of resistance exercises and educational text messages on bone index and preventive behaviors of osteoporosis, this type of intervention is an effective strategy for preventing osteoporosis in women prone to this disease.

Walking is not an automatic function and cognitive tasks can affect controlling the mobility and balance of elderly people while walking. This research aims to investigate the effect of time of day on the spatial, temporal, and spatial parameters of walking with and without cognitive dual tasks in the elderly.

The current study was descriptive-analytical. 24 elderly men and women with an age range of 60-70 years participated. After controlling the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the subjects entered the study. People in two states of normal walking and walking with a dual cognitive task walked a 10-meter path at two different times of the day. Spatial, temporal and spatial parameters were recorded through motion analysis cameras and then extracted using Cortex software as a percentage of the length of the walking cycle. The statistical analysis of the data was done using the two-way ANOVA test with a significance level of 0.05.

The results showed that walking with a dual task reduces the cadence and walking speed compared to normal walking. Also, the durations of step, stride, double and single support, stance, and swing in walking with dual tasks showed a significant decrease compared to normal walking (p≥0.05). Spatial, temporal, and spatial parameters walking at different times of the day and the interaction between time of day and walking mode did not show any significant difference.

Based on the results of the present study, the time of day has no effect on the parameters of walking, while the simultaneous implementation of the dual cognitive task can cause gait disturbance and consequently increase the probability of falling in the elderly.

Mental fatigue is known as an effective factor in reducing the performance and concentration of athletes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of a meditation session in controlling mental fatigue and its effects on Proprioception changes, strength and landing mechanics of amateur athletes. In the current study, 16 female athletes were randomly selected as a sample based on the inclusion criteria. At first, the subjects were influenced by the mental fatigue protocol (45 minutes of cognitive activity). Before and after mental fatigue, Proprioception with angle reconstruction error, muscle strength with manual dynamometer and landing mechanics with landing error scoring system were evaluated. Then, after 48 hours, the subjects received a meditation session, and immediately after that, mental fatigue and the second post-test of the results of the study were performed. Repeated analysis of variance test was used to check intra-group changes. The findings showed that there is a significant difference between the average active Proprioception scores, knee extension strength, and landing mechanics of the subjects in comparison of the meditation post-test compared to the mental fatigue post-test (P<0.05). The findings of the present study showed that meditation can be used as an effective intervention in controlling mental fatigue. Therefore, in order to prevent sports injuries, athletes, especially amateur athletes in whom mental fatigue is common, can use this intervention.

Injuries caused by overuse in the upper limbs of softball players are very common. Regarding the importance of core muscles and the adverse effect of fatigue on these muscles on the kinetic chain, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of core muscle fatigue on upper limb kinematic factors in overhead throwing and to identify risk factors for common injuries in softball players.

12 female softball players of the national league between the ages of 20 and 30 and a BMI of 18 to 25 were selected and performed the core stabilization muscle fatigue protocol between pre-test and post-test as one group. Upper limb kinematic data were collected from the foot contact to ball release using eight cameras with a sampling rate of 550 frames per second and the Qualis movement recording system. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests and Willcoxon tests.

The fatigue of core muscles results in significant increases in horizontal abduction angle at foot contact (P=0.01), and maximal external rotation angle of the shoulder (P=0.04), but there was no significant effect on shoulder abduction angle at foot contact and front face (P>0.05).

The present study showed that core muscle fatigue affects the kinematic risk factors of shoulder injuries and causes a change in the motion pattern of throwing in softball players.

Multiple sclerosis is one of the most common chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system that can affect the basic sensory and motor systems. This study aimed to investigate the effect of 8 weeks of neuromuscular training on motor function, fatigue severity, and quality of life in women with Multiple Sclerosis in Isfahan City. In this quasi-experimental study, women aged 20-40 years with Multiple Sclerosis with an Expanded Disability Status Scale between 2-4 formed the study population, and 20 patients were selected using a simple random sampling method and were randomly divided into experimental (n=10) and control (n=10) groups. Initially, both groups participated in a timed up-and-go test and completed questionnaires on the fatigue severity scale and quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis. The subjects in the experimental group performed an eight-week training program of neuromuscular that included three sessions per week and each session lasted 50 minutes. After eight weeks, the subjects in the two groups were reevaluated through previous tests. Data were analyzed by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) at the error level of (P<0.05). The results showed that post-tests of motor function, fatigue severity, and quality of life were significantly different between the experimental and control groups of women with multiple sclerosis (P=0.001). Considering the beneficial effects of eight weeks of neuromuscular training, it is recommended that this training be used to better perform daily activities of life, reduce the severity of fatigue, and increase the quality of life and well-being of women 20-40 years old with moderate multiple sclerosis.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of chronic ankle instability on coordination and variability of coordination of lower limb joints during running. 20 active male subjects (10 subjects with chronic ankle sprain and 10 healthy subjects) started running on the treadmill with connected sensors at a gradual speed. Information about the coordination and variability of 10 steps of each subject in the joints of the lower limbs was extracted in the sagittal plane of all three joints (hip, knee, and ankle) as well as the transverse plane of the ankle. Finally, an independent t-test was used to analyze the statistical analysis at a significant level of (P <0.05). The results showed that coordination at the initiation of the stance phase was significantly lower in the group with chronic ankle sprain than in the healthy group. The coordination of the hip-knee, hip-to-ankle, and knee-to-ankle joints are more different in injured people than in healthy people at the initiation of the stance phase running, so the coordination of these joints is reduced in the sagittal plane of subjects with chronic ankle sprain. Also, the coordination of the knee joints to the ankle in the frontal plane of the injured group is greater than the healthy group. Chronic ankle sprain injury has caused this difference in the pattern of coordination during the stance phase of running, so that the central nervous system of the body, under the influence of fear of re-injury, designs the movement of the ankle joints relative to the knee to minimize the risk of injury.

The sitting position of guitarists while playing can cause more contraction of the neck muscles and lead to pain in the neck area. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of eight weeks of corrective exercises on neck pain, forward head, and rounded shoulder posture in guitar players. The current research is a semi-experimental type with a pre-test and post-test design, and 33 male guitar players from Ferydan City, Isfahan province were selected in a purposeful and available manner. Then they were randomly divided into two experimental groups (17 people) and control (16 people). In the pre-test and post-test stages, neck pain was measured using the neck pain and disability measurement scale questionnaire, and the forward head and round shoulder angle were measured by photographing from the side view. The experimental group performed corrective exercises for eight weeks. Shapiro-Wilk test and Levin's F test were used to check the normality of data distribution, and the repeated measure test at a significance level of 0.05 was used to check the changes between groups. The comparison of the data between the two groups showed a significant difference before and after the training period regarding the neck pain scale and the amount of forward head angle and round shoulder angle in the corrective exercise group (P=0.001). Exercises probably create a balance between muscle groups, it had a favorable effect on reducing neck pain and improving head and shoulder forward abnormalities. Therefore, it is suggested that these exercises be included in the daily activity program of guitarists to manage injuries caused by playing and increase the professional life of a musician.

Strengthening the muscles of the central area of the body to increase core stability is considered a part of the training program of athletes. The purpose of this research was the relationship between core stability exercises with upper and lower limb muscle function and also to improve the functional movement screening (FMS) score.

This research is of practical and semi-experimental type, which is available on 30 male basketball athletes with an average age of 19/55±1/3 and an average weight of 69/48±7/1 into two control (15) and experimental (15) groups were divided. To strengthen the central muscles, the subjects were given 4 specific exercises for upper and lower limb muscles (side plank, deep squat, sit up) before and after the test. To measure the score of the functional movement screening test, the FMS seven-step test was used, that is, all people participated individually in the seven test steps in both the pre-test and the post-test. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 18 software. A significant level was considered in this study (P₌0.05).

The changes in the screening test between the groups (control and experimental) (P<0.05) and also the changes in the squat test (p=0.000), swimming (p=0.011), and barfix (p=0.003) had significant differences.

Eight weeks of central stability exercises affected the improvement in the performance of upper and lower limb muscles, and the score of the screening test in male basketball players increased. It is suggested that coaches use this test in other sports as well.