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Background: Severe obesity is characterized by excessive accumulation of fat generating a general health decline. Multidisciplinary treatment of obesity leads to significant weight loss in a few patients; therefore, many incur bariatric surgery. The main purpose of the study is to evaluate changes in functional capacity of people with obesity undergoing bariatric surgery and, in parallel, to correlate pre-surgery functional capacity with weight loss to improve exercise prescription during pre-operatory stage., Methods: sixty women with diagnosed obesity were included. Maximal oxygen consumption, upper and lower limb strength and level of physical activity were recorded 1 month before and 6 months after sleeve gastrectomy., Results: significant reduction on body weight (-30.1 kg) and Body Mass Index (-11.4 kg/m 2 ) were highlighted after surgery. Absolute grip strength decreased significantly (-1.1 kg), while body weight normalized grip and lower limb strength increased significantly. The level of physical activity increased especially in leisure time (+ 593 METs/week) and active transport (+ 189.3 METs/week). Pre-surgery BMI and age predicted the amount of weight loss after surgery., Conclusions: Sleeve gastrectomy induces a reduction of muscle strength despite the increase of time spent in physical activity. Further research is necessary to integrate these results with data on body composition, and objective evaluation of physical activity level to define useful information for exercise prescription in terms of surgery pre-habilitation., Trial Registration: Padova University Hospital Board (protocol n. 2027 dated January 12, 2017)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Pelvic floor dysfunction and urinary incontinence are two of the most frequent gynecological problems, and pelvic floor muscle training is recommended as a first-line treatment, with new approaches such as hypopressive exercises. This study aimed to analyze the efficacy of an 8-week supervised training program of hypopressive exercises on pelvic floor muscle strength and urinary incontinence symptomatology., Design: Blinded randomized controlled trial., Settings: Women with pelvic floor dysfunction and urinary incontinence symptoms, aged 18-60 years., Participants: A total of 117 participants were randomly allocated to the hypopressive exercises group (n = 62) or a control group that received no intervention (n = 55) and completed the study., Main Outcome Measures: Clinical and sociodemographic data were collected, as well as pelvic floor muscle strength (using the Modified Oxford Scale); the genital prolapse symptoms, colorectal symptoms, and urinary symptoms (with the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory [PFDI-20]); the impact of pelvic floor disorders (PFD) on women's lives (with the Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire [PFIQ-7]); and the severity of urinary incontinence symptoms (using the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire [ICIQ])., Results: The results showed an improvement in the hypopressive group in the pelvic floor muscle strength F (1117) = 89.514, p < 0.001, a significantly lower score for the PFIQ7 total score, t (112) = 28.895, p < 0.001 and FPDI20 t (112) = 7.037, p < 0.001 as well as an improvement in ICIQ-SF values after 8 weeks of intervention in comparison with the control group., Conclusions: After performing an 8-week of hipopressive exercises intervention, a decrease in pelvic floor disorders associated symptoms can be observed. In addition, pelvic floor muscle contractility is improved and a decrease in severity and symptoms associated with urinary incontinence has been reported., (© 2022 The Authors. Neurourology and Urodynamics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Bariatric surgery is the most effective procedure for obesity management, with a greater body weight loss and the remission of several diseases. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between the anthropometric profile and postural control outcomes in a group of obese adult women, and the effect of bariatric surgery on postural control., Methods: eighty-eight women candidates for bariatric surgery were recruited. Static balance was measured with the ARGO stabilometric platform under two conditions: open eyes (OE) and closed eyes (CE)., Results: Multiple linear regression indicated BMI as the first predictor for postural control in all parameters, except for APO in open eyes, predicted mainly by height. Changes in body weight and BMI showed no statistically significant correlations with modification of postural control parameters (OE), while they appeared to exert an influence under closed eyes conditions., Conclusions: Before surgery, obese patients with a higher BMI showed a better postural control. After surgery, the sway path and antero-posterior oscillation improved under open eyes conditions, while the magnitude of weight loss was negatively correlated with differences in postural control., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Background: it is well known in literature that sedentary lifestyle contributes to worsening people's health. This issue highlights the need for effective interventions to promote an active lifestyle. Research suggested multilevel intervention strategies to promote adherence to recommended physical activity levels, including the use of social networks that may simplify access to health notions. Being Facebook ® the most extensive worldwide social network, this document aimed to analyze the current body of evidence on the role of Facebook ® in the promotion of physical activity., Methods: eighteen manuscripts were considered eligible for this systematic review, and it was performed a meta-analysis (PRISMA guidelines) for overall physical activity parameters in eleven out of eighteen studies., Results: significant improvements were detected in the total amount of physical activity. In parallel, an increase in other parameters, such as cardiovascular, body composition, and social support, were found. The aerobic training, with supervised and tailored modalities, showed more considerable improvements., Conclusions: this study showed that Facebook ® might be considered a feasible and accessible approach to promoting regular exercise practice and achieving health benefits indicators. Future research on the cross-link between physical activity and social network management could also focus on strength training to verify if a more structured intervention would show an effect.

This systematic review aimed to analyze the effects of a physical exercise (PE) program on low back pain (LBP) symptoms of office workers and the modification of flexibility and range of motion (ROM), muscular strength, and quality of life (QoL). A literature research was performed on PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE, and SPORTDiscus from April to May 2018. The keyword "low back pain" was associated with "office worker" OR "VDT operators" OR "office employees" OR "workplace" AND "exercise", OR "exercise therapy" OR "physical activity". Inclusion criteria were a home- or work-based exercise protocol for office workers with LBP symptoms and pre- to post-intervention evaluation of LBP symptoms. Three researchers independently examined all abstracts. The modified Cochrane methodological quality criteria were used for quality assessment and 11 articles were included. Exercise protocols were performed from 6 weeks to 12 months, 1-5 day per week, lasting 10-60 min for each session. Physical Exercise in the workplace improved all the considered outcomes. The best improvement was recorded in supervised protocols and in video-supported protocols performed in the workplace. The effect may be generated with small duration sessions during the working day, with only 10-15 min of adapted exercise to be performed 3-5 days per week.

The aim of this systematic review was to analyze the effect of Nordic Walking (NW) on anthropometric parameters, body composition, cardiovascular parameters, aerobic capacity, blood sample, and glucose tolerance in overweight and obese subjects. The main keywords "Nordic Walking" or "Pole Walking", associated with either "obese", "obesity", "overweight", or "weight loss" were used on the online database MEDLINE, PubMed, SPORTDiscus and Scopus. Additionally, references of the studies included were screened to identify eligible articles. Applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, ten manuscripts were considered as eligible for this review. The results of the studies were categorized in several domains with regard to "anthropometric parameters and body composition", "cardiovascular parameters and aerobic capacity", and "blood sample and glucose tolerance". The results showed positive effects on the anthropometric parameters, body composition, cardiovascular parameters, blood sample, and glucose tolerance. The greatest improvements were observed in supervised and high weekly frequency of NW interventions. NW could be considered as an effective modality through which to involve the obese in physical activity. For weight loss, NW should be prescribed 4-5 times per week, at least 60 min per session, preferably combined with diet control.

Sanz-López, F, Berzosa Sánchez, C, Hita-Contreras, F, Cruz-Diaz, D, and Martínez-Amat, A. Ultrasound changes in Achilles tendon and gastrocnemius medialis muscle on squat eccentric overload and running performance. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2015-Previous studies have proven the adaptation to load in the Achilles tendon and gastrocnemius muscle after different types of exercise, such as running, heel drop training, and a variety of sports. These findings have been applied to improve performance and in the treatment and prevention of overuse injuries. However, the effects that squat performance may have on the Achilles tendon and gastrocnemius muscle are still unknown. Squats are a widely used training exercise that involves calf-muscle activation. Similarly, no reports have been published regarding the adaptation to load of trained and untrained subjects during several consecutive days of running. The purpose of this study was to analyze changes in the Achilles tendon and in the pennation angles of the gastrocnemius medialis after eccentric overload training and within 3 days of running. Twenty healthy males who volunteered for this study were divided into 2 groups. Subjects in the eccentric overload training (ECC) group performed 6 weeks of eccentric overload training (twice weekly, 4 sets of 7 repetitions in a Yoyo squat device) before the running intervention. All participants, ECC and control (CONT) groups, ran on 3 consecutive days. After the eccentric training, an increase in the cross-sectional area of the Achilles tendon and in the pennation angle was observed. As for the running intervention, the behavior of tissues in both groups was similar. These results suggest that eccentric overload training with squats promotes changes in the Achilles tendon and in the pennation angle of the gastrocnemius medialis muscle. Nevertheless, significant changes in the tissue do not appear between the running performance of trained and untrained subjects.

The objective of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of a 6-week balance training program on patients with Chronic Ankle Instability (CAI) in relation to the results obtained in Dynamic Balance, subjective feeling of instability and pain using a single-blind randomized controlled trial. 70 athletes were randomly assigned to control or intervention group. The control group performed their usual training, and the intervention group was administered the same usual activity in addition to a balance program. The paired t-test was performed to evaluate the change scores in each group. The t-test for independent samples was performed to evaluate between-group differences in change scores. Significance level was assigned for p-values less than 0.05 for all analyses. There were significant differences between groups in change scores in CAIT and all of the SEBTs reach distances (p<0.001) but not in Pain (p=0.586). The effect sizes were larger for the outcomes measures that showed significant differences. In the within-group change, the experimental groups showed larger effect sizes in CAIT, SEBT posteromedial and SEBT posterolateral, and moderate effect sizes in SEBT anterior. Exercise therapy training based on multi-station balance tasks led to significant improvements in dynamic balance and self-reported sensation of instability in patients with CAI., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)