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In the last decade, minimalist shoes have gained popularity as an alternative to traditional shoes. The aim of the present study was to determine the short-term effects of minimalist shoes in femur range of motion (ROM) and cadence. The secondary objectives were the assessment of the electromyographic activity of the pelvic floor muscles (PFM) in nulliparous women. A randomized, prospective cross-over clinical trial design was used for the study. A total of 51 participants were randomly allocated into a two-sequence crossover design (AB/BA crossover design). Femur ROM, cadence and PFM activity were recorded. The femur ROM at 6 km/h was greater with the minimalist shoes by 1.62 degrees than with the traditional ones (p = 0.001). There was a main effect of the type of shoe (p = 0.015) systematically observing a higher running cadence with the minimalist shoe compared to the traditional one. Electromyographic activity of the PFM revealed significant differences for 11 km/h for the total average (p = 0.027) and the minimum peaks at 9 km/h (p = 0.011) and 11 km/h (p = 0.048) for the minimalist shoe with respect to the traditional shoes. Minimalist shoes produce immediate effects on the biomechanical variables of running. An increase was observed in the femur ROM at 6 km/h and in the cadence at 11 km/h with the use of minimalist shoes. The use of minimalist shoes increased the electromyographic activation of the PFM in the minimum peaks at speeds of 9 and 11 km/h and in the total average at speeds of 11 km/h compared to the traditional shoe.

Background Current evidence suggests that up to 70% of COVID-19 survivors develop post-COVID symptoms during the following months after infection. Fatigue and dyspnea seem to be the most prevalent post-COVID symptoms. Objective To analyze whether a tele-rehabilitation exercise program is able to improve self-perceived physical exertion in patients with post-COVID fatigue and dyspnea. Methods Sixty-eight COVID-19 survivors exhibiting post-COVID fatigue and dyspnea derived to four Primary Health Care centers located in Madrid were enrolled in this quasi-experimental study. A tele-rehabilitation program based on patient education, physical activity, airway clearing, and breathing exercise interventions was structured on eighteen sessions (3 sessions/week). Self-perceived physical exertion during daily living activities, dyspnea severity, health-related quality of life and distance walked and changes in oxygen saturation and heart rate during the 6-Minute walking test were assessed at baseline, after the program and at 1- and 3-months follow-up periods. Results Daily living activities, dyspnea severity and quality of life improved significantly at all follow-ups (p Conclusion Tele-rehabilitation programs could be an effective strategy to reduce post-COVID fatigue and dyspnea in COVID-19 survivors. In addition, it could also reduce the economic burden of acute COVID-19, reaching a greater number of patients and releasing Intensive Unit Care beds for prioritized patients with a severe disease. Study registration The international OSF Registry registration link is https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/T8SYB.

Background The Godelieve Denys-Struyf method (GDS) is a motor learning intervention that may be applied in group or individualized sessions. Objective The study objective was to compare the effectiveness of routine physical therapy, group GDS (GDS-G) sessions, and group and individualized GDS (GDS-I) sessions. Design This was a cluster randomized controlled trial. Setting The study took place in 21 primary care physical therapy units (“clusters”) of the Spanish National Health Service (SNHS). Participants The participants were 461 people with subacute and chronic low back pain (LBP). Intervention Clusters were randomized into 3 groups. All participants received medical treatment and a 15-minute group education session on active management. Additional interventions were as follows: control (fifteen 40-minute sessions of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, microwave treatment, and standardized exercises), GDS-G (eleven 50-minute group GDS sessions), and GDS-I (the same 11 sessions plus four 50-minute individualized GDS sessions). Measurements Primary outcomes at baseline and 2, 6, and 12 months later were LBP and pain referred down the leg (separate pain intensity numeric rating scales) and disability (Roland-Morris Questionnaire [RMQ]). Secondary outcomes were use of medication and self-reported health (mental and physical component summaries of the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey [SF-12]). Separate linear mixed models for LBP, pain referred down the leg, and disability were developed to adjust for potential confounders. Randomization, outcome assessment, and data analyses were masked. Results At 12 months, disability improved 0.7 (95% confidence interval [CI]=−0.4, 1.8) RMQ point in the control group, 1.5 (95% CI=0.4, 2.7) RMQ points in the GDS-I group, and 2.2 (95% CI=1.2, 3.2) RMQ points in the GDS-G group. There were no differences in pain. Limitations The amount of exercise was smaller in the control group, and GDS-I sessions were provided by junior physical therapists. Conclusions The improvement in disability was slightly higher with group GDS sessions than with the program routinely used in clusters within the SNHS. Adding individualized GDS sessions eliminated this advantage. Further studies should compare the GDS with other types of exercise.

Study design A simple blind, random controlled clinical trial. Objective To assess the effectiveness of physiotherapy treatment based on the muscular and articular chains Godelive Denys-Struyf (GDS) method for nonspecific low back pain (LBP) in primary care. Summary of background data Despite a systematic review by the European COST ACTION B13 "Low back pain: guidelines for its management," there are still many unresolved questions regarding the effectiveness of the different physical therapy treatments used for LBP. Setting 21 physicians and physiotherapists in 7 Primary Care Centers and 6 researches in the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain). Participants 137 patients diagnosed with nonspecific LBP. Methods The control group underwent 15 sessions of conventional physiotherapy in Primary Care Centers, and the experimental group received 15 GDS treatment sessions. Pain was evaluated by Visual Analogical Scale (VAS), functional disability by Oswestry questionnaire, and quality of life by the physical and mental components of SF-36 questionnaire. Outcome measures were assessed before treatment (A1), at the end of treatment (A2), and at 3 months (A3), and 6 months (A4) of follow-up. Results Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed that at the end of treatment and 3 months later, subjects in both groups showed less pain, reduced functional disability, and an improved quality of life, though improvements were greater in the GDS group.Six months after treatment, patients in the GDS group continued to show reduced pain (VAS(A4-A1) = -3.54, 95% CI: -4.18 to -2.90) while VAS scores in the control group returned to initial values (VAS(A4-A1) = 0.15, 95% CI: -0.36 to 0.67). Conclusion Treatment of nonspecific LBP using the GDS method provides greater improvements in the midterm (6 months) in terms of the pain, functional ability, and quality of life perceived by patients than the conventional treatment based administered in primary care.