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Introduction: badminton is an overhead sport and requires significant shoulder joint mobility, which may compromise shoulder stability. The aim of this study is to investigate the shoulder laxity in badminton players and if there is significant difference in laxity between the dominant and non-dominant shoulder. The prevalence of shoulder injuries in badminton players in Singapore will also be investigated. Method: 46 competitive badminton players who have represented the combined schools or the country (Singapore) were selected for this study. A survey and 2 questionnaires, UCLA Shoulder Score (USS) and Oxford Instability Score (OIS), were administered. Assessment of shoulder laxity was performed using a shoulder mechanical device that was fitted on the participants' shoulders. The translation of the displaced humeral head on the glenoid cavity was measured anteriorly and posteriorly. This test was performed on both shoulders. Results: there was increased laxity in the non-dominant shoulder. The anterior-posterior translation range from 3.0 to 15.2 mm for the dominant shoulder and from 3.6 to 22.5 mm for the non-dominant shoulder. Female badminton players had more shoulder laxity (3.6 to 22.5 mm) compared to male badminton players (3.0 to 14.5 mm). 65% of participants had maximum scores for USS and 36.9% for OIS. The prevalence of shoulder injuries in the studied group was 40%. Conclusion: the decreased anterior-posterior translation of the humeral head in the dominant shoulder of badminton players demonstrates that it has greater stability despite the need for greater mobility. Female badminton players have greater humeral head translation compared to males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the efficacy of the use of creative dance intervention for persons with mild to moderate dementia, living in the community. Pre- and post-intervention data were collected on the sample of 35 older people to track the impact of the intervention on the domains of function, quality of life and well-being and caregiving stress through the use of the gait speed test, CONFbal scale, Functional Independence Measure, Quality of Life-AD, Dementia Care Mapping and Zarit Burden Interview. There was an overall improvement in all the domains. Statistically significant improvement was found in the Quality of Life reports ( p  = 0.002) and well-being as measured by Dementia Care Mapping ( p  < 0.001). The findings assert the positive contributions of person-centred creative dance towards an approach and environment that promotes dementia care. Future studies on determining sustainability of such intervention are recommended.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study for clinical measurement., Introduction: Most daily tasks require individuals to exert grip strength with torque, which can be challenging for elderly as their strength diminishes with age. We postulate that to assess the functional capacity of an individual, it is important to evaluate the functional grip strength instead of the maximal static grip strength., Purpose of the Study: The objective of this cross-sectional study is to establish normative data for the functional grip strength of elderly aged 60 years and older in the Singapore population., Methods: In this study, 233 healthy subjects aged 60 years and older were recruited. Using a custom-made hand strength measurement device, the following measurements were recorded: grip strength at neutral position, grip strength with resistive pronation torque, and grip strength with resistive supination torque., Results: Grip strengths measured for both genders decreased by 13% and 16% for males and females respectively, when pronation torque was exerted, and with supination torque, the strength decreased by 18% and 17% for males and females respectively., Conclusion: Normative data for the elderly population in Singapore had been established. The findings from this study can complement the existing ergonomic hand data in designing better assistive tools to improve the independent living of elderly., Level of Evidence: NA., (Copyright © 2016 Hanley & Belfus. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)