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Background and Aims: Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is a debilitating condition characterized by compression of the cervical spinal cord, leading to neurological deficits. This study aimed to investigate the association between comorbidities like diabetes mellitus (DM) and obesity and quality of life (QOL) in preoperative patients with DCM, and to examine the distribution of pain and numbness. Methods: A cross‐sectional study with 86 preoperative patients with DCM was conducted. Patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs) including Core Outcome Measure Index for the neck (COMI‐Neck), Neck Disability Index (NDI), EQ‐5D‐3L, SF‐12v2 assessed QOL, and baseline characteristics were collected. Patients were categorized by diabetic and obesity status, resulting in 17 with and 69 without DM, and 27 obese, 59 nonobese patients. In the statistical analysis, we compared PROMs and baseline characteristics, and conducted MANCOVA to investigate the association of DM and obesity with PROMs. Results: The study found no significant differences in preoperative QOL between patients with and without DM or obesity. Additionally, the results of MANCOVA indicated that neither DM nor obesity alone, nor their combination, had an association with the total scores of PROMs. In each group, the Symptom‐specific well‐being score on the COMI‐Neck was notably high, implying distressing current symptoms (median: 10). On the NDI, the median score for pain intensity, lifting, work, and recreation subitems was 3. Pain was predominantly reported in the neck and lower back, while numbness was more prevalent in the peripheral regions of the upper and lower limbs. Conclusion: Preoperative QOL was not significantly affected by the presence of DM and/or obesity. DCM‐related symptoms may mask the associations with these comorbidities. Regardless of the preoperative condition, it is important to address the PROMs items that posed challenges before surgery. Key points: Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) significantly affects patients' quality of life.This study examines the association between diabetes mellitus and obesity with quality of life in preoperative patients with DCM, an underexplored area.Limited associations of diabetes mellitus and obesity with preoperative quality of life suggest prioritizing interventions targeting DCM‐related symptoms in preoperative counseling and postoperative care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Excessive knee valgus on landing can cause anterior cruciate ligament injury. Therefore, knee valgus alignment may show characteristic energy absorption patterns during landings with lateral movement that impose greater impact forces on the knee joint compared with landings in other alignments. Objective: To investigate the energy absorption strategy in lower-extremities during side steps in females with knee valgus alignment. Design: Controlled laboratory study. Setting: University research laboratory. Participants: A total of 34 female college students participated in this experiment. Interventions: Participants performed single-leg drop vertical jump and side steps. All participants were divided into valgus (n = 13), neutral (n = 9), and varus (n = 12) groups according to knee position during landing in single-leg drop vertical jumps. Main Outcome Measures: Lower-extremity joint angles, moments, and negative works were calculated during landing in side steps, and 1-way analysis of variance and post hoc tests were used to determine between-group differences. Results: Negative works of hip extensors, knee abductors, and ankle plantar flexors during landing in side steps were significantly smaller in the valgus than in the varus group; however, negative work of the knee extensors was significantly greater in the valgus group than in varus group. Conclusions: The findings of this study indicated that landing with knee valgus induced the characteristic energy absorption strategy in the lower-extremity. Knee extensors contributed more to energy absorption when landing in knee valgus than in knee varus alignment. Learning to land in knee varus alignment might reduce the impact on the knee joint by increasing the energy absorption capacities of hip extensors, knee abductors, and ankle plantar flexors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Golfers with decreased range of motion (ROM) of their leading hip internal rotation (IR) have increased lumbar rotation ROM and load. This study investigated the effects of foam roller (FR) applied to their leading hip muscles combined with stretching to the leading hip together with lumbar rotation ROM during the golf swing. The study design was a crossover design. Subjects were allocated to one of two groups comprising FR and dynamic stretching (FR + DS) or practice swing. Motion analysis was used to evaluate hip and lumbar angles during the golf swing. Data were compared using analysis of variance with Bonferroni correction using paired t-test's post hoc. The association between lead hip IR angle and lumbar spine left rotation (Lrot) angle was investigated using correlation analysis. Lead hip IR ROM during the golf swing was significantly greater in the FR + DS group (p = 0.034). The FR + DS group showed a moderate negative correlation between lead hip IR ROM and lower lumbar spine Lrot ROM during the golf swing (r = −0.522). The application of FR + DS might be useful to increase lead hip IR angle during the golf swing. Moreover, the application of FR + DS improves lead hip IR angle and may decrease lumbar spine rotation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]