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Objective: The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of a self-regulated dual task on muscle endurance within a single rehabilitation session in patients recovering from an elbow fracture. Design: This is a cross-sectional study of individuals recovering from elbow fractures (N = 20). Muscle endurance was tested using elastic bands at Borg’s CR10 intensity 3—during four conditions: singletask and dual-task for elbow flexion and extension. Results: The cognitive condition significantly influenced muscle endurance ( P < 0.001), while the type of elbow exercise (flexion or extension) did not show significant differences ( P = 0.592). The perceived difficulty of the tasks showed a significant interaction effect ( P = 0.032). The dual-task condition showed an average increase of about 15 repetitions. A moderate negative correlation was found between the differences in repetitions and the perceived difficulty of the flexion exercise (r = 0.677, P = 0.001). Conclusions: Dual-task with self-regulation enhances muscle endurance among patients recovering from an elbow fracture. However, the improvements seem to depend on the perceived difficulty of the cognitive task. Future randomized controlled trials are required to understand the therapeutic implications of dual-tasking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution and amount of intramuscular fat and fibrous tissue can be influenced by biological sex and impact muscle quality in both the functional (force‐generating capacity) and morphological (muscle composition) domains. While ultrasonography (US) has proven effective in assessing age‐ or sex‐related differences in muscle quality, limited information is available on sex differences in children. Quantitative ultrasonographic measurements, such as echo intensity (EI), EI bands (number of pixels across 50‐unit intervals) and texture, may offer a comprehensive framework for identifying sex differences in muscle composition. The aim of our study was to examine the effect of sex on the rectus femoris (RF) muscle quality in children. We used EI (mean and bands) and texture as muscle quality estimates derived from B‐mode US. We hypothesised that RF muscle quality differs significantly between girls and boys. Additionally, we also hypothesised that there is a significant correlation between EI bands and texture. Forty‐four non‐active healthy children were recruited (n = 22 girls, 12.8 ± 1.5 years; and n = 22 boys, 13.5 ± 1.2 years). RF was assessed using EI mean, EI bands, and texture analysis (homogeneity and correlation) using the Gray‐Level Co‐Occurrence Matrix. The results revealed significant (p < 0.05) sex differences in RF EI bands and texture. Boys displayed higher values in the 0–50 EI band and had more homogeneous muscle texture than girls. Conversely, girls displayed greater values in the 51–100 EI band and had less homogenous texture compared to boys (p < 0.05). A positive correlation was observed between the 0–50 EI band and muscle homogeneity. However, the 51–100 EI band correlated negatively with homogeneity (p < 0.05), particularly for girls. In conclusion, our study revealed sex‐specific differences in mean EI, EI bands, and texture of the RF muscle in children. The variations in the correlations between the first and second EI bands and texture reveal different levels of homogeneity in each band. This indicates that distinct muscle tissue constituents, such as intramuscular fat and/or connective tissue, may be reflected in EI bands. Overall, the methods used in this study may be useful for examining muscle quality in healthy children and those with medical conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: No previous studies have implemented a standard blood flow restriction (BFR) training session in people with severe haemophilia (PwH), where this type of training has been contraindicated. Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the tolerability, adverse events, and neuromuscular and perceptual responses to an acute session of low load (LL) knee extensions with BFR in PwH under prophylaxis. Methods: Eight PwH performed one LL‐BFR session with 40% arterial occlusion pressure (AOP). Perceptual responses and adverse effects were assessed, together with high‐density surface electromyography of vastus medialis (VM) and lateralis (VL). Results: Significant normalized root mean square differences were found within each set, but not between sets. Spatial distribution (centroid displacement (p >.05), modified entropy (VM, set two, cycles three and five, p =.032) and coefficient of variation (VM, set two, cycles four and five lower than cycle three (p =.049; p =.036)) showed changes within each set. Median frequency showed a slight increase during cycle four of set four (p =.030). Rate of perceived exertion slightly increased with each set while tolerability slightly decreased in the last set and fear of training with BFR generally decreased after the session. Conclusions: In PwH, a LL‐BFR session at 40% AOP is safe and feasible. Our results suggest that potential muscle impairments may blunt neuromuscular adaptations induced by BFR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to evaluate the neuromuscular responses and their relationship with health status, kinesiophobia, pain catastrophizing, and chronic pain self-efficacy in patients with end-stage knee osteoarthritis during acute resistance training with different levels of blood flow restriction (BFR). Seventeen patients with end-stage knee osteoarthritis participated in 3 experimental sessions separated by 3 days, performing 4 sets of knee extensions with low load and 3 levels of concurrent BFR performed in a random order: control (no BFR), BFR at 40% arterial occlusion pressure (AOP), and BFR at 80% AOP. Normalized root-mean-square (nRMS), nRMS spatial distribution (centroid displacement, modified entropy, and coefficient of variation), and normalized median frequency (nFmed) were calculated from the vastus medialis (VM) and lateralis (VL) using high-density surface electromyography. Subjects were asked to report adverse effects after the sessions. In the VM, nRMS was higher with 80% AOP than with 40% AOP (p = 0.008) and control (p < 0.001), whereas there were no differences between conditions in the VL. Normalized root-mean-square also showed an association with pain catastrophizing, chronic pain self-efficacy, and health status (VM: -0.50, 0.49, -0.42; VL: -0.39, 0.27, -0.33). Spatial distribution varied between conditions but mostly in the VL. Overall, nFmed did not vary, with only a slight increase in the VL with 40% AOP, between set 3 and 4. BFR during knee extensions at 80% AOP increases VM activity and VL amplitude distribution more than 40% AOP and control. Importantly, muscle activity increases are modulated by pain catastrophizing, chronic pain self-efficacy, and health status in these patients, and kinesiophobia seems to especially modulate entropy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the democratization of physiotherapy for people with hemophilia. Physiotherapy plays a crucial role in treating and preventing musculoskeletal issues in individuals with hemophilia. However, limited access to replacement factor treatment and prophylaxis, particularly in low-income countries, poses a significant barrier to physiotherapy. Other factors such as education, economic and political situations, patient literacy, and access to technology also impact the accessibility of physiotherapy. The article emphasizes the need to recognize and address these factors to enhance the democratization of physiotherapy for people with hemophilia. [Extracted from the article]

To specifically examine the multiple factors related to the increase in depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 outbreak in older adults in Chile. A longitudinal study was conducted using a dataset from a nationally representative survey cohort of Chilean older adults followed at three time points during the COVID-19 outbreak. The main outcome was depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire scale). The independent variables included: age, sex, educational level, geographic area, living alone, self-perceived health, self-reported resilience, loneliness, and social isolation. A total of 424 older adults were included. Female sex (β = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.22 to 1.68) and loneliness (β = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.37) were the main risk factors for an increase in depressive symptoms in older adults. In contrast, living outside the metropolitan region (β=-0.70, 95% CI: −1.39 to −0.02), living in company (β=-0.34, 95% CI:-1.24 to 0.56), having better self-perceived health (β=-5.04, 95% CI:-6.33 to −3.75) and greater resilience (β=-0.30, 95% CI: −0.38 to −0.23) were preventive factors. These results provide useful evidence to develop mental health prevention or control strategies for older adults. The findings highlight the importance of a holistic approach to health care for older adults that integrates strategies to address loneliness, foster resilience, and promote an active social life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) present muscular weakness and potential changes in the activation of the peroneus longus muscle, which likely explains the high recurrence of ankle sprains in this population. However, there is conflicting evidence regarding the role of the peroneus longus activity in CAI, possibly due to the limited spatial resolution of the surface electromyography (sEMG) methods (i.e., bipolar sEMG). Recent studies employing high‐density sEMG (HD‐sEMG) have shown that the peroneus longus presents differences in regional activation, however, it is unknown whether this regional activation is maintained under pathological conditions such as CAI. This study aimed to compare the myoelectric activity, using HD‐sEMG, of each peroneus longus compartment (anterior and posterior) between individuals with and without CAI. Eighteen healthy individuals (No‐CAI group) and 18 individuals with CAI were recruited. In both groups, the center of mass (COM) and the sEMG amplitude at each compartment were recorded during ankle eversion at different force levels. For the posterior compartment, the sEMG amplitude of CAI group was significantly lower than the No‐CAI group (mean difference = 5.6% RMS; 95% CI = 3.4–7.6; p = 0.0001). In addition, it was observed a significant main effect for group (F1,32 = 9.608; p = 0.0040) with an anterior displacement of COM for the CAI group. These findings suggest that CAI alters the regional distribution of muscle activity of the peroneus longus during ankle eversion. In practice, altered regional activation may impact strengthening programs, prevention, and rehabilitation of CAI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]