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OBJECTIVE: Chemotherapy and/or radiation are normally the predominant therapies administered to cancer patients. Commonly, patients express complaints of fatigue during adjuvant treatment. Furthermore, regular practice of physical exercise during adjuvant treatment seems to have positive effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of combined muscle strength, and a supervised aerobic training program on myoelectric activity of Vastus Lateralis during isometric test in patients with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-two women with breast cancer (20 patients in the training group and 12 patients as controls) undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy participated in the study. They took part in a 6-week training period. A muscle-strength program included isometric contraction and electrical muscle stimulation (EMS). Aerobic training program consisted of supervised intermittent cycling exercise and home-based walking exercise. The outcome measures were Root Mean Square (RMS), Mean Power Frequency (MPF), Maximal Voluntary isometric Contraction (MViC), and Endurance Time (ET) of Vastus Lateralis, before and after the training period in the two groups. RESULTS: Compared to controls, a significant increase in MViC (p=0.001) and ET (p=0.005) in quadriceps accompanied by a significant decrease in RMS (p=0.007) and a significant increase in MPF (p=0.002) has been obtained in the training group. CONCLUSIONS: Supervised muscle strength and supervised aerobic training programs enhanced muscle activity and muscular performance in women with breast cancer during adjuvant chemotherapy treatment and optimized the decrease of muscular fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the effect of combining two rehabilitation models during early-stage muscle reinforcement in patients having undergone total hip arthroplasty (THA)., Methodology: Our study was carried out on a total of 81 unilateral THA patients aged between 61 and 84. Forty-one control group (CG) patients participated in a standard rehabilitation (SR) program, whereas the 40 patients in the test group (TG) performed both SR and isometric exercises with electromyographic feedback. We performed three tests in each group, on the day before surgery (T(1)) and then three days (T(2)) and seven days (T(3)) after surgery. These tests enabled measurement of the integrated electromyographic peak (EMG(ipeak)) for the gluteus medius, the peak voluntary isometric strength (VIS(peak)) of each leg (i.e., both the operated and nonoperated sides) and the operated gluteus medius' maintenance time at 50% of the EMG(ipeak) during isometric exercises with electromyographic feedback., Results: For the operated gluteus medius, the TG's EMG(ipeak) values were similar to those measured in the CG (P>0.05) at T(1) and T(2). Likewise, the VIS(peak) values for the corresponding legs at T(1) and T(2) did not differ significantly. However, at T(3), the EMG(ipeak) of the gluteus medius and the leg VIS(peak) on the operated side increased in both groups and were higher in the TG than in the CG (P<0.001). Compared with the CG, the TG also displayed a longer maintenance time at 50% of the EMG(ipeak) for the operated gluteus medius during isometric exercises with electromyographic feedback., Conclusion: This preliminary study showed that a combination of two rehabilitation models leads to faster post-THA recovery than the application of SR alone.