Members' Research Articles

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The use of a tilt platform to simulate a lateral ankle sprain and record muscle reaction time is a wellestablished procedure. However, a potential caveat is that repetitive ankle perturbation may cause a natural attenuation of the reflex latency and amplitude. This is an important area to investigate as many researchers examine the effect of an intervention on muscle reaction time. Muscle reaction time, peak and average amplitude of the peroneus longus and tibialis anterior in response to a simulated lateral ankle sprain (combined inversion and plantar flexion movement) were calculated in twenty-two physically active participants. The 40 perturbations were divided into 4 even groups of 10 dominant limb perturbations. To read the full abstract and link to the full article please follow the link below http://www.jelectromyographykinesiology.com/article/S1050-6411(16)30081-5/abstract[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Background The prime focus of research on sports injury has been on physical factors. This is despite our understanding that when an athlete sustains an injury it has psychosocial as well as physical impacts. Psychosocial factors have been suggested as prognostic influences on the outcomes of rehabilitation. The aim of this work was to address the question: are psychosocial factors associated with sports injury rehabilitation outcomes in competitive athletes? Study design Mixed studies systematic review (PROSPERO reg.CRD42014008667). Method Electronic database and bibliographic searching was undertaken from the earliest entry until 1 June 2015. Studies that included injured competitive athletes, psychosocial factors and a sports injury rehabilitation outcome were reviewed by the authors. A quality appraisal of the studies was undertaken to establish the risk of reporting bias Results 25 studies were evaluated that included 942 injured competitive athletes were appraised and synthesised. Twenty studies had not been included in previous reviews. The mean methodological quality of the studies was 59% (moderate risk of reporting bias). Convergent thematic analysis uncovered three core themes across the studies: (1) emotion associated with rehabilitation outcomes; (2) cognitions associated with rehabilitation outcomes; and (3) behaviours associated with rehabilitation outcomes. Injury and performance-related fears, anxiety and confidence were associated with rehabilitation outcomes. There is gender-related, age-related and injury-related bias in the reviewed literature. Conclusions Psychosocial factors were associated with a range of sports injury rehabilitation outcomes. Practitioners need to recognise that an injured athlete’s thoughts, feelings and actions may influence the outcome of rehabilitation.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Introduction and Objectives: Knee problems are a common complaint among the general population with a high proportion of physical injuries being knee-related. Up to one in six knee-related conditions have been coded as a ‘patellofemoral condition’ which includes anterior knee pain. However, anterior knee pain can have several causes. One common cause is mal-alignment of the patellofemoral joint (PFJ) and is considered as an abnormal static position of the patella within the trochlear groove during knee extension and flexion. This can cause undue stress to the joint and surrounding structures, with resultant damage and potential pathology. Mal-alignment of the PFJ causes patellar kinematic abnormalities predominantly in the last 20° of knee extension mainly due to the decreased congruency as the patella rises out of the trochlear groove in this range. Clinicians currently assess the alignment of the patella via measurement of the Q-angle, functional testing and the so-called McConnell technique. The latter was developed by McConnell and has been broadly adopted by the physiotherapy community when assessing and treating alignment of the patellofemoral joint. The goal of this method is to determine the centre of the patella in relation to the femoral epicondyles and is reliant on accurate localisation of the medial and lateral borders and the femoral epicondyles. Whilst the McConnell technique may be useful within a clinical context, this subjective measurement is reported to have limited reliability. It is clear therefore that there is a need for the position of the patella in relation to the femur to be determined more objectively and reliably. Therefore the purpose of this study was to assess the suitability and reliability of a custom-made ‘patellofemoral tracking calliper’ to assess the patellar position with respect to the femur. Methods: A calliper, which measures the medial-lateral offset of the middle of the patella with respect to the mid-point of the femoral epicondyles (Patellofemoral Tracking Calliper [PFTC]) was developed (Figure 1) and assessed for accuracy and reliability. To assess accuracy, 39 right knees were measured with the calliper and compared to the equivalent measures obtained from MRI images. For this purpose, the knee was placed in an MRI scanner with the tibiofemoral joint positioned in 30° of flexion and the rotation of the leg orientated by using a spirit level along the medial side of the foot. The knee was supported with wedges and strapped to the MRI table in this position to prevent any deviation from the desired orientation. This position was replicated for measurements with the PFTC. During MRI analysis, the midpoint of the femoral epicondyles was defined as the half distance between the widest epicondyle points and the mid-point of the patella was defined as the half distance between the widest medial and lateral borders of the patella. This followed the same measurement methods as the PFTC, however this device used these landmarks via physical contact from the calliper arms. Thus, both the PFTC and the MRI equivalent provided information about the superficial position for the patella with respect to the femur. To assess agreement between both methods, the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was determined, and the Bland and Altman limits of agreement test was used to assess bias and limits of agreement. Each calliper measure was taken three times, and the reliability of the PFTC was assessed using intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC). Results: The patellofemoral tracking calliper was highly reliable (ICC=0.990-0.991). The limits of agreement with regards to the MRI equivalent method were ±8 mm. The Bland and Altman plot highlighted a systematic bias of 2 mm. The calliper measures correlated significantly with the MRI equivalent method (r = 0.675, p = 0.001). Figure: [/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”2075″ img_size=”medium”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Caption: Figure 1. Application of the Patellofemoral Tracking Calliper Conclusion: The patellofemoral tracking calliper is a useful tool, where the reliable assessment of patella position with respect to the femur is needed. The superficial landmarks of the patella and femur require further investigation into their accuracy in providing true alignment outcome measures of the patellofemoral joint. The McConnell method for assessing alignment may have questionable methods when the anatomical shape and interaction of the joint surfaces is considered alongside the data presented here. Disclosure of Interest: None Declared[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The aim of this study was to examine differences in Mental Toughness (MT) and coping with injury between male and female runners at different levels of experience.478 runners were categorized into beginners (n=47), intermediate (n=294) and advanced (n=137). All participants had sustained an injury during their running career. The present study utilized Survey Monkey™, which is an online survey collection service. Participants completed two questionnaires – the Psychological performance inventory (PPI-A) which measured MT and the Coping Inventory for Competitive Sport (CICS), which measured task, distancing and disengagement coping strategies. http://www.scitechnol.com/gender-differences-in-mental-toughness-and-coping-with-injury-in-runners-47EA.php?article_id=3264[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Visual conditions for a dancer vary greatly between theatrical performance environments and dance studios, and this variability may be detrimental to their dynamic balance performance, particularly under stage lighting. In order to maintain balance control, dancers reportedly rely heavily on visual input, yet those who rely more on proprioceptive strategies for balancing have been found to be more stable. The purpose of this study was to assess the capability of an eyes-closed, dance-specific training program to nurture in dancers proprioceptive mechanisms that may facilitate their dynamic balance control. Eighteen elite pre-professional ballet dancers were randomly assigned to either a control (eyes open) or experimental (eyes closed) group for the intervention. The balance abilities of all subjects were tested using five dance-specific variations of the Star Excursion Balance Test before and after a 4 week balance intervention. Reach distance and time to complete the tests were recorded separately as indirect measurements of dynamic balance. The intervention consisted of dance-specific, eyes-closed exercises integrated into the dancers’ daily ballet class and designed progressively to challenge the dancers’ balance. During the intervention period, the control group undertook the same exercise program with their eyes open. Results revealed significant improvements in time to complete the three “timed” balance tests, and distances reached significantly improved in one of the two “reach” balance tests. No significant improvements were observed in the control group for any variation of the tests. These results indicate that dancers can be trained to adopt proprioceptive strategies to maintain dynamic balance, which consequently improves their balance performance. Such findings could encourage use of eyes-closed training in daily dance classes due to its potential to improve dancers’ balance control. http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/jmrp/jdms/2014/00000018/00000001/art00001[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The aim of this study was to report the learning style preferences of final year Sports Therapy students within the context of clinical education, with a further specific focus on differences between male and female learning styles. A total of n = 32 BSc. (Hons) Sports Therapy degree students ( x̄ ± s; age = 21.8 ± 4.8 years, male:female = 14:18) were recruited from the University of Gloucestershire whilst completing a 24 week clinical practice module. Data collection involved the Kolb learning style inventory (version 3.1) being administered to all participants with reference to their clinical practice experience. Data analysis, involving mean scores for these learning style orientations, were then used to determine the group preference for abstractness over concreteness (AC-CE) and action over reflection (AE-RO). Group analysis revealed a preference for the converging learning style (AC-CE = 5.3, AE-RO = 5.2) and was in contrast to the favoured individual learning styles of Accommodator (34%) and Diverger (31%). These individual findings are consistent with Kolb & Kolb’s (2005) belief that individuals involved in human-related professions are person orientated and likely to adopt concrete learning styles. Gender comparison revealed a statistically significant difference between the AC-CE scores (P = 0.03), possibly leading to the assumption that male Sports Therapy students have a predilection for more abstract modes of experiential learning (8.6), whereas females have a slight preference for more concrete means (2.7), suggesting a more balanced learning style. The findings of this study indicate that learning activities could be tailored in order to optimise potential learning within a clinical Sports Therapy context. http://www.aldinhe.ac.uk/ojs/index.php?journal=jldhe&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=264[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Manual therapy aims to minimise pain and restore joint mobility and function. Joint mobilisations are integral to these techniques, with anteroposterior (AP) talocrural joint mobilisations purported to increase dorsiflexion range of motion (DF-ROM). This study aimed to determine whether different treatment durations of single grade IV anteroposterior talocrural joint mobilisations elicit statistically significant differences in DF-ROM. Sixteen asymptomatic male football players (age = 27.1 ± 5.3 years) participated in the study. Non-weight bearing (NWB) and weight bearing (WB) DF-ROM was measured before and after 4 randomised treatment conditions: control treatment, 30 s, 1 min, 2 min. NWB DF-ROM was measured using a universal goniometer, and WB DF-ROM using the weight-bearing lunge test. A within-subjects design was employed so that all participants received each of the treatment conditions. A 4 × 4 balanced Latin square design and 1 week interval between sessions reduced any residual effects. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant improvement in DF-ROM following all AP mobilisation treatments (p < 0.001). The within subjects contrasts showed that increases in treatment duration was associated with statistically significant improvements in DF-ROM (NWB DF-ROM control = 0.01%, 30 s = 14.2%, 1 min = 21.6%, 2 min = 32.8%; WB DF-ROM control = 0.01%, 30 s = 5.0%, 1 min = 7.6%, 2 min = 10.9%; p < 0.05). However, WB DF-ROM improvements were below the minimal detectable change scores needed to conclude that improvements were not a consequence of measurement error. This research shows that single session mobilisations can elicit NWB DF-ROM improvements in asymptomatic individuals in the absence of pain, whilst increases in treatment duration confer greater improvements in NWB DF-ROM within this population. Reprinted by kind permission of Manual Therapy Journal and Elsevier http://www.manualtherapyjournal.com/article/S1356-689X(15)00020-X/abstract[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]