The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of three normalization methods for analyzing hip abductor activation during rehabilitation exercises. Thirteen healthy subjects performed three open kinetic chain and three closed kinetic chain hip abductor exercises. Surface EMG activity for the gluteus medius was collected during each exercise and normalized based on a maximum volunta...

OBJECTIVES To investigate the effects of 24 weeks of whole-body-vibration (WBV) training on knee-extension strength and speed of movement and on counter-movement jump performance in older women. DESIGN A randomized, controlled trial. SETTING Exercise Physiology and Biomechanics Laboratory, Leuven, Belgium. PARTICIPANTS Eighty-nine postmenopausal women, off hormone replacement therapy, age...

Balanced forces around the shoulder are important for normal function; however, rehabilitation guidelines are not well defined because the muscle contributions and optimal exercise technique to recruit them are poorly understood. This study aimed to determine (1) the conditions of resisted isometric external rotation that optimized the contribution of infraspinatus and (2) the load of external ...

Isometric bodyweight squats are fundamental exercises in athletic training and rehabilitation. Previously, we measured muscle activity a normal squat posture (NSP) with the center of foot pressure (COP) intentionally shifted forward as far possible (forward-shifted posture: FSP), patterns varied significantly according to COP location. This study focused on stepwise loading strategy. Ten health...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the postactivation potentiation (PAP) effect of isometric and plyometric contractions on explosive performance of the upper and the lower limbs in male and female elite athletes. Thirteen male and ten female international level fencers performed four protocols of either isometric (3 sets of 3 sec) or plyometric (3 sets of 5 repetitions) bench and leg pr...

Objectives: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and disabling disease of the nervous system. This study was conducted to determine the effect of isometric exercises on balance and ability in the patients with MS.  Methods: Sixty MS patients participated in this randomized controlled trial study and patients were randomly assigned into treatment and control groups. Treatment group partici...

BACKGROUND Gluteus medius (GM) dysfunction is associated with many musculoskeletal disorders. Rehabilitation exercises aimed at strengthening GM appear to improve lower limb kinematics and reduce pain. However, there is a lack of evidence to identify which exercises best activate GM. In particular, as GM consists of three distinct subdivisions, it is unclear if GM activation is consistent acros...

CONTEXT Weight-bearing (WB) and non-weight-bearing (NWB) exercises are commonly used in rehabilitation programs for patients with anterior knee pain (AKP). OBJECTIVE To determine the immediate effects of isolated WB or NWB knee-extension exercises on quadriceps torque output and activation in individuals with AKP. DESIGN A single-blind randomized controlled trial. SETTING Laboratory. PA...