OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of a dynamic, intensive exercise regimen on pain, disease activity, and physical functioning in active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS 64 patients with RA with a mean age of 60 (13) years and mean disease duration of 8 (8) years, admitted to hospital because of active disease, were randomly assigned to an intensive exercise programme or to a conservativ...

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a soccer (strength and technique) training program on kinematics and electromyographic (EMG) muscle activity during a instep kick. Ten amateur soccer players (aged 19.9+/-0.4 years, body mass 74.8+/-9.1 kg, height 177.4+/-6.7 cm) constituted the experimental group (EG) whereas 10 players (age 21.6+/-1.3 years, weight 71.5+/-6.7 kg, height 175.2...

BACKGROUND The extent to which muscle length affects force production in paretic lower limb muscles after stroke in comparison to controls has not been established. OBJECTIVES To investigate knee flexor strength deficits dependent on hip joint position in adults with hemiparesis and compare with healthy controls. METHOD a cross-sectional study with ten subjects with chronic (63±40 months) h...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of whole body vibration (WBV) training on maximal strength, squat jump, and flexibility of well-trained combat athletes. Twelve female and 8 male combat athletes (age: 22.8 ± 3.1 years, mass: 65.4 ± 10.7 kg, height: 168.8 ± 8.8 cm, training experience: 11.6 ± 4.7 years, training volume: 9.3 ± 2.8 hours/week) participated in this study. The...

QUESTION During isometric shoulder adduction in normal subjects, do the rotator cuff muscles activate more than other shoulder muscles? Are the activation patterns influenced by shoulder abduction angle or load? DESIGN A within-participant, repeated measures experimental study. PARTICIPANTS 15 healthy adults. INTERVENTION Participants performed an isometric adduction exercise at 30°, 60°,...

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to measure the muscle activities of the trunk muscles and upper limb muscles during maximum isometric contraction when temporomandibular joint alignment was achieved with a mandibular orthopedic repositioning appliance in order provide basic data on the effects of mandibular orthopedic repositioning appliance on the entire body. [Subjects] The present stu...

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of plyometric and isometric training on tendon properties during ramp and ballistic contractions and muscle stiffness under passive and active conditions. Eleven subjects completed 12 weeks (3 days/week) of a unilateral training program for the plantar flexors. They performed plyometric training on one side (PLY) and isometric training on the...

The main goal of this article is to present the design, technical development, and preliminary validation of an innovative mechatronic device for force/torque measurements taken from the human foot using pilot data. The device, formed by a mobile platform equipped with two six-axis force/torque sensors, was used to perform accurate quantitative measurements during isometric exercises, aimed at ...

Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, often occurs secondary to conditions such as stroke, head injury or progressive disease, many of which increase in frequency with advancing age. Sarcopenia, the gradual loss of muscle bulk and strength, can place older individuals at greater risk for dysphagia. Data are reported for three older participants in a pilot trial of a tongue-pressure training ther...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether isometric exercise increases collateral flow in remote ischaemic myocardium in acute coronary occlusion models of patients with coronary artery disease. DESIGN A randomized controlled study. SUBJECTS Sixty-five patients with 1-vessel coronary artery disease. METHODS Subjects were randomly assigned to either the isometric exercise group or non-exercise group....