Wushu Nanquan training is effective in preventing obesity and improving heart function in youth

Effects of Knee Injury Length on Jump Inside Kick Performances of Wushu Player

Background and Objectives: When performing the jump inside kick in Wushu, it is important to understand the rotation technique while in mid-air. This is because the score varies according to the mid-air rotation, and when landing after the mid-air rotation, it causes considerable injury to the knee. This study aimed to compare the differences in kinematic and kinetic variables between experienced and less experienced knee injuries in the Wushu players who perform 360°, 540°, and 720° jump inside kicks in self-taolu. Materials and Methods: The participants’ mean (SD) age was 26.12 (2.84) years old. All of them had suffered knee injuries and were all recovering and returning to training. The group was classified into a group with less than 20 months of injury experience (LESS IG, n = 6) and a group with more than 20 months of injury experience (MORE IG, n = 6). For kinematic measurements, jump inside kicks at three rotations were assessed by using high-speed cameras. For kinetic measurements, the contraction time and maximal displacement of tensiomyography were assessed in the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, rectus femoris, biceps femoris, gastrocnemius lateralis, gastrocnemius medialis, and tibialis anterior. The peak torque, work per repetition, fatigue index, and total work of isokinetic moments were assessed using knee extension/flexion, ankle inversion/eversion, and ankle plantarflexion/dorsiflexion tests. Results: Although there was no difference at the low difficulty level (360°), there were significant differences at the higher difficulty levels (540° and 720°) between the LESS IG and the MORE IG. For distance and time, the LESS IG had a shorter jump distance, but a faster rotation time compared to those in the MORE IG. Due to the characteristics of the jump inside kick’s rotation to the left, the static and dynamic muscle contractility properties were mainly found to be higher in the left lower extremity than in the right lower extremity, and higher in the LESS IG than in the MORE IG. In addition, this study observed that the ankle plantarflexor in the LESS IG was significantly higher than that in the MORE IG. Conclusion: To become a world-class self-taolu athlete while avoiding knee injuries, it is necessary to develop the static and dynamic myofunctions of the lower extremities required for jumping. Moreover, it is considered desirable to train by focusing on the vertical height and the amount of rotation during jumping.

Mouthguard-effect of high-intensity weight training on masticatory muscle tone and stiffness in taekwondo athletes

This study aimed to analyze the effect of wearing a mouthguard or not on masticatory muscle tone and stiffness of male taekwondo athletes during high-intensity weight training. The participants were male taekwondo athletes and aged 18 to 22 years. We randomly divided 24 men into the control group (CON; without a mouthguard; n=12) and the experimental group (MOG; with a mouthguard; n=12). Masticatory muscle tone and stiffness were measured after weight training at a level of 70% of one-repetition maximum. As a result of this study, masticatory muscle tone was no different in intragroup and intergroup after experiment. In addition, although the masticatory muscle stiffness was significantly higher in the dominant side of the MOG, there was no difference in intergroup, intragroup, and interaction. Through this study, it is necessary to consider the selective wearing of a mouthguard according to the training methods when partially analyzed from the physiological point of view of the masticatory muscle of taekwondo athletes.

Can the Functional Movement Screen Method Identify Previously Injured Wushu Athletes?

The functional movement screen (FMS) is commonly used to evaluate sports injury risks, but no study has been reported for Wushu athletes. The aim of this study was to identify optimal FMS cut-off points for previously injured Wushu athletes and to examine the associations with other possible factors. In this study, a total of 84 Chinese Wushu athletes (15.1 ± 4.5 years old, 51% male) with a minimum of two years of professional training background in either Taiji, Changquan, or Nanquan were assessed by the FMS. Video recordings were used to confirm the scoring criteria, and previous injuries were assessed based on face-to-face interviews. An optimal cut-off of the FMS score was investigated by receiver operating characteristic curves with sensitivity and specificity. We found that FMS score of less than 16 (sensitivity = 80%, specificity = 56%) was related to an increased occurrence of injuries (odds ratio = 5.096, 95%CI: 1.679-15.465) for the current study sample. The training type and training levels were related with FMS scores. More than half of the athletes (58%) had FMS asymmetry and 21% of athletes reported pain while performing the FMS protocol. Future prospective studies are recommended to use FMS with cut-off of 16 points in Wushu athletes.

Effects of 3D Moving Platform Exercise on Physiological Parameters and Pain in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain

Background and objectives: Patient-handling activities predispose women to chronic low back pain (CLBP), but sufficient evidence is not available on whether a 3D moving platform, made for core stability exercise, affects pain, trunk flexibility, and static/dynamic muscle contractions in CLBP patients. Materials and Methods: The participants were twenty-nine women who were randomly divided into a control group (CON) and a 3D exercise group (3DEG), which took part in 3D moving exercise three times a week for 8 weeks. Both groups measured a visual analog scale (VAS) about their CLBP. Body composition, forward and backward trunk flexibilities, static muscle contraction property in rectus abdominis, and erector spinae were measured by tensiomyography, which found contraction time (Tc) and maximal displacement (Dm). Dynamic muscle contraction property in the abdomen and back were measured with an isokinetic device, which could measure peak torque (Pt) and work per repetition (Wr), before and after the trial. Results: The 3DEG had a significantly decreased fat mass and waist/hip ratio, as well as improved static muscle contractions of the erector spinae. The Wr of trunk extensor of 3D exercise group were also significantly increased. In the VAS, although the scores showed a significant change in some variables, while others did not. The Δ% in feeling pain at rest or at night, during exercise, walking, sitting in a hard chair, sitting in a soft chair, and lying down in 3DEG were significantly changed after 8 weeks. This indicates that the platform exercise provided a greater reduction of pain for activities that are done on a daily basis. Conclusions: This study confirms that the 3D moving platform exercise can provide the similar effect of the core stability exercise used in previous studies. Moreover, this study suggests that 3D moving platform exercise is a suitable means to reduce fatness, to increase trunk extensor, and to increase trunk backward flexibility, which led to reduced back pain in the women with CLBP.