Effect of Passive, Active and Combined Warm up on Lower Limb Muscle Performance and Dynamic Stability in Recreational Sports Players

Influence of protocol variables on outcomes of the star excursion balance test group (SEBT, mSEBT, YBT-LQ) in healthy individuals: a systematic review

Background

The "SEBT group," which includes the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), its modified version (mSEBT), and the Lower Quarter Y-Balance Test (YBT-LQ), is used to assess the limits of stability. Interestingly, the testing protocol allows users a considerable degree of flexibility, which can affect the obtained results. Therefore, the objective of this systematic review was to analyze the impact of different protocol variants within the "SEBT group" on outcomes.

Methods

Data were acquired by searching 4 databases (MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, Wiley, Springer Link) focusing on studies published in English in peer-reviewed journals, empirical in nature, conducted on healthy individuals, and examining the effects of various protocol variants on test outcomes. Study quality was assessed with the NHLBI quality assessment tool for pre-post studies with no control group.

Results

The calculation method based on the maximum repetition yields statistically significantly higher results compared to other calculation methods. Allowing unrestricted arm movements during the test results in statistically significantly higher scores compared to the procedure that restricts arm movements. The impact of a warm-up, wearing footwear during testing, and using a dedicated kit remains ambiguous. To obtain reliable results, 4-6 familiarization trials are necessary, though fewer may suffice for athletes experienced in performing the test.

Conclusion

This systematic review highlights the significant impact of the calculation method and arm movement restrictions on the outcomes of the "SEBT group." The effects of wearing footwear during testing, warm-up, and using a dedicated test kit remain unclear. The required number of familiarization repetitions may varies depending on biological maturity level of the person being tested. Future research should develop a warm-up protocol tailored to the needs of the "SEBT group," and investigate the impact of heel elevation during testing on outcomes.

Systematic review registration

The protocol for this systematic review was prospectively registered in the OSF Registries (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/JSKH2).

The Clinical Benefits of a Dynamic vs. Static Component as Part of a Comprehensive Warm-Up for Recreational Sports Players with Clinical Histories of Hamstring Injuries: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Few previous studies have analyzed the effects of certain specific static and dynamic warm-up components on recreational sports players with a previous hamstring injury. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze changes in some modifiable and external risk factors after (immediately and in a follow-up assessment after 10 min) a static or dynamic warm-up program on recreational sports players with a previous hamstring injury. Methods: A total of 62 participants were randomized into 2 groups: static warm-up (SW) (n = 31) or dynamic warm-up (DW) (n = 31). Range of movement (RoM), perceived pain, the pressure−pain threshold, and joint position sense were assessed at baseline, immediately after the intervention and 10 min afterwards. The intervention for the SW (hot pack procedures in both hamstring muscles) lasted 20 min. The DW intervention consisted of a running exercise performed on a treadmill for 10 min. Results: Both groups showed statistically significant changes (p ≤ 0.05) in the primary outcomes (perceived pain and the pressure−pain threshold) at the three measurement times (this was also true for RoM for the SW group, with statistically significant differences only between times from the baseline to the 10-min follow-up; p ≤ 0.05, d = 0.23). The intra-group secondary outcome showed no statistically significant changes (p > 0.05) in both groups (except for the period from the baseline−immediately after in the DW group; p ≤ 0.05, d = 0.53). The comparison between groups showed no statistically significant differences for any of the variables analyzed. (p ≥ 0.05). Conclusion: The present findings suggest that both specific warm-up modalities seem to positively influence perceived pain on stretching and the pressure threshold; however, the significant reduction in the joint repositioning error and the larger effect sizes observed in the DW group suggest that this method has a greater beneficial impact in recreational sports players with clinical histories of hamstring injuries.

Immediate Effect of Warm-Up on Single-Leg Balance in Individuals with and without Functional Ankle Instability

Ankle sprains account for about 20% of all sports injuries in the United States. About 5-10 minutes of general warm-up is recommended to enhance performance and reduce injuries. However, its immediate impact on single-leg balance is unclear. The purpose of the study was to examine if different warm-up protocols could impact single-leg balance in individuals with and without functional ankle instability. Thirty volunteers (aged 19-29 years) participated in the study. The Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool was used to examine functional ankle stability and the Athletic Single-leg Stability Test of the Biodex Balance System was used to examine single-leg balance. Subjects were examined in three separate sessions (no warm-up, 5-minute warm-up, or 10-minute warm-up) with one week apart. Results show warm-up conditions had a significant impact on single-leg balance (p = .021). Pairwise comparisons showed the balance after the 5-minute warm-up was significantly worse than the no warm-up condition (p = .000). It is possible that warm-up makes the tissues surrounding lower extremity joints more flexible, therefore making single-leg balance control more challenging. In addition, subjects with functional ankle instability exhibited significantly worse single-leg balance than those without functional ankle instability (p = .003). However, the immediate effect of warm-up on balance control was similar between individuals with and without functional ankle instability. Clinicians should consider implementing single-leg balance testing and training for those who are identified as having functional ankle instability. Despite its known benefits of enhancing performance and reducing injuries, general warm-up activities may have an immediately negative effect on single-leg balance control.

No Difference in the Acute Effects of Randomization vs. Blocking of Units of Lower-Extremity Proprioceptive Training on Balance and Postural Control in Young Healthy Male Adults

Random practice is a form of differential learning and its favorable acute effects on motor performance are well described when visual tasks are practiced. However, no study to date has investigated the acute effects of differential learning using variable proprioceptive stimuli instead of the visual cues. The aim of the present study was to compare the acute effects of randomized versus blocked lower-extremity proprioceptive training stimuli on balance and postural adjustments. In two conditions, healthy young males (n = 15, age = 23 years) performed 16 one-legged landings on a board tilted in four directions: 1) tilt direction unknown and randomized and 2) tilt direction known with order of presentation blocked. Multi-segmental angular sway while balancing on an unstable surface and postural responses to perturbation stimulus by surface tilts were measured before and 4 min after training. Overall frontal-plane postural sway on the unstable surface decreased (p < 0.05, η² = 0.022) in both conditions, while sagittal-plane postural sway remained unchanged. When the surface was toes-up tilted in the perturbation test, the sagittal-plane shank-thigh-pelvis alignment improved in both conditions (p < 0.05, η² = 0.017), but the direction of the segmental positioning was non-uniform across participants. We conclude that randomization vs. blocking of units of lower-extremity proprioceptive training did not affect balance and postural control in our cohort of healthy young adults but the improvements were test-specific.

Single and combined effect of kinesio tape and warm-up on sprint cycling performance

Background

The fact that kinesio tape may be capable to enhance muscle power would qualify it as practical tool to be considered during passive warm-up (WU) or coupled with active WU processes prior to power-based performance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the single and combined effect of kinesio tape (KT) and WU on sprint cycling performance.

Methods

In a repeated measure design, fifteen participants underwent six sessions to assess sprint cycling performance involving a combination of three taping conditions (without KT: NoKT; with KT positioned vertically over the thigh muscles KT; with KT positioned horizontally over the thigh muscles: Sham) with two pre-exercise routines (with WU: WU; without WU: NoWU) in a randomized order. Allometric scaling of peak power (PP) and average power (AP) values were considered for each sprint.

Results

KT-WU demonstrated the highest PP and AP with respect to the other conditions (p < 0.05), except for AP that was similar to Sham-WU (p > 0.05). Moreover, NoKT-NoWU showed the lowest PP and AP with respect to the other conditions (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Overall, our findings suggest that kinesio tape might be a possible tool to be combined with an active WU routine, inducing benefit on sprint performance. Moreover, KT may be considered a potential strategy to include within a passive WU, perhaps where an active WU is not feasible. However, as the influence of KT on muscle function is still unclear, our results should not be overinterpreted.

Activation of Skeletal Muscle Satellite Cells by a Device Simultaneously Applying High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic Technology and Novel RF Technology: Fluorescent Microscopy Facilitated Detection of NCAM/CD56

Background

Myosatellite cells are myogenic stem cells that can transform to provide nuclei for existing muscles or generate new muscle fibers as documented after extended exercise programs.

Objectives

The authors investigated whether the simultaneous application of High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic (HIFEM) and Synchrode radiofrequency (RF) affects the levels of satellite cells similarly as the prolonged exercise does to achieve muscle growth.

Methods

Three 30-minute simultaneous HIFEM and Synchrode RF treatments (once a week) were administered over the abdominal area of 5 Large White swine aged approximately 6 months. All animals were anesthetized during the treatments and biopsy acquisition. Biopsies of muscle tissue were collected at baseline, 4 days, 2 weeks, and 1 month post-treatment. After binding the specific antibodies, the NCAM/CD56 levels, a marker of activated satellite cells, were quantified employing the immunofluorescence microscopy technique with a UV lamp.

Results

Examined slices showed a continuous increase in satellite cell levels throughout the study. Four days after the treatment, we observed a 26.1% increase in satellite cells, which increased to 30.2% at 2-week follow-up. Additional histological analysis revealed an increase in the cross-sectional area of muscle fibers and the signs of newly formed fibers of small diameters at 2 weeks after the treatment. No damage to muscle tissue and no adverse effects related to the treatment were observed.

Conclusions

The findings indicate that the simultaneous application of HIFEM and novel Synchrode RF treatment can initiate differentiation of satellite cells to support the growth of existing muscles and, presumably, even the formation of new myofibers.

The effect of different stretching protocols on vertical jump measures in college age gymnasts

BACKGROUND

Gymnastics is a sport that requires rapid display of explosive power expressed through the vertical jump. Recent studies have shown that a static-stretching based warm-up is ineffective for explosive power development. The aim of this study was to compare different stretching protocols and their effect on vertical jump measures.

METHODS

Eleven gymnasts (9 males, 2 females; 23.18±2.52 yrs) participated in this randomized crossover study. Participants were measured on the countermovement jump (CMJ), squat jump (SQJ), and depth jump (DJ) at baseline (no warm-up). Participants were then randomly placed into one of four stretching protocols: Static (ST), dynamic (DY), static + dynamic (ST+DY), and dynamic + static (DY+ST) and tested on the CMJ, SQJ, and DJ. A photoelectric cell device was used to measure vertical jump height (VJH), flight time (FT), power output (PO), and Reactive Strength Index (RSI). The non-parametric Friedman test was used to test differences between stretching protocols.

RESULTS

The DY protocol showed significant improvements in VJH, FT, and PO in the CMJ. The ST, ST+DY, and DY+ST protocols did not show any significant improvements.

CONCLUSIONS

A warm-up consisting of dynamic movements that resemble those used in the sport of gymnastics can improve vertical jump measures, as reflected through the CMJ.