Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among highly-trained male athletes. Only participants who showed normal knee valgus during a drop landing screening test were recruited. Twelve junior athletes performed single leg squats while maintaining a knee flexion angle of 60°. The squats were executed in three foot positions: neutral (0°), adduction (-10°), and abduction (+10°). Three-dimensional motion analysis was used to capture the lower extremity kinematics of the participants' preferred limb. The hip and knee kinematics in the sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes during squatting were compared across the three foot positions using one-way ANOVA.
Results: The participants showed a normal range of dynamic knee valgus (5.3°±1.6). No statistically significant differences were observed in hip flexion (p = 0.322), adduction (p = 0.834), or internal rotation (p = 0.967) across different foot positions. Similarly, no statistically significant differences were observed in knee flexion (p = 0.489), adduction (p = 0.822), or internal rotation (p = 0.971) across different foot positions.
Conclusion: Small changes in transverse plane foot position do not affect lower extremity kinematics during single leg squat in highly trained adolescent males with normal dynamic knee valgus. Our findings may provide guidance on safer techniques for landing, pivoting, and cutting during training and game situations.
Methods: Seven patients with acute grade 1 ankle sprain (15 days of ankle sprain) were recruited. They were provided with 7 days of protection, optimal loading, ice, compression, and elevation (POLICE) treatment, and the standard physiotherapy programme consisted of towel stretching and balancing exercises on one leg. Pain scale score was recorded daily during the physiotherapy programme. The isokinetic ankle strengths of the patient's injured and uninjured legs were compared before and after the physiotherapy programme. Isokinetic tests were conducted in painless range of motion for the injured leg.
Results: Pain was significantly reduced after the patients underwent the standard physiotherapy programme. No significant differences were observed in terms of the ankle peak torque, time to peak torque, and ankle plantar flexion-to-dorsiflexion ratio of the injured and uninjured legs. The injured leg showed significant improvement in terms of ankle eversion-to-inversion ratio (E:I) after 7 days of performing the standard physiotherapy programme.
Conclusion: Performing the standard physiotherapy programme for 1 week reduces pain and improves the ankle E:I in patients with grade 1 ankle sprain.
Objectives: The main aim of this fundamental investigation is to examine the influence of a two-phase hybrid nanofluid approach on mixed convection characteristics including the consequences of varying Richardson number, number of oscillations, nanoparticle volume fraction, and dimensionless length and dimensionless position of the solid obstacle.
Methods: The migration of composite hybrid nanoparticles due to the nano-scale forces of the Brownian motion and thermophoresis was taken into account. There is an inner block near the middle of the enclosure, which contributes toward the flow, heat, and mass transfer. The top lid cover wall of the enclosure is allowed to move which induces a mixed convection flow. The impact of the migration of hybrid nanoparticles with regard to heat transfer is also conveyed in the conservation of energy. The governing equations are molded into the non-dimensional pattern and then explained using the finite element technique. The effect of various non-dimensional parameters such as the volume fraction of nanoparticles, the wave number of walls, and the Richardson number on the heat transfer and the concentration distribution of nanoparticles are examined. Various case studies for Al2O3-Cu/water hybrid nanofluids are performed.
Results: The results reveal that the temperature gradient could induce a notable concentration variation in the enclosure.
Conclusion: The location of the solid block and undulation of surfaces are valuable in the control of the heat transfer and the concentration distribution of the composite nanoparticles.
METHODS: Male participants (age 22.0±3.4) performed ramped isometric knee extensions at knee joint angles of 90°, 70°, 50° and 30° of flexion. Strain patterns of the anterior and posterior regions of the patellar tendon were determined using real-time B-mode ultrasonography at each knee joint angle. Regional strain measures were compared using an automated pixel tracking method.
RESULTS: Strain was seen to be greatest for both the anterior and posterior regions with the knee at 90° (7.76±0.89% and 5.06±0.76%). Anterior strain was seen to be significantly greater (p<0.05) than posterior strain for all knee angles apart from 30°, 90°=(7.76vs. 5.06%), 70°=(4.77vs. 3.75%), and 50°=(3.74vs. 2.90%). The relative strain (ratio of anterior to posterior), was greatest with the knee joint angle at 90°, and decreased as the knee joint angle reduced.
CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study indicate that not only are there greater absolute tendon strains with the knee in greater flexion, but that the knee joint angle affects the regional strain differentially, resulting in greater shear between the tendon layers with force application when the knee is in greater degrees of flexion. These results have important implications for rehabilitation and training.
INTRODUCTION: Finger stiffness after treatment for metacarpal fractures often occurs due to poor compliance to the conventional rehabilitation programs. Gamification has shown success in improving adherence to and effectiveness of various therapies.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether gamification, using cost-effective devices was comparable with conventional physiotherapy in improving hand functions and adherence to rehabilitation in metacarpal fractures.
METHODS: A 2-group randomized controlled trial involving 19 patients was conducted. Participants were randomized to a control (conventional physiotherapy, n = 10) or interventional group (gamification, n = 9). The grips strength and composite finger range of motion were measured at the baseline and each follow-up together with Patient-Rated Wrist and Hand Evaluation scores and compliance.
RESULTS: There were no significant differences on improvements of grip strength (means difference 24.38 vs 20.44, P = .289) and composite finger range of motion (means difference 50.50 vs 51.11, P = .886). However, the gamification group showed better results in Patient-Rated Wrist and Hand Evaluation (mean 0.44 vs 8.45, P = .038) and compliance (P
METHODS: We developed a hybrid algorithm that combines features of empirical mode decomposition (EMD) with principal component analysis (PCA) to reduce the BCG artefact. The algorithm does not require extra electrocardiogram (ECG) or electrooculogram (EOG) recordings to extract the BCG artefact.
RESULTS: The method was tested with both simulated and real EEG data of 11 participants. From the simulated data, the similarity index between the extracted BCG and the simulated BCG showed the effectiveness of the proposed method in BCG removal. On the other hand, real data were recorded with two conditions, i.e. resting state (eyes closed dataset) and task influenced (event-related potentials (ERPs) dataset). Using qualitative (visual inspection) and quantitative (similarity index, improved normalized power spectrum (INPS) ratio, power spectrum, sample entropy (SE)) evaluation parameters, the assessment results showed that the proposed method can efficiently reduce the BCG artefact while preserving the neuronal signals.
COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: Compared with conventional methods, namely, average artefact subtraction (AAS), optimal basis set (OBS) and combined independent component analysis and principal component analysis (ICA-PCA), the statistical analyses of the results showed that the proposed method has better performance, and the differences were significant for all quantitative parameters except for the power and sample entropy.
CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method does not require any reference signal, prior information or assumption to extract the BCG artefact. It will be very useful in circumstances where the reference signal is not available.