Occupational kinesiology: back pain and load lifting techniques

Iako razne vrste zanimanja različito utječu na ljudsko zdravlje, nepravilni načini držanja tijela i bolovi u leđima povezuju veliki broj radnika i zanimanja. Bolovi u leđima česta su pojava i kod radnika u trgovinama. Njihov posao prvenstveno je okarakteriziran velikim brojem ponavljanja spuštanja i podizanja trupa prilikom slaganja robe. Upravo zato je, u jednom velikom trgovačkom lancu u RH, proveden projekt u području kineziologije rada u obliku sustavnog učenja radnika o pravilnim načinima rukovanja teretima, a s ciljem prevencije bolova u leđima. Ovo istraživanje dio je tog projekta. Uzorak ispitanika čini skupina od 234 zaposlenika koji rade u trgovinama. U sklopu projekta provedene su teorijsko-praktična predavanja na kojima su radnici ispunili anketne upitnike. Anketni upitnici obrađeni su metodama deskriptivne statistike. Utvrđeno je kako 58,02 % ispitanika osjeća bol u donjem dijelu leđa na prvom mjestu, a na prvom, drugom ili trećem mjestu bol u donjem dijelu leđa osjeća 73,11 % ispitanika. Bol u leđima i/ili vratu na prvom mjestu ima 84,90 % ispitanika, a na prvom, drugom i/ili trećem mjestu zajedno bol u leđima i/ili vratu osjeća zapanjujućih 92,45 % ispitanika. Utvrđeno je i kako 86,79 % ispitanika ima automatiziran nepravilan način rukovanja teretima u obliku istaknutog zaobljavanja leđa prilikom rada. Od 100 % ispitanika koji zaobljavaju leđa 94 % ispitanika ima bolove u leđima i/ili vratu, a samo 6 % ispitanika nema bolove u leđima i/ili vratu. Ovo istraživanje sugerira kako nepravilni načini držanja tijela za vrijeme rada fizičkih radnika snažno utječe na pojavu bolova u leđima i vratu. Zaključuje se kako tehnika dizanja tereta s poda nije ništa drugo do motoričko znanje koje se mora naučiti. Međutim, prvo se treba prepoznati potreba sustavnog upoznavanja radnika s pravilnim načinima držanja tijela prilikom rukovanja teretima. Cilj je primarna i sekundarna prevencija bolova u leđima i vratu kao i očuvanje radne sposobnosti radnika.Although different types of occupations exert different impacts on human health, back pain occurs in a very large number of workers in many occupations. Back pain is common among the workers in shops whose work tasks are characterized by a large number of repetitions required in lifting and lowering loads. Preventing back pain was the reason for a large commercial chain in the Republic of Croatia to implement this project in the field of occupational kinesiology. They carried out a systematic training scheme intended to teach their workers correct manual handling techniques. This investigation is part of that project. The sample of participants was made up of 234 employees working in stores. As part of the project, theoretical and practical lectures were conducted asking the employees to complete suitably designed questionnaires. Using the methods of descriptive statistics, this study found that 58.02% subjects had low back pain (LBP) in the first place. 73.11% subjects had LBP in the first, second and/or third place. 84.90 % subjects had back and/or neck pain in the first place. First, second, or third place back and/or neck pain afflicted an amazing 92.45% subjects. It was also found that 86.79% subjects practiced improper mechanics of movement in load lifting, exhibiting strong spine flexion during lifting. Of 100% subjects with pronounced spine flexion, 94% have back and/or neck pain and only 6% of the subjects have no back and/or neck pain. This research suggests that improper lifting techniques practiced by manual workers strongly affect the development of back and neck pain. It was concluded that the proper technique for lifting heavy loads from the floor is a motor skill that must be learned. However, first we must recognize the need for systematic education of workers on load lifting. The ultimate goal is primary and secondary prevention of back and neck pain, as well as preservation of work ability

Effects of A 3-Week Modified Complex Training on Athletic Performance of Women's National Basketball Players

Basketball is one of the popular sports in the world, and physical performance is becoming increasingly important in basketball as the game evolves. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of a 3-week modified complex training on athletic performance of women's national basketball players. An experimental study involved the participation of 12 highly trained female basketball players (national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina). Observed variables before and after 3-weeks of modified complex training were 300 yards test, 20-yards test, lane agility and beep test. Means and standard deviations for each of the variables were calculated, and differences pre-to-post performance changes were examined using a paired sample t-test. Three weeks of specific complex training sessions show a statistically significant increase in all tested variables, 300 yards (p≤.001); 20 yards (p≤.001); Lane agility (p≤.001) and beep test (p=.028). It can be concluded that applied complex training program has significantly improved studied parameters of condition preparation of elite female basketball players

The effects of recreational cardio fitness programs on the body composition of young women

Background and study aim. Group fitness programs are a form of programmed physical exercises with the aim of improving health, aesthetic appearance, satisfying the motivation to preserve health and reduce body weight. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of an experimental cardio fitness program on the morphological status of female subjects aged 21.5 ± 3.5 years. Material and methods. The experimental program was implemented over a period of three months (12 weeks), with a weekly frequency (3 x 20-60 min). Initial and final measurements were performed and Body weight, Body fat percentage, Body fat mass, Free fat mass, Body muscle mass, Body mass index and Basal metabolism rate were analyzed. All test subjects have their doctor's confirmation that they are healthy and can undergo training loads in a planned and clearly defined cardio program. Results. The exercise program on cardio equipment caused changes in all body composition parameters between the initial and final measurements t-test (except for muscle mass). The total average Body weight at the initial-final measurement (66.45 vs. 64.70kg; t= 5.225, p<0.000), which represents a difference of -1.75kg after the program. Conclusions. The assumption is that a controlled and monitored program with a special focus on nutrition would lead to even more precise results on the effects on body composition. Continuous application of the content of this program throughout the entire one-year macrocycle with a higher weekly frequency would certainly give even more significant results

Body composition of young soccer players

Purpose: The main aim of this study was to examine and analyse the body composition of young soccer players across different age groups. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 126 young soccer players divided into age categories: U15 – 53 players (age=14.68±0.47); U17 – 51 players (age=16.47±0.50); U19 – 22 players (age=18.05±0.38). The subjects’ height was measured using an anthropometer, while their body composition was measured using the TANITA BC-420MA digital scale. Results: On average, soccer players in the U15 group had significantly lower body height, weight, body mass index and fat free mass than U17 and U19 players, but had a higher percentage of body fat (p < 0.05). In addition to the percent of body fat mass, which tends to significantly decrease with age, the results also demonstrate significant non-linear increases in body height, weight, and lean body composition concurrent with the players’ ages. Conclusion: These results indicate that younger soccer players have lower absolute values of morphological characteristics compared to senior players

The genetic history of the Southern Arc: a bridge between West Asia and Europe

By sequencing 727 ancient individuals from the Southern Arc (Anatolia and its neighbors in Southeastern Europe and West Asia) over 10,000 years, we contextualize its Chalcolithic period and Bronze Age (about 5000 to 1000 BCE), when extensive gene flow entangled it with the Eurasian steppe. Two streams of migration transmitted Caucasus and Anatolian/Levantine ancestry northward, and the Yamnaya pastoralists, formed on the steppe, then spread southward into the Balkans and across the Caucasus into Armenia, where they left numerous patrilineal descendants. Anatolia was transformed by intra–West Asian gene flow, with negligible impact of the later Yamnaya migrations. This contrasts with all other regions where Indo-European languages were spoken, suggesting that the homeland of the Indo-Anatolian language family was in West Asia, with only secondary dispersals of non-Anatolian Indo-Europeans from the steppe

Decomposition of tensiomyogram and comparison with torque twitch responses after post-activation potentiation

Objectives: This study evaluates the effect of post-activation potentiation (PAP) after 5x5s maximal voluntary isometric contractions (activation stimulus, AS) on tensiomyography (TMG) and torque twitch contractile parameters of vastus lateralis (VL) and medialis (VM), respectively. Further, we validated the decomposition of TMG response to separate responses of three fiber types. Methods: 15 healthy individuals participated in this study (40% womenage 19±2.3 years). A decomposition of VL TMG response was done after optimal fitting of three exponential curves. Results: We found main effects in contraction time (Tc) for muscle, method and time. Furthermore, we found interactions between muscle*method, method*time and muscle*method*time. Compared to PRE AS, we found shorter TMG Tc in VL and VM during the first two minutes after AS. Torque Tc remained unchanged in VL, while it increased in VM within 30 seconds after AS. A decomposition of VL TMG response confirmed PAP effects being present only in decomposed type IIb muscle fibers. Conclusion: The TMG is a sensitive method to detect PAP effects with a sensor mounted directly above the muscle belly. After the decomposition of the TMG signal to three separate muscle fiber phenotypes, we provided a non-invasive insight in the contribution of each muscle fiber phenotype to the PAP of the whole muscle

The genetic history of the Southern Arc: a bridge between West Asia and Europe

By sequencing 727 ancient individuals from the Southern Arc (Anatolia and its neighbors in Southeastern Europe and West Asia) over 10,000 years, we contextualize its Chalcolithic period and Bronze Age (about 5000 to 1000 BCE), when extensive gene flow entangled it with the Eurasian steppe. Two streams of migration transmitted Caucasus and Anatolian/Levantine ancestry northward, and the Yamnaya pastoralists, formed on the steppe, then spread southward into the Balkans and across the Caucasus into Armenia, where they left numerous patrilineal descendants. Anatolia was transformed by intra?West Asian gene flow, with negligible impact of the later Yamnaya migrations. This contrasts with all other regions where Indo-European languages were spoken, suggesting that the homeland of the Indo-Anatolian language family was in West Asia, with only secondary dispersals of non-Anatolian Indo-Europeans from the steppe. Stories about the peopling?and people?of Southern Europe and West Asia have been passed down for thousands of years, and these stories have contributed to our historical understanding of populations. Genomic data provide the opportunity to truly understand these patterns independently from written history. In a trio of papers, Lazaridis et al. examined more than 700 ancient genomes from across this region, the Southern Arc, spanning 11,000 years, from the earliest farming cultures to post-Medieval times (see the Perspective by Arbuckle and Schwandt). On the basis of these results, the authors suggest that earlier reliance on modern phenotypes and ancient writings and artistic depictions provided an inaccurate picture of early Indo-Europeans, and they provide a revised history of the complex migrations and population integrations that shaped these cultures. ?SNV A web of migrations between Anatolia, its neighbors, and the Steppe suggests a West Asian origin of Indo-Anatolian languages

A genetic probe into the ancient and medieval history of Southern Europe and West Asia

Literary and archaeological sources have preserved a rich history of Southern Europe and West Asia since the Bronze Age that can be complemented by genetics. Mycenaean period elites in Greece did not differ from the general population and included both people with some steppe ancestry and others, like the Griffin Warrior, without it. Similarly, people in the central area of the Urartian Kingdom around Lake Van lacked the steppe ancestry characteristic of the kingdom’s northern provinces. Anatolia exhibited extraordinary continuity down to the Roman and Byzantine periods, with its people serving as the demographic core of much of the Roman Empire, including the city of Rome itself. During medieval times, migrations associated with Slavic and Turkic speakers profoundly affected the region

Ancient DNA from Mesopotamia suggests distinct Pre-Pottery and Pottery Neolithic migrations into Anatolia

We present the first ancient DNA data from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic of Mesopotamia (Southeastern Turkey and Northern Iraq), Cyprus, and the Northwestern Zagros, along with the first data from Neolithic Armenia. We show that these and neighboring populations were formed through admixture of pre-Neolithic sources related to Anatolian, Caucasus, and Levantine hunter-gatherers, forming a Neolithic continuum of ancestry mirroring the geography of West Asia. By analyzing Pre-Pottery and Pottery Neolithic populations of Anatolia, we show that the former were derived from admixture between Mesopotamian-related and local Epipaleolithic-related sources, but the latter experienced additional Levantine-related gene flow, thus documenting at least two pulses of migration from the Fertile Crescent heartland to the early farmers of Anatolia