An investigation into exercise behaviour, preferences and quality of life of primary brain tumour patients

Brain tumors are the second leading cause of cancer deaths in young adults ages 20-39. According to the South African Medical Research Council, there was an estimated 801 deaths from brain cancer in South Africa in 2000. Primary and metastatic tumors are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in cancer patients worldwide. The purpose of this study was to further the knowledge and expertise on exercise as an adjuvant therapy in brain tumor patients to improve quality of life (QoL). A sample of 14 brain tumor patients in various stages of the illness was recruited. Based on the objectives of this study, an Exercise and Quality of Life questionnaire (Fact-Br) was compiled. It contains 53 questions with high validity and good psychometric properties and efficacy to assess QoL in patients in the population. The main objective of the study was to find a correlation of QoL and physical activity. A positive correlation was evident, which indicated that physical activity would improve the QoL of the brain tumor patient. There was a statistically significant difference between patients who participated in exercise before diagnoses and those who did not in terms of perceptions of QoL (p=0.034). In the survey it showed that 59-71% patients engaged in mild to moderate exercise. There is a considerable rationale for promoting multimodal exercise interventions to improve physical capacity, vitality, and physical and mental well-being and to relieve fatigue during chemotherapy, thereby supporting cancer patients’ daily activities.http://www.ajol.info/journal_index.php?jid=153&ab=ajpherd2015-06-30am201

The effect of a conservative versus an aggressive-progressive exercise programme on chronic low back pain and disability

Thirty-two (N= 32) full-time working subjects between the ages of 20 and 55 years participated in a 12-week exercise intervention study. Subjects were randomly divided into a control group receiving conservative exercises and low intensity back school and an experimental group receiving aggressive-progressive exercises and high intensity back school. Pain and disability were measured with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). The ODI is used to determine the impact of low back pain on the activities of daily living. Results showed that both groups improved significantly from baseline, but there was no significant difference between the groups. The experimental group improved from 54.44 to 17 and the control group improved from 52.57 to 13.40 for the VAS and from 23.72 to 8 for the experimental group and from 20.7 to 11.00 for the control group for the ODI respectively. The results from the experimental group were compared to results from similar studies to obtain an indication of results achieved versus those achieved in developed countries. In conclusion, the VAS and ODI results achieved by the South African subjects were equal to or better than those achieved by patients in developed countries.http://www.ajol.info/journal_index.php?jid=153&ab=ajpher

The incidence of chronic low back pain on employment status in working adults in South Africa

Low back pain has become one of the most influential musculoskeletal disorders of modern society. Exercise has been shown to be very effective in the treatment of chronic low back pain. The goal of the study was to test the effect of two exercise intervention programmes (conservative or progressive-aggressive programmes) for 12 weeks on low back muscle strength as well as psychological factors in participants with chronic low back pain. In total 32 participants were recruited for the study and randomly assigned to two exercise groups. However, due to medical and work related reasons a number of subjects dropped out. At the end there were 10 subjects in the conservative exercise group and 11 in the progressive-aggressive group. Statistically significant differences at the 5% level of significance were found at the post-test measurements between the two groups. The results from the present study indicate that both types of programmes have shown to be very effective in the treatment of chronic low back pain, but that an aggressive-progressive exercise programme may be slightly more effective than a more conservative exercises programme.http://reference.sabinet.co.za/sa_epublication/ergosahb201

Comparison of physical fitness outcomes of young South African military recruits following different physical training programs during basic military training

Physical training (PT) is an integral part of developing operational fitness. The objective of the study was to compare the physical fitness outcomes of two groups of young South African military recruits completing 12 weeks of Basic Military Training (BMT) who followed different PT programs. A historical control group (NCPG: female n=115, male n=73) that followed a traditional PT program and an experimental group (CPG: female n=85, male n=100) that followed a new cyclic-progressive PT program participated. The standardised PT test was taken at the beginning, the fifth week and the end of the BMT period. The changes in the fitness components evaluated by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) standardised PT test were compared. Although the new cyclic-progressive PT program elicited more change (p<0.05) in the fitness parameters measured, it only yielded superior performance at the final measurement in the men’s push-ups (p=0.0001). This may be attributed to the relatively greater amount of upper body exercises performed by the CPG and by the additional resistance offered by pole PT. The new cyclic-progressive PT program has been mandated for all BMT units across the SANDF.http://academic.sun.ac.za/sajrsper/am201

Flexibility as risk factor for stress-fracture development in South African male soldiers

BACKGROUND : Stress fractures are a common military training injury. Flexibility of muscles and joints may directly influence stress-fracture risk by way of altering the forces applied to bone. Hip external rotation and ankle plantar- and dorsiflexion have been inconsistently reported to pose a risk to stress fracture development in military soldiers. Thus this study aimed to present results that could help define the risk flexibility may pose in the development of stress fractures amongst military male soldiers. METHODS : An experimental one-group pretest–posttest study design assessing the injury incidence, bilateral hip external rotation, ankle plantar- and dorsiflexion of South African male military soldiers (n = 100) undergoing 12 weeks of basic military training (BMT) was undertaken. The parametric t-test for dependent samples (α = 0.05) and effect size (ES) was used to analyse the data. RESULTS : No stress fractures were diagnosed in the 100 operational military training injuries reported. BMT resulted in significant mean decreases of 10% (L) and 17% (R) in hip external rotation and 18% (L) and 14% (R) in ankle plantar flexion respectively, whilst a significant increase of 37% (L) and 39% (R) dorsiflexion was observed. CONCLUSIONS : Although normal ankle and limited hip external flexibility do not appear to predispose these male soldiers to stress fracture development these variables should not be excluded as possible intrinsic risk factors.http://medpharm.tandfonline.com/loi/ojfp20am201

Physiological demands of rugby union matches and practice sessions

Research studies indicate that, by determining the physiological load placed on athletes during competitions, it can aid in the development of strength and conditioning programmes, according to the specific demands placed on athletes. Physiological data, specifically on rugby union players, are limited, thus stressing the need for more information in this area. The aim of the study was to investigate the physiological demands of South African male U/21 club rugby players and to establish the relationship between physiological demands experienced during rugby games and practice sessions. Scientific methods to describe physiological demands in sport that are used are heart-rate and blood-lactate measurements. A group of U/21 rugby players (n=15) of the University of Pretoria (Tuks) rugby club participated in this study. Variables that were tested included blood-lactate concentrations and mean heart-rates during a rugby match and practice sessions. The Tuks U/21 team’s data were analysed by means of descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations). Significant differences between rugby match and practice sessions were determined by a dependent t-test (p<0.05). An independent t-test was used to determine significant differences between the forwards and backs group. The results showed statistically significant differences between mean heart-rate in the rugby match (154.40 ±13.53) and practice sessions (138.33±4.81). No significant differences were found between peak lactate measurements in the match (5.39 ±2.44) and practice sessions (4.93±1.83). Between the forwards and backs group no statistical significance could be found for average heart-rate and blood-lactate levels in practice sessions and during the match. The findings of the present study indicate that rugby union matches for club level U/21 players are an intermittent type of activity, which utilise both aerobic and anaerobic energy systems.http://www.ajol.info/journal_index.php?jid=153&ab=ajpher

Incidence of shoulder injuries and related risk factors among master swimmers in South Africa

Incidence of shoulder injuries have been widely reported for work-related musculoskeletal pain in the upper extremities, but there is a limited amount of research and statistics available that reports on the incidence of shoulder pain in master swimmers. This study investigated the association between literature identified risk factors and the incidence of shoulder pain in South African master swimmers. A total of 282 master swimmers completed a shoulder pain and related risk factors questionnaire during the 2010 South African Masters Swimming Championships. Statistical analysis of the data was done to determine frequencies, percentages, odds ratios and significance levels. Shoulder pain was found to be more likely in females (odds ratio (OR) = 1.3), smokers (OR = 1.8), swimmers swimming more than one stroke (OR = 1.2) and competitive swimmers (OR = 2.2). Swimmers engaging in strength training (OR = 0.78) showed a reduced incidence of shoulder pain. The calculated incidence of shoulder pain over the three-year period among the master swimmers was 62.4%. Significant statistical associations between shoulder pain and the risk factors of osteoporosis, volume of training and competitiveness were found. This high incidence of shoulder pain highlights the need for the development of interventions to prevent these injuries in master swimmers. Further research is needed to determine the incidence and causes of shoulder pain in other swimming populations in South Africa.http://www.ajol.info/journal_index.php?jid=153&ab=ajpher

Three dimensional musculoskeletal modelling of the abdominal crunch resistance training exercise

The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefits and limitations of using three dimensional (3D) musculoskeletal modelling (LifeModelerTM) in assessing the safety and efficacy of exercising on an abdominal crunch resistance training machine. Three anthropometric cases were studied, representing a 5th percentile female, 50th percentile and 95th percentile male. Results indicated that the LifeModelerTM default model was capable of solving the forward dynamics simulations without adjustments. The modelling was able to indicate high risk for back injury when performing the abdominal crunch exercise as a result of the unacceptable intervertebral joint loading that occurs during the exercise. Individuals with small anthropometric dimensions such as some females and children cannot be accommodated suitably on the abdominal crunch machine which negatively impacts exercise posture and technique. Hip flexor muscle contribution in the execution of the exercise for the 5th percentile female was substantial thus reducing the efficacy of the exercise in isolating the abdominal muscles.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rjsp2

Hydrotherapy and its effects on chronic pain intensity, physical functionality and quality of life in the elderly

Chronic pain is often associated with impaired muscle strength and limited physical activity and performance, resulting in impaired physical functioning. This study aimed to determine whether voluntary participation in a structured 6-week hydrotherapy exercise programme would improve pain management, functionality and quality of life in an elderly population (n = 22; 77.7 ± 6.6 y)suffering from chronic pain and living in nursing homes in Tshwane. The experimental group (n= 13) attended hydrotherapy classes twice a week for six weeks, while the control group (n = 9)did not. Questionnaires were completed (Chronic Pain Grade, Functional Status Index, and the SF 36), and functional testing performed, in both groups at weeks 0, 3 and 6. The experimental group reported reduced pain intensity at week 3 (p = 0.051); reduced pain-induced disability at week 6 (p = 0.080); reduced assisted help required for activities of daily living (ADL) at week 3 (p = 0.040); reduced difficulty on performing ADL at week 3 (p = 0.012) and reduced pain experienced with ADL at week 3 (p = 0.007) and week 6 (p = 0.014). Improvements in upper body strength and agility were demonstrated. Improvements in sub-scales for quality of life were demonstrated at weeks 3 and 6. The control group showed no statistically significant changes in the above parameters. In conclusion, participation in structured hydrotherapy classes has been shown in this small study to be a beneficial intervention strategy for managing chronic pain in the elderly.http://www.ajol.info/journal_index.php?jid=153&ab=ajpherd2017-12-31am201

Self-reported incidence of injuries among ballroom dancers

Ballroom dancing is an increasingly popular sport around the world. However, unlike other forms of dancing such as ballet and modern, very little is known about the incidence, nature and severity of injuries sustained by dancers. The aims of this study were: 1) to quantify the incidence of injuries 2) to identify the nature of injuries; and 3) to identify potential aetiological risk factors of injury retrospectively, by means of a questionnaire, at the 2004 South African national championships. The overall incidence of injury was 0.99 per 1 000 dancer-hours. There was a statistically significant difference (p0.05), whereas a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) was observed among females, where muscle spasms (24%) and blisters (21%) were the most frequently occurring injuries. In conclusion, dancers need to be educated about the necessity to seek medical advice when injured, and should supplement their dance training with core stability strengthening exercises and fitness training that reduce the risk of injuries and improve performance.http://www.ajol.info/journal_index.php?jid=153&ab=ajpher