Motor activity and academic achievement The importance of movement from kindergarten to primary schools

Physical activity is not always performed regularly, school disciplines based on verbal language are often preferred in favour of reading, writing and counting, and students sacrifice hours dedicated to game and movement. It is considered – wrongly – that motor education has a subordinate role compared to the other subjects included in the curriculum.Actually the body has a very important influence on the general growth of the child, also on cognitive functioning. Early years of life are a window of opportunities to encourage, promote and optimize motor, intellectual and social development, on which the academic achievement will depend on, later. There is a growing interest in the relationship between movement and school performance, studies have been conducted at international level toverify the positive combination. The purpose of this article is to analyze some research to confirm the relationship between movement and academic achievement in children from 3 to 10 years. A total of 16 studies were reported, 6 referring to the Kindergarten and 10 referring to the Primary School.Physical activity is not always performed regularly, school disciplines based on verbal language are often preferred in favour of reading, writing and counting, and students sacrifice hours dedicated to game and movement. It is considered – wrongly – that motor education has a subordinate role compared to the other subjects included in the curriculum.Actually the body has a very important influence on the general growth of the child, also on cognitive functioning. Early years of life are a window of opportunities to encourage, promote and optimize motor, intellectual and social development, on which the academic achievement will depend on, later. There is a growing interest in the relationship between movement and school performance, studies have been conducted at international level toverify the positive combination. The purpose of this article is to analyze some research to confirm the relationship between movement and academic achievement in children from 3 to 10 years. A total of 16 studies were reported, 6 referring to the Kindergarten and 10 referring to the Primary School

MENTAL STRESS INFLUENCE ON MOVEMENT

The main aim of this work is the analysis of movement alterations under mental stress conditions. The right leg extension movement of 8 seated subjects. in different load situations, in normal and mental stress conditions, was analyzed. The mental stress situation refers to a numerical countdown computed by the subject during the movement execution. The movement analysis was carried out using the ELITE system that provides for the.complete kinematic analysis of the movements, allowing the quantitative study of 3-D markers' trajectories, displacements, velocities and accelerations. The muscular activity of rectus femoris and vastus medialis, that are the most important muscles for the extensional movement, was controlled with the EMG analysis. Particularly the markers' position are shown in fig. 1 For each movement and muscular acquisition the maximal height (H,,,,,) reached by the ankle together its trajectory, velocity, and accelerations were computed. Besides the interval time between each mental count and the subsequent was recorded. Finally the EMG signals were analyzed. This experimental study shows that the mental stress situation limits the normal execution of movement. In fact Hmax decreases when load and mental stress increase

Long-term effects of automated mechanical peripheral stimulation on gait patterns of patients with Parkinson's disease

New treatments based on peripheral stimulation of the sensory–motor system have been inspiring new rehabilitation approaches in Parkinson’s disease (PD), especially to reduce gait impairment, levodopa washout effects, and the incidence of falls. The aim of this study was to evaluate the change in gait and the clinical status of PD patients after six sessions of a treatment based on automated mechanical peripheral stimulation (AMPS). Eighteen patients with PD and 15 age-matched healthy individuals (control group) participated in this study. A dedicated medical device delivered the AMPS. PD patients were treated with AMPS six times once every 4 days. All PD patients were treated in the off-levodopa phase and were evaluated with gait analysis before and after the first intervention (acute phase), after the sixth intervention, 48 h after the sixth intervention, and 10 days after the end of the treatment. To compare the differences among the AMPS interventions (pre, 6 AMPS, and 10 days) in terms of clinical scales, a t-test was used (α≤0.05). In addition, to compare the differences among the AMPS interventions (pre, post, 6 AMPS, 48 h and 10 days), the gait spatiotemporal parameters were analyzed using the Friedman test and the Bonferroni post-hoc test (α≤0.05). Also, for comparisons between the PD group and the control group, the gait spatiotemporal parameters were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney test and the Bonferroni post-hoc test (α≤0.05). The results of the study indicate that the AMPS treatment has a positive effect on bradykinesia because it improves walking velocity, has a positive effect on the step and stride length, and has a positive effect on walking stability, measured by the increase in stride length. These results are consistent with the improvements measured with clinical scales. These findings indicate that AMPS treatment seems to generate a more stable walking pattern in PD patients, reducing the well-known gait impairment that is typical of PD; regular repetition every 4 days of AMPS treatment appears to be able to improve gait parameters, to restore rhythmicity, and to reduce the risk of falls, with benefits maintained up to 10 days after the last treatment. The trial was registered online at ClinicalTrials.gov (number identifier: NCT0181528)

Study of Cardiac Features in Adults with Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome (DS) has a significant impact on the development of many tissues, most notably in the heart and in the brain. According to the clinical need to better investigate these aspects, the main aim of this study was to make an overview on the cardiac features in adult individuals with DS. The following data of 37 individuals with DS (range: 18-60 years) were collected and analysed: age, gender, height, weight, waist to height ratio (WHER), smoking history and cardiac parameters (heart rate and blood pressure), blood glucose level or glycaemia, cholesterol (total, high-density lipoprotein – HDL - and low-density lipoprotein - LDL - cholesterol) and triglycerides. In addition, their gait pattern were quantified with 3D Gait Analysis. BMI, WHER and cholesterol HDL results were above the upper limits of the recommended range in people with DS; on the contrary, blood pressure, heart rate, glycaemia, cholesterol-LDL and triglycerides were within the recommended range. Comparing males and females in the DS group, the females showed statistically different values for cholesterol-total, and triglycerides values, with lower values in comparison to males. In motor performance, people with DS presented abnormal gait patterns. Some significant correlations were found: age with LDL, WHER with weight and BMI, systolic with diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol with LDL and triglycerides. Our results showed that adults with DS suffer from a high prevalence of physical disorders, including overweight and obesity, and abnormal cholesterol values, together with abnormal gait pattern

FATIGUE ALTERS THE BIOMECHANICS OF TURNS WHILE RUNNING

This study identified the effects of fatigue on lower limb kinematics while running with repeated 180°-turns. An increased stiffness of the pivoting limb was observed in terms of a reduction of hip and knee flexion angles, and an increase of hip abduction and internal rotation. We concluded that muscle fatigue can trigger a sequence of adaptations that were previously found to expose the athlete to an increasing risk of ligament injury. These results expand the base of evidence for the development of field-based prevention programs

Towards a More Inclusive Society: The Social Return on Investment (SROI) of an Innovative Ankle–Foot Orthosis for Hemiplegic Children

Hemiplegia is a form of disability that affects one side of the body and has a prevalence of 0.5–0.7 per 1000 live births. It has consequences not only at the medical level but also on psychological, cognitive, and social aspects, and it prevents children from social participation, especially in sports settings. The studies demonstrating the social impact of sports on the hemiplegic population and, in particular, children, are limited. In addition, previous evaluations of healthcare sports initiatives in the hemiplegic population are not available, and traditional methods of evaluation, which are mostly focused on economic outcomes, are not applicable. Thus, this article employs the social return on investment (SROI) methodology, which is able to determine the socio-economic impacts of an initiative, to evaluate the impact of an innovative ankle–foot orthosis (AFO) for hemiplegic children that was created to promote the possibility of “sports for all”. The model was designed with the involvement of stakeholders in all the phases and with mixed methods to assess the input, outcomes, and impact indicators. The final SROI, computed for a time horizon of three years and with a focus on the Lombardy Region, was equal to 3.265:1. Based on this result, the initiative turned out to be worthy of investment

Kinematics Adaptation and Inter-Limb Symmetry during Gait in Obese Adults

The main purpose of this study is to characterize lower limb joint kinematics during gait in obese individuals by analyzing inter-limb symmetry and angular trends of lower limb joints during walking. To this purpose, 26 obese individuals (mean age 28.5 years) and 26 normal-weight age- and sex-matched were tested using 3D gait analysis. Raw kinematic data were processed to derive joint-specific angle trends and angle-angle diagrams (synchronized cyclograms) which were characterized in terms of area, orientation and trend symmetry parameters. The results show that obese individuals exhibit a kinematic pattern which significantly differs from those of normal weight especially in the stance phase. In terms of inter-limb symmetry, higher values were found in obese individuals for all the considered parameters, even though the statistical significance was detected only in the case of trend symmetry index at ankle joint. The described alterations of gait kinematics in the obese individuals and especially the results on gait asymmetry are important, because the cyclic uneven movement repeated for hours daily can involve asymmetrical spine loading and cause lumbar pain and could be dangerous for overweight individuals

Effect of obesity and low back pain on spinal mobility: a cross sectional study in women

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>obesity is nowadays a pandemic condition. Obese subjects are commonly characterized by musculoskeletal disorders and particularly by non-specific chronic low back pain (cLBP). However, the relationship between obesity and cLBP remains to date unsupported by an objective measurement of the mechanical behaviour of the spine and its morphology in obese subjects. Such analysis may provide a deeper understanding of the relationships between function and the onset of clinical symptoms.</p> <p>Purpose</p> <p>to objectively assess the posture and function of the spine during standing, flexion and lateral bending in obese subjects with and without cLBP and to investigate the role of obesity in cLBP.</p> <p>Study design</p> <p>Cross-sectional study</p> <p>Patient sample</p> <p>thirteen obese subjects, thirteen obese subjects with cLBP, and eleven healthy subjects were enrolled in this study.</p> <p>Outcome measures</p> <p>we evaluated the outcome in terms of angles at the initial standing position (START) and at maximum forward flexion (MAX). The range of motion (ROM) between START and MAX was also computed.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>we studied forward flexion and lateral bending of the spine using an optoelectronic system and passive retroreflective markers applied on the trunk. A biomechanical model was developed in order to analyse kinematics and define angles of clinical interest.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>obesity was characterized by a generally reduced ROM of the spine, due to a reduced mobility at both pelvic and thoracic level; a static postural adaptation with an increased anterior pelvic tilt. Obesity with cLBP is associated with an increased lumbar lordosis.</p> <p>In lateral bending, obesity with cLBP is associated with a reduced ROM of the lumbar and thoracic spine, whereas obesity on its own appears to affect only the thoracic curve.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>obese individuals with cLBP showed higher degree of spinal impairment when compared to those without cLBP. The observed obesity-related thoracic stiffness may characterize this sub-group of patients, even if prospective studies should be carried out to verify this hypothesis.</p

A KINEMATICALLY BASED ALGORITHM TO ESTIMATE THE ENERGY COST OF VARIABLE-SPEED SHUTTLE RUNNING

Changes of direction (CoDs) have a high metabolic and mechanical impact in field and court team sports, but the estimation of the associated workload is still inaccurate. The aim of this study is to establish a kinematic-based algorithm to determine the energy cost of running at variable speed with frequent 180° CoDs. Kinematic and metabolic data were simultaneously collected during 5-minutes 5+5 m shuttle run tests. Mechanical work computation was split into positive (eccentric) and negative (concentric) contributions. When compared to the actual energy cost, the estimation algorithm returned an error of 5%. This model constitutes the theoretical basis to extend the model from the laboratory to the field, obtaining an accurate measure of the workload of training and matches