Evaluating Acute Changes in Joint Range-of-motion using Self-myofascial Release, Postural Alignment Exercises, and Static Stretches

International Journal of Exercise Science 6(4) : 310-319, 2013. This study was designed to compare the acute effect of self-myofascial release (SMR), postural alignment exercises, and static stretching on joint range-of-motion. Our sample included 27 participants (n = 14 males and n = 13 females) who had below average joint range-of-motion (specifically a sit-and-reach score of 13.5 inches [34.3 cm] or less). All were university students 18–27 years randomly assigned to complete two 30–40-minute data collection sessions with each testing session consisting of three sit-and-reach measurements (which involved lumbar spinal flexion, hip flexion, knee extension, and ankle dorsiflexion) interspersed with two treatments. Each treatment included foam-rolling, postural alignment exercises, or static stretching. Participants were assigned to complete session 1 and session 2 on two separate days, 24 hours to 48 hours apart. The data were analyzed so carryover effects could be estimated and showed that no single acute treatment significantly increased posterior mean sit-and-reach scores. However, significant gains (95% posterior probability limits) were realized with both postural alignment exercises and static stretching when used in combination with foam-rolling. For example, the posterior means equaled 1.71 inches (4.34 cm) when postural alignment exercises were followed by foam-rolling; 1.76 inches (4.47 cm) when foam-rolling was followed by static stretching; 1.49 inches (3.78 cm) when static stretching was followed by foam-rolling; and 1.18 inches (2.99 cm) when foam-rolling was followed by postural alignment exercises. Our results demonstrate that an acute treatment of foam-rolling significantly increased joint range-of-motion in participants with below average joint range-of-motion when combined with either postural alignment exercises or static stretching

Utah Girls, Young Women, and Physical Activity

The benefits of physical activity are well documented and improve all aspects of health and overall wellbeing. Globally, on average, 37.1% of women are insufficiently physically active while only 23.4% of men are; this trend is also found in Utah, where 19.4% of women are insufficiently physically active while only 17.6% of men are. While women often live longer than men, they are frequently in worse health. Physical inactivity contributes to the development and severity of chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension. In addition to affecting physical health, physical inactivity is also associated with poor mental health. Physical activity can contribute to positive self-image and improved confidence, which is critical for meaningful community participation as well as developing interpersonal relationships

Den kreative klasse i distriktet : påvirkning på regional utvikling, lokalisering og forklaringsfaktorer

Siden Richard Florida slapp sin bok, "The Rise of The Creative Class … and how it`s transforming work, leisure, community, & everyday life", i 2002 har det rast diskusjoner verden rundt angående den kreative klasse, ”people climate” mot ”business climate”, og utviklingen av kunnskapsbasert næringsliv. Her i Norge dreier diskusjonen rundt definisjonen av den kreative klasse og hvorvidt teorien er direkte overførbar, da Norge ikke har den samme mobiliteten i samfunnet eller størrelsesorden på byene. Florida hevder å ha funnet at den kreative klasse, ut fra hans studier i USA, søker mot store byer med bestemte stedskvaliteter. Dette fører igjen til at den økonomiske utviklingen blir mer geografisk konsentrert (Florida 2004). Dette støttes opp av Isaksens (2005) funn i Norge. Årsaken til at den økonomiske utviklingen blir mer geografisk konsentrert ligger i teorien bak de tre t`ene; toleranse, talent og teknologi, som er egenskaper den kreative klasse ser etter ved valg av bosted. Floridas (2004) tankegang går på at den kreative klasse kjennetegnes av bestemte verdier og trekkes til områder med bestemte kvaliteter som er representert i de tre t`ene. I denne oppgaven ser jeg nærmere på den kreative klasse i distriktet, hvordan de bidrar i regional utvikling gjennom deres posisjon i regionale innovasjonssystemer, klynger og kunnskapsbaser. Innen regionale innovasjonssystemer bidrar den kreative klasse med forskning og undersvisning, samt arbeid innen kunnskapsintensive industrier. Den kreative klasse og steder som gjør det godt innen toleranse, talent og teknologi tiltrekker seg høyt utdannede, kreative og kunnskapsrike mennesker som igjen bidrar til økonomisk vekst gjennom tiltrekkingen av større bedrifter innen kunnskapsintensive - og kreative næringer. Ved å se på antallet for høyere utdannede mellom 16 og 74 år innen hver kommune i Norge uten bystatus, for så å sammenligne med samme tall for Norge generelt, har jeg funnet lokaliseringen til distriktets kreative klasse. Klassen er representert i alle kommunene som er undersøkt, men 26 kommuner ligger over landsgjennomsnittet. Ved å plassere disse kommunene på kartet ser en at alle kommuner har kystlinje, vidder eller fjell. Slik sett kan en si at kommunene ligger vakkert til med gode muligheter for å utnytte naturen for rekreasjon. I et forsøk på å finne en forklaring ser jeg på utdanningsinstitusjoner, industri, pendling, flyttemotiver, kommunenes image og stedskvaliteter i forhold til den første t`en: toleranse, åpenhet og kultur. Fem kommuner har høyskole eller universitet, men kun fire har en lokaliseringsfaktor av akademiske yrker som støtter opp under en analytisk kunnskapsbase. Dette er nok til at Isaksens forklaringsfaktor, om at funn av den kreative klasse i distriktet kan forklares med at regionen har høyskole eller universitet, bekreftes i denne undersøkelsen. Industri som forklaringsfaktor kan kun benyttes på kommuner med større industribedrifter som sysselsetter over 100 arbeidstakere. Disse kommunene er preget av en syntetisk kunnskapsbase. Pendling er en sterk forklaringsfaktor, hvor en ser at 24 av 26 kommuner er innen for pendleravstand til bykommune, mens 19 kommuner er innenfor pendleravstand til storby. Flyttemotiver viser at den kreative klasse i distriktet har mer ren bolyst i sine begrunnelser en andre flyttere. De faktorene som bolyst aller sterkest er tuftet på, er de som kan knyttes opp mot de fysiske egenskaper ved stedet – frisk luft, lite støy, lite kriminalitet, lite trafikkfare, med gode fritidsmuligheter. Noe en ser hos de 26 kommunene som utpekte seg. Innen image har de fleste kommunene en god vei å gå, men sammen står åpenhet, image og kultur som en forklaringsfaktor for 23 av 26 kommuner. Disse kommunene kan en anta faller inn under den symbolske kunnskapsbasen. Avslutningsvis ser jeg på hvilke kommuner som tiltrekker seg de forskjellige segmentene av den kreative klasse, i forhold til hvilken kunnskapsbase kommunen domineres av. Dette er oppsummert i tabell 4.10

Health Care Professionals’ Stigma Toward People with An Opioid Use Disorder: Preliminary Findings on The Effect of Amount of Contact Has on Stigma

Opioid-related deaths are the leading cause of injury deaths in Utah. Individuals who seek treatment for opioid misuse report stigma from healthcare professionals as the leading barrier to accessing treatment. Health professionals provide a variety of treatment options in efforts of combating high rates of opioid misuse. However, these professionals may not be properly trained in stigma reduction strategies, thus leading to poor client care and outcomes. The current study examined the association between contact with individuals who misuse opioids and stigma perceptions among healthcare professionals. A one-time survey was administered to healthcare professionals who practice in Utah using convenience sampling. The results of an Ordinary Least Square regression analysis showed that increased contact with individuals who misuse opioids significantly predicted decreased opioid-related stigma among healthcare professionals. Our findings suggest that increased contact with persons who misuse opioids can lead to decreased stigma, which may lead to improved quality of care and treatment outcomes among patients. Findings also suggest that behavioral healthcare professionals may have decreased stigma overall. These results support the notion that healthcare providers need additional opioid and substance use education and training to complement traditional treatment strategies they may typically utilize

ACL injuries identifiable for pre-participation imagiological analysis: Risk factors

Identification of pre-participation risk factors for noncontact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries has been attracting a great deal of interest in the sports medicine and traumatology communities. Appropriate methods that enable predicting which patients could benefit from pre- ventive strategies are most welcome. This would enable athlete-specific training and conditioning or tailored equipment in order to develop appropriate strategies to reduce incidence of injury. In order to accomplish these goals, the ideal system should be able to assess both anatomic and functional features. Complementarily, the screening method must be cost-effective and suited for widespread application. Anatomic study protocol requiring only standard X rays could answer some of such demands. Dynamic MRI/CT evaluation and electronically assisted pivot-shift evaluation can be powerful tools providing complementary information. These upcoming insights, when validated and properly combined, envision changing pre-participation knee examination in the near future. Herein different methods (validated or under research) aiming to improve the capacity to identify persons/athletes with higher risk for ACL injury are overviewed.

Ten-year cardiovascular risk assessment in university students

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is responsible for more than half of all deaths in the European region. The aim of the study was to compare body composition, blood pressure, total cholesterol (TC) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), family history, activity behaviors, and the 10-year risk of having a heart attack between 166 university students (21.62 - 2.59 yrs) from Utah (USA) and 198 students (22.11 - 2.51 yrs) from Hungary. Ninety-two percent of the Hungarian students and 100% of the Utah students had an estimated 10-year Framingham risk score of 1% or less. The high prevalence of low risk was primarily due to the young age of study participants, healthy body composition and non-smoking behavior. Hungarians who had higher 10-year risk of heart attack had significantly higher waist hip ratio (WHR), TC, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and were smokers compared to those Hungarians with lower risk. The self-reported physical activity levels between the two groups of students were not different. In conclusion the young men and women who participated in this study were, for the most part healthy; however the smoking habits and the lower physical activity of the Hungarian students likely elevated their risk of CVD.Scopu

Cooperative Extension’s Role in Addressing the Opioid Overdose Crisis: Best Practices from the HEART Initiative Model

Cooperative Extension is in a unique position to address health and wellness concerns across the country, particularly in rural areas with local Extension services. One innovative model, the Health Extension: Advocacy, Research, and Teaching (HEART) Initiative, unites Extension, community organizations, and community members in collaborative activities to address the complex, multifaceted components of substance use disorder. The model utilized a multidisciplinary team and community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach with evidence-based practices to increase Extension’s abilities to guide and tailor programming to local needs and to create significant impacts. Cooperative Extension’s long history of engagement in the community, with state and federal linkages, creates a trusted source for partnering on behavioral health crises. This multidisciplinary team model increased Cooperative Extension’s scope and capacity to respond to substance-related disorders and can be replicated in other area

Effects of superficial heating and insulation on walking speed in people with hereditary and spontaneous spastic paraparesis: A randomised crossover study.

OBJECTIVES: Cooling of the lower limb in people with Hereditary and Spontaneous Spastic Paraparesis (pwHSSP) has been shown to affect walking speed and neuromuscular impairments. The investigation of practical strategies, which may help to alleviate these problems is important. The potential of superficial heat to improve walking speed has not been explored in pwHSSP. Primary objective was to explore whether the application of superficial heat (hot packs) to lower limbs in pwHSSP improves walking speed. Secondary objective was to explore whether wearing insulation after heating would prolong any benefits. METHODS: A randomised crossover study design with 21 pwHSSP. On two separate occasions two hot packs and an insulating wrap (Neo-G™) were applied for 30minutes to the lower limbs of pwHSSP. On one occasion the insulating wrap was maintained for a further 30minutes and on the other occasion it was removed. Measures of temperature (skin, room and core), walking speed (10 metre timed walk) and co-ordination (foot tap time) were taken at baseline (T1), after 30 mins (T2) and at one hour (T3). RESULTS: All 21 pwHSSP reported increased lower limb stiffness and decreased walking ability when their legs were cold. After thirty minutes of heating, improvements were seen in walking speed (12.2%, P0.001) in both conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Application of 30minutes superficial heating moderately improved walking speed in pwHSSP with effects maintained at 1hour. The use of hot packs applied to lower limbs should be the focus of further research for the clinical management of pwHSSP who report increased stiffness of limbs in cold weather and do not have sensory deficits