Final Report

Final report of the COMC project, led by the University of Coventry and funded under the OER phase 3 programme

An archaeology of cultural identity

This thesis addresses the problematic issues of the relationship between artefacts and collective identity in the study of the past. It examines how one current strand of contemporary archaeological theory attempts to recover the truth of the identities of peoples in the past, by utilising a form of interpretation derived from semiotics and idealism, to 'read' their artefactual traces. The conception of cultural identity utilised by contextualism (post-processualism) is re-examined in three ways.;Firstly, the central concepts of these approaches are critically examined in terms of their dependence on, and constitution in, contemporary theoretical discourse, utilising an approach influenced by the strategies of the post-structuralist authors which post-processualism has itself enlisted in support of its interpretative approaches.;Secondly, the practices and concepts which support current archaeological conceptions of cultural identity are re-examined in an historical account of their emergence and transformation since the Renaissance derived from the archaeological and genealogical strategies of Michel Foucault. This demonstrates the extent to which conceptions of the identities of the peoples of the past, from those of Antiquarians to contemporary archaeological theorists, have consistently been projections, or reconstruction, of contemporary views of identity. This seeks to show that such conceptions are historically determined and specific whilst claiming to transcend and recover history.;Thirdly, current archaeological conceptions of cultural identity are juxtaposed against an account of the forms of cultural identification in the contemporary Indian communities of Leicester. This is undertaken in order to demonstrate the cultural specificity of archaeological notions of cultural identity. The implication of this critique is the acknowledgement that descriptions of past cultures are constructions incorporating artefacts within a theorised framework which includes conceptions of identity. These conceptions and accounts of past cultures are artefacts produced in the present, not recoveries of a 'real' past

Effect of stabilization training on multifidus muscle cross-sectional area among young elite cricketers with low back pain

Fisheye STUDY DESIGN: A single-blinded, pretreatment-posttreatmertt assessment. Fisheye OBJECTIVES: To investigate, using ultrasound imaging, the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the lumbar multifidus muscle at 4 vertebral levels (L2, L3, L4, L5) in elite cricketers with and without low back pain (LBP), and to document the effect of a staged stabilization training program on multifidus muscle CSA. Fisheye BACKGROUND: Despite high fitness levels and often intensive strength training programs, athletes still suffer LBP. The incidence of LBP among Australian cricketers is 8% and as high as 14% among fast bowlers. Previous researchers have found that the multifidus muscle contributes to segmental stability of the lumbopelvic region; however, the CSA of this muscle has not been previously assessed in elite cricketers. Fisheye METHODS AND MEASURES: CSAs of the multifidus muscles were assessed at rest on the left and right sides for 4 vertebral levels at the start and completion of a 13-week cricket training camp. Participants who reported current or previous LBP were placed in a rehabilitation group. The stabilization program involved voluntary contraction of the multifidus, transversus abdominis, and pelvic floor muscles, with real-time feedback from rehabilitative ultrasound imaging (RUSI), progressed from non-weight-bearing to weight-bearing positions and movement training. Pain scores (using a visual analogue scale) were also collected from those with LBP. Fisheye RESULTS: The CSAs of the multifidus muscles at the L5 vertebral level increased for the 7 cricketers with LBP who received the stabilization training, compared with the 14 cricketers without LBP who did not receive rehabilitation (P = .004). In addition, the amount of muscle asymmetry among those with LBP significantly decreased (P = .029) and became comparable to cricketers without LBP. These effects were not evident for the L2, L3, and L4 vertebral levels. There was also a 50% decrease in the mean reported pain level among the cricketers with LBP. Fisheye CONCLUSION: Multifidus muscle atrophy can exist in highly active, elite athletes with LBP. Specific retraining resulted in an improvement in multifidus muscle CSA and this was concomitant with a decrease in pain. Fisheye LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapy, level 2b

An MRI investigation into the function of the transversus abdominis muscle during "drawing-in" of the abdominal wall

Study Design. An operator blinded dual modality trial of measurement of the abdominal muscles during drawing-in of the abdominal wall. Objectives. 1) To investigate, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the function of the transversus abdominis muscle bilaterally during a drawing-in of the abdominal wall. 2) To validate the use of real-time ultrasound imaging as a measure of the deep abdominal muscle during a drawing-in of the abdominal wall. Summary of Background Data. Previous research has implicated the deep abdominal muscle, transversus abdominis, in the support and protection of the spine and provided evidence that training this muscle is important in the rehabilitation of low back pain. One of the most important actions of the transversus abdominis is to draw-in the abdominal wall, and this action has been shown to stiffen the sacroiliac joints. It is hypothesized that in response to a draw in, the transversus abdominis muscle forms a deep musculofascial corset and that MRI could be used to view this corset and verify its mechanism of action on the lumbopelvic region. Methods. Thirteen healthy asymptomatic male elite cricket players aged 21.3 +/- 2.1 years were imaged using MRI and ultrasound imaging as they drew in their abdominal walls. Measurements of the thickness of the transversus abdominis and internal oblique muscles and the slide of the anterior abdominal fascia were measured using both MRI and ultrasound. Measurement of the whole abdominal cross-sectional area (CSA) was conducted using MRI. Results. Results of the MRI demonstrated that, as a result of draw-in, there was a significant increase in thickness of the transversus abdominis (P < 0.001) and the internal oblique muscles (P < 0.001). There was a significant decrease in the CSA of the trunk (P < 0.001). The mean slide ( +/- SD) of the anterior abdominal fascia was 1.54 +/- 0.38 cm for the left side and 1.48 +/- 0.35 cm for the right side. Ultrasound measurements of muscle thickness of both transversus abdominis and the internal oblique, as well as fascial slide, correlated with measures obtained using MRI (interclass correlations from 0.78 to 0.95). Conclusions. The MRI results demonstrated that during a drawing-in action, the transversus abdominis contracts bilaterally to form a musculofascial band that appears to tighten (like a corset) and most likely improves the stabilization of the lumbopelvic region. Real-time ultrasound imaging can also be used to measure changes in the transversus abdominis during the draw-in maneuver