Limits of Normality and Symmetry in Standing Back Shape and Posture: 3D Mapping and Analysis of Young Adults

Abnormalities of posture are a common cause of pain and disability. Objective measurement systems for postural evaluation are not widely accessible in the UK especially on the National Health Service. Within physiotherapy practice one of the most common methods of assessing posture and/or back shape is by visual observation which is prone to error and lacks objectivity. The study has sought to produce normative values for back shape and posture indices in young asymptomatic adults. A convenience sample of 100 Teesside University (TU) students were recruited. This study used a 3‐D Digitizer. Data was analyzed using SPSS. The acromion and the inferior scapular angle in the dorsal frontal plane differed between the right and left shoulders of the back in females. The distance between the inferior angle of the scapula and the apical thoracic vertebrae also differed. No other statistically significant differences were found in distances between key landmarks. Overall young adults are very symmetrical. Frontal plane angles showed that overall healthy young adults have relatively straight spines. The left inferior angle of the scapula in females was found to be rotated anteriorly in comparison to the right shoulder. Results will provide a normative database for clinicians who routinely assess back posture

Effect of Resisted Sprint and Plyometric Training on Lower Limb Functional Performance in Collegiate Male Football Players: A Randomised Control Trial

The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the short-term effects of resisted sprint and plyometric training on sprint performance together with lower limb physiological and functional performance in collegiate football players. Ninety collegiate football players participated in this three-arm, parallel group randomized controlled trial study. Participants were randomly divided into a control group and two experimental groups: resisted sprint training (RST) (n = 30), plyometric training (PT) (n = 30), and a control group (n = 30). Participants received their respective training program for six weeks on alternate days. The primary outcome measures were a knee extensor strength test (measured by an ISOMOVE dynamometer), a sprint test and a single leg triple hop test. Measurements were taken at baseline and after 6 weeks post-training. Participants, caregivers, and those assigning the outcomes were blinded to the group assignment. A mixed design analysis of variance was used to compare between groups, within-group and the interaction between time and group. A within-group analysis revealed a significant difference (p d = 1.63; PT: d = 2.38; Control: d = 2.26), ST (RST: d = 1.21; PT: d = 1.36; Control: d = 0.38), and SLTHT (RST: d = 0.76; PT: d = 0.61; Control: d = 0.18). A sub-group analysis demonstrated an increase in strength in the plyometric training group (95% CI 14.73 to 15.09, p = 0.00), an increase in the single leg triple hop test in the resisted sprint training group (95% CI 516.41 to 538.4, p = 0.05), and the sprint test was also improved in both experimental groups (95% CI 8.54 to 8.82, p = 0.00). Our findings suggest that, during a short-term training period, RST or PT training are equally capable of enhancing the neuromechanical capacities of collegiate football players. No adverse events were reported by the participants