scholarly journals 768-km Multi-Stage Ultra-Trail Case Study-Muscle Damage, Biochemical Alterations and Strength Loss on Lower Limbs

Author(s):  
Miguel Lecina ◽  
Carlos Castellar ◽  
Francisco Pradas ◽  
Isaac López-Laval

A series of case studies aimed to evaluate muscular fatigue in running a 768-km ultra-trail race in 11 days. Four non-professional athletes (four males) were enrolled. Muscle damage blood biomarkers (creatine kinase (CK), lactodeshydrogenase (LDH), aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and lower limb strength were evaluated by using Bosco jumps test; squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ) and Abalakov jump (ABA) were assessed before (pre), after the race (post) and for two and nine days during the recovery period (rec2 and rec9), respectively. Results showed: pre-post SJ = −28%, CMJ = −36% and ABA = −21%. Values returned to basal during rec9: SJ = −1%, CMJ = −2% or even exceeded pre-values ABA = +3%. On the contrary, muscle damage blood biomarkers values increased at post; CK = +888%, LDH = +172%, AST = +167% and ALT = +159% and the values returned gradually to baseline at rec9 except for AST = +226% and ALT = +103% which remained higher. Nonparametric bivariate Spearman’s test showed strong correlations (Rs ≥ 0.8) between some jumps and muscle damage biomarkers at post (SJ-LDH Rs = 0.80, SJ-AST Rs = 0.8, ABA-LD H Rs = 0.80 and ABA-AST Rs = 0.80), at rec2 (SJ-CK Rs = 0.80 and SJ-ALT Rs = 0.80) and even during rec9 (ABA-CK). Similarly, some parameters such as accumulated elevation and training volume showed a strong correlation with LDH values after finishing the ultra-trail race. The alteration induced by completing an ultra-trail event in the muscle affects lower limb strength and may in some circumstances result in serious medical conditions including post- exertional rhabdomyolysis.

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Borges ◽  
M Lemos Pires ◽  
R Pinto ◽  
G De Sa ◽  
I Ricardo ◽  
...  

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Introduction Exercise prescription is one of the main components of phase III Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) programs due to its documented prognostic benefits. It has been well established that, when added to aerobic training, resistance training (RT) leads to greater improvements in peripheral muscle strength and muscle mass in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). With COVID-19, most centre-based CR programs had to be suspended and CR patients had to readjust their RT program to a home-based model where weight training was more difficult to perform. How COVID-19 Era impacted lean mass and muscle strength in trained CVD patients who were attending long-term CR programs has yet to be discussed. Purpose To assess upper and lower limb muscle strength and lean mass in CVD patients who had their centre-based CR program suspended due to COVID-19 and compare it with previous assessments. Methods 87 CVD patients (mean age 62.9 ± 9.1, 82.8% male), before COVID-19, were attending a phase III centre-based CR program 3x/week and were evaluated annually. After 7 months of suspension, 57.5% (n = 50) patients returned to the face-to-face CR program. Despite all constraints caused by COVID-19, body composition and muscle strength of 35 participants (mean age 64.7 ± 7.9, 88.6% male) were assessed. We compared this assessment with previous years and established three assessment time points: M1) one year before COVID-19 (2018); M2) last assessment before COVID-19 (2019); M3) the assessment 7 months after CR program suspension (last trimester of 2020). Upper limbs strength was measured using a JAMAR dynamometer, 30 second chair stand test (number of repetitions – reps) was used to measure lower limbs strength and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry was used to measure upper and lower limbs lean mass. Repeated measures ANOVA were used. Results Intention to treat analysis showed that upper and lower limbs lean mass did not change from M1 to M2 but decreased significantly from M2 to M3 (arms lean mass in M2: 5.68 ± 1.00kg vs M3: 5.52 ± 1.06kg, p = 0.004; legs lean mass in M2: 17.40 ± 2.46kg vs M3: 16.77 ± 2.61kg, p = 0.040). Lower limb strength also decreased significantly from M2 to M3 (M2: 23.31 ± 5.76 reps vs M3: 21.11 ± 5.31 reps, p = 0.014) after remaining stable in the year prior to COVID-19. Upper limb strength improved significantly from M1 to M2 (M1: 39.00 ± 8.64kg vs M2: 40.53 ± 8.77kg, p = 0.034) but did not change significantly from M2 to M3 (M2 vs M3: 41.29 ± 9.13kg, p = 0.517). Conclusion After CR centre-based suspension due to COVID-19, we observed a decrease in upper and lower limbs lean mass and lower limb strength in previously trained CVD patients. These results should emphasize the need to promote all efforts to maintain physical activity and RT through alternative effective home-based CR programs when face-to-face models are not available or possible to be implemented.


2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Carvalho ◽  
Paulo Mourão ◽  
Eduardo Abade

AbstractThe purpose of the present study was to identify the effects of a strength training program combined with specific plyometric exercises on body composition, vertical jump (VJ) height and strength development of lower limbs in elite male handball players. A 12-week program with combined strength and specific plyometric exercises was carried out for 7 weeks. Twelve elite male handball players (age: 21.6 ± 1.73) competing in the Portuguese Major League participated in the study. Besides the anthropometric measurements, several standardized jump tests were applied to assess VJ performance together with the strength development of the lower limbs in an isokinetic setting. No significant changes were found in body circumferences and diameters. Body fat content and fat mass decreased by 16.4 and 15.7% respectively, while lean body mass increased by 2.1%. Despite small significance, there was in fact an increase in squat jump (SJ), counter movement jump (CMJ) and 40 consecutive jumps after the training period (6.1, 3.8 and 6.8%, respectively). After the applied protocol, peak torque increased in lower limb extension and flexion in the majority of the movements assessed at 90°s-1. Consequently, it is possible to conclude that combining general strength-training with plyometric exercises can not only increase lower limb strength and improve VJ performance but also reduce body fat content.


Author(s):  
Alice Martins Magalhães ◽  
Daniella Macedo Cerceau ◽  
Kênia Kiefer Parreiras de Menezes ◽  
Gabriela Vieira Oliveira ◽  
Bárbara Batista Gomes

Background: Sarcopenia is the involuntary loss of muscle mass predicted by aging and is associated with an increased likelihood ofunfavorable results, such as falls, mortality and functional disabilities. Objective: Evaluate balance, gait speed, lower limb strength andfunctionality in sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic elderly. Methods: Cross-sectional study, carried out with 68 subjects aged 60 years orover, residents of the community and possessing an independent gait. The assessment instruments were bioimpedance, balance test,four-meter gait speed test, chair support test and SPPB. Results: The prevalence of sarcopenia in the population of the present studywas 43.3%. In the group of non-sarcopenic subjects, a correlation was found between all the variables evaluated. In the group ofsarcopenic subjects, a correlation was found between lower limbs strength and gait speed. Conclusion: The skeletal muscle mass ofa sarcopenic elderly is related to their lower limb strength and gait speed, but it does not present a significant correlation with balanceand functional performance. Further studies are needed to clarify the behavior of balance, gait speed, lower limb strength and functionalperformance variables when compared to the decrease in muscle mass inherent in aging.


Author(s):  
Rossana Gomez-Campos ◽  
Ruben Vidal-Espinoza ◽  
Luis Felipe Castelli Correia de Campos ◽  
Cynthia Lee Andruske ◽  
Jose Sulla-Torres ◽  
...  

The Horizontal Jump (HJ) is a daily tool that could be used to categorize the level of muscle fitness performance of the lower limbs. The goal was to compare the muscle fitness with those of international studies and to propose percentiles to assess the HJ performance of children and adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted. A total number of 3023 children and adolescents between the ages of 6.0 to 17.9 were studied. Weight, height, waist circumference (WC), and lower limb muscle fitness were evaluated. The student HJ performance values in Chile were inferior when compared to HJ performance in Brazil, Poland and Europe. For the Greek study, differences occurred only from age 6 to 15 years old. In comparison to Colombia, students showed better muscle fitness performance. These differences appeared in childhood and lasted until the beginning of adolescence. Percentiles were created to assess the lower limb fitness being an easy tool to be used and applied to classify lower limb strength.


2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (20) ◽  
pp. 2100-2105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Owen ◽  
Gordon Dunlop ◽  
Mehdi Rouissi ◽  
Moktar Chtara ◽  
Darren Paul ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Wiesław Chwała ◽  
Paweł Pogwizd ◽  
Łukasz Rydzik ◽  
Tadeusz Ambroży

Background: The aim of the study was to compare the effect of vibration massage and passive rest on accelerating the process of muscle recovery after short-term intense exercise. Methods: Eighty-four healthy men aged 20 to 25 years participated in the study. Study participants performed isometric (ISO-M Group) and auxotonic (AUX-M group) contraction exercise in the lower limbs. Vibration massage was administered after exercise in the first recovery period. In the same period, controls rested passively, without the support of vibration massage. To assess the effectiveness of the applied vibration, a 4-fold measurement of the maximum force of the muscles involved in the exercise was performed under conditions of isometric contractions on a leg press machine set at an angle of 45° degrees upwards. Results: Differences in maximum strength during isometric contraction were found compared to baseline in favor of the groups subjected to the experimental vibration massage. Differences were demonstrated in muscle strength between the study groups (p < 0.005). The second period of passive rest in all groups did not bring significant changes in the values of maximal lower limb strength. Conclusions: Properly selected characteristics of the vibration effect can be an effective method in accelerating recovery and regaining lost motor capabilities of muscle groups fatigued by exercise. This offers the potential to shorten rest periods between sets of repetitions in training or between training units.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
J Domingues ◽  
M Castro

Abstract Introduction Football is the most popular sport in the world and there are over 38 million players practicing it worldwide. In this sport, players usually have a prefered lower limb over other. This preference can lead to bilateral asymmetries and improve the risk of injury in the players. It is important to understand if asymmetries have an influence on athletes’ performance, on balance or impulsion. Objectives The main objective of this study is to evaluate the bilateral and unilateral asymmetries related to the lower limb muscle strength of individuals who practice senior football, and relate them to eventual impulse and balance deficits. Methodology 11 soccer players (age 21.91 ± 3.14 years; weight: 73.45 ± 7.59 Kg; height: 178.91 ± 8.02; BMI: 22.97 ± 2,12) were evaluated. The protocol defined in this study consisted of collecting data on maximum concentric torque at 60o/s, 180o/s and 300o/s in Biodex System 3. Both lower limbs were tested. Then the Y-balance test was performed on a force platform and the athletes’ flight time were recorded. We also calculated the bilateral deficit between the dominant lower limb and the non-dominant lower limb for the quadriceps and hamstrings and the hamstring/quadriceps (H/Q) ratio for each lower limb Results There were no statistically significant differences between the maximum torque produced by the dominant lower limb and the maximum force torque produced by the dominant lower limb (p &lt; 0.05). The conventional I / Q ratio has values similar to those described in the literature. The relationship between bilateral asymmetry of lower limb strength, balance and impulsion was not statistically significant (p &gt; 0.05) at any angular velocity. Conclusion There are no statistically significant differences between bilateral and unilateral asymmetries of lower limb strength, balance and impulsion.


2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 430-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin S. O’Fallon ◽  
Diksha Kaushik ◽  
Bozena Michniak-Kohn ◽  
C. Patrick Dunne ◽  
Edward J. Zambraski ◽  
...  

The flavonoid quercetin is purported to have potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study examined if quercetin supplementation attenuates indicators of exercise-induced muscle damage in a doubleblind laboratory study. Thirty healthy subjects were randomized to quercetin (QU) or placebo (PL) supplementation and performed 2 separate sessions of 24 eccentric contractions of the elbow flexors. Muscle strength, soreness, resting arm angle, upper arm swelling, serum creatine kinase (CK) activity, plasma quercetin (PQ), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were assessed before and for 5 d after exercise. Subjects then ingested nutrition bars containing 1,000 mg/d QU or PL for 7 d before and 5 d after the second exercise session, using the opposite arm. PQ reached 202 ± 52 ng/ml after 7 d of supplementation and remained elevated during the 5-d postexercise recovery period (p < .05). Subjects experienced strength loss (peak = 47%), muscle soreness (peak = 39 ± 6 mm), reduced arm angle (–7° ± 1°), CK elevations (peak = 3,307 ± 1,481 U/L), and arm swelling (peak = 11 ± 2 mm; p < .0001), indicating muscle damage and inflammation; however, differences between treatments were not detected. Eccentric exercise did not alter plasma IL-6 (peak = 1.9 pg/ml) or CRP (peak = 1.6 mg/L) relative to baseline or by treatment. QU supplementation had no effect on markers of muscle damage or inflammation after eccentric exercise of the elbow flexors.


Author(s):  
Allaoua Brahmia ◽  
Ridha Kelaiaia

Abstract To establish an exercise in open muscular chain rehabilitation (OMC), it is necessary to choose the type of kinematic chain of the mechanical / biomechanical system that constitutes the lower limbs in interaction with the robotic device. Indeed, it’s accepted in biomechanics that a rehabilitation exercise in OMC of the lower limb is performed with a fixed hip and a free foot. Based on these findings, a kinematic structure of a new machine, named Reeduc-Knee, is proposed, and a mechanical design is carried out. The contribution of this work is not limited to the mechanical design of the Reeduc-Knee system. Indeed, to define the minimum parameterizing defining the configuration of the device relative to an absolute reference, a geometric and kinematic study is presented.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Kara B. Bellenfant ◽  
Gracie L. Robbins ◽  
Rebecca R. Rogers ◽  
Thomas J. Kopec ◽  
Christopher G. Ballmann

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of how limb dominance and joint immobilization alter markers of physical demand and muscle activation during ambulation with axillary crutches. In a crossover, counterbalanced study design, physically active females completed ambulation trials with three conditions: (1) bipedal walking (BW), (2) axillary crutch ambulation with their dominant limb (DOM), and (3) axillary crutch ambulation with their nondominant limb (NDOM). During the axillary crutch ambulation conditions, the non-weight-bearing knee joint was immobilized at a 30-degree flexion angle with a postoperative knee stabilizer. For each trial/condition, participants ambulated at 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 mph for five minutes at each speed. Heart rate (HR) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) were monitored throughout. Surface electromyography (sEMG) was used to record muscle activation of the medial gastrocnemius (MG), soleus (SOL), and tibialis anterior (TA) unilaterally on the weight-bearing limb. Biceps brachii (BB) and triceps brachii (TB) sEMG were measured bilaterally. sEMG signals for each immobilization condition were normalized to corresponding values for BW.HR (p < 0.001) and RPE (p < 0.001) were significantly higher for both the DOM and NDOM conditions compared to BW but no differences existed between the DOM and NDOM conditions (p > 0.05). No differences in lower limb muscle activation were noted for any muscles between the DOM and NDOM conditions (p > 0.05). Regardless of condition, BB activation ipsilateral to the ambulating limb was significantly lower during 0.6 mph (p = 0.005) and 0.8 mph (p = 0.016) compared to the same speeds for BB on the contralateral side. Contralateral TB activation was significantly higher during 0.6 mph compared to 0.8 mph (p = 0.009) and 1.0 mph (p = 0.029) irrespective of condition. In conclusion, limb dominance appears to not alter lower limb muscle activation and walking intensity while using axillary crutches. However, upper limb muscle activation was asymmetrical during axillary crutch use and largely dependent on speed. These results suggest that functional asymmetry may exist in upper limbs but not lower limbs during assistive device supported ambulation.


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