J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol., Volume 1, Issue 4 (December 2016) – 8 articles , Pages 343-406

Stem cells have shown promise as a therapeutic intervention by enhancing skeletal muscle regeneration following muscle injury. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of mouse mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on muscle function following a single stretch injury in the calf muscle of C57BL/67 mice. A custom isokinetic device was used to induce a single stretch injury. An intramuscular injection of MSCs or saline was administered three days post-injury. Mechanical testing to measure peak isometric joint torque in vivo was done immediately and at seven or 14 days post-injury. Susceptibility to reinjury was assessed in the soleus muscle using an in situ repeated eccentric contraction (ECC) protocol. In vivo isometric torque of the plantar flexors dropped immediately following stretch injury by 50%. Treatment with MSCs attenuated the torque deficit at seven days, while there were no differences in torque deficit between groups at 14 days. In situ ECC testing of the soleus showed a significant specific force drop following injury, with the MSC group demonstrating a protective effect at seven and 14 days. These results demonstrate transient improvement in isometric torque and reduced susceptibility to reinjury following single stretch injury with intramuscular injection of MSCs. Full article

Estimating the knee functional axis (KFA) is crucial to both correctly implanting a prosthesis and accessing joint kinematics. Researchers have reported on the KFA mainly with regard to manual management of flexion–extension movements performed passively without any voluntary movements. Active touch and movement refers to what is ordinarily called touching—variations in skin stimulation caused by surfaces are altered together by variations in motor activity. This fact is worth noting because it is often neglected that locomotion and its surfaces form an inseparable pair. The objective of this study was to confirm the distinction between touching and being touched. We were particularly interested in measuring the instantaneous axes of the knee (IAK) during locomotion. We propose the invariant structure of the knee as an attempt to distill a kind of higher-order simplification of a knee model relative to the enormous complexities of analytical anatomical objects. Full article

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between spine alignment and shoulder elevation in a kyphotic elderly population. Twenty-three consecutive female patients who underwent balloon kyphoplasty for spinal compression fractures without shoulder symptoms were examined (mean age, 76 ± 6.3 years). Thoracic kyphosis angle (TK), lumbar lordosis angle (LL), and pelvic tilt angle (PT) were measured on standing true lateral radiographs of the whole spine. The shoulder active range of motion with or without scapular fixation was measured in the sitting position. The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Shoulder Score was recorded as the functional evaluation. The total elevation angle was 128.9° ± 22°, the glenohumeral angle was 80.7° ± 10.9°, and the UCLA Shoulder Score was 32.4 ± 2.1. The TK was 36.7°, the LL was −29.1°, and the PT was 30.5°. The total elevation angle was significantly negatively correlated with LL. TK and PT were not significantly correlated with any parameter. The total shoulder elevation angle was limited in the kyphotic elderly women in this study, and kyphotic change appeared to interfere with spinal extension and reduced the total elevation arc with no glenohumeral motion deficit. A reduction in total shoulder elevation was negatively correlated with LL. Full article

The purpose of this study was to assess changes in the thickness of the retrocalcaneal bursa (RB) with respect to the ankle position with or without flexor hallucis longus (FHL) contraction. Forty feet of 20 female volunteers were examined. RB was sonographically scanned as the horizontal short-axis image of the posteromedial talar process and the calcaneal tuberosity. RB thickness was measured at three different ankle positions (20° dorsiflexion, neutral, and 40° plantar flexion) with or without FHL contraction. Without FHL contraction, the mean thickness of the RB was 2.6 mm in dorsiflexion, 2.4 mm in neutral, and 2.3 mm in plantar flexion. With FHL contraction, the mean thickness of the RB was 2.5 mm in dorsiflexion, 2.5 mm in neutral, and 2.3 mm in plantar flexion. No significant differences were detected with respect to the ankle position or FHL contraction. This study showed that in healthy subjects, the thickness of the RB in the horizontal plane did not change with respect to the ankle position with or without FHL contraction. Full article

“Cupping Therapy” is the topic chosen for the fourth editorial of this newly launched journal. The aim of this editorial is to deepen this interesting topic, little analyzed in the present literature, in order to explain the technique and deal with the evidence of the effects of cupping therapy in musculoskeletal disorders, and some possible relation to sports performance. Full article

We are glad to introduce the third Journal Club. The third edition is focused on several relevant studies published in the last years in the field of Gait and Posture, chosen by our Editorial Board members. We hope to stimulate your curiosity in this field and to share with you a passion for sport seen also from the scientific point of view. The Editorial Board members wish you an inspiring lecture. Full article

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of kinesio taping (KT) in combination with moderate adapted exercise on the functional outcome of patients with knee osteoarthritis. We included 66 patients who presented pain and functional impairment with osteoarthritis. At the end of the treatment, only 57 patients remained because nine patients were excluded. Patients were randomly allocated to three treatment groups: (1) exercise group; (2) exercise KT with tension application (stabilizing effect) group; (3) exercise KT without tension application (draining effect) group. We used different methods of investigation: the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index, the Visual Analogue Scaling Score for Pain, the Timed Up and Go test and analgesic consumption. Our results showed a reduction in knee pain, improvement in knee function and also less need for medication in patients with knee osteoarthritis treated with kinesio taping in combination with exercise for, at least, a period of three months. In conclusion, we can assert that therapeutic knee kinesio taping in association with a moderate adapted training is an effective method for the management of pain and disability limitations in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Full article

Echocardiography has recently undergone innovations due to the availability of deformation parameters as strain, strain rate, torsion and rotation that allow an accurate assessment of myocardial function. Because of this general progress, the importance of myocardial deformation parameters has been highlighted, and some aspects of their clinical and research applications have recently been considered for the daily management of many acute and chronic metabolic diseases. The deformation parameters are largely proposed for the early detection of myocardial dysfunction, especially in the case of patients being completely asymptomatic. Strain analysis is extensively applied to cardiomyopathies, to coronary artery disease, or to the evaluation of the “forgotten chambers”, such as the right ventricles and atria. More recently, several other clinical contexts, like non-communicable chronic diseases (NCCD), have actually been benefitting from specific evaluation by strain analysis. Lately, some specific aspects of strain evaluation, particularly Global Longitudinal Strain (GLS) have been shown to provide useful information of clinical relevance in the case of cancer patients. This paper presents an initial review of the recent applications of strain analysis in cardio-oncology, in order to share the recent experience in this field and to support the role of these parameters in cardio-oncology. Full article