The Injury Clinic physiotherapist and strength and conditioning coaches are always staying up to date with the latest research and findings to make sure that they deliver the most effective evidence-based treatment.
Staying up to date with current research is very important for practitioners as it provides:
- Evidence-based information on the effectiveness of treatment/exercises to ensure it is always relevant.
- Their patient care is always of a high professional standard as it aids in informed clinical decisions supported by research.
Current research articles, their summaries and key findings can be found below:
Application of Accentuated Eccentric Loading to Elicit Acute and Chronic Velocity and Power Improvements: A Narrative Review (Merrigan et al., 2022):
Summary:
- Accentuated Eccentric Loading is a training method that uses heavier loads, or adds a clear emphasis to the eccentric portion of the lift than the concentric phase.
- These methods have the ability to elicit improvements in both Velocity and Power.
- This study explores the application of various ways to implement AEL and their effects.
Findings:
- The most common form of AEL – coming in the form of jumping variants and bench throws (using dumbbells or resistance bands) have shown a positive effect on jump performance.
- Response and prescription of load will be highly dependant on the experience/relative strength of each athlete – eg. An untrained athlete may need to use a slow eccentric pacing strategy. Missing some of the benefits gained from faster eccentrics we can gain from our stretch short cycle function.
- Use of these methods are effective – however appropriate programming will be needed by coaches to avoid negative impact to athletes, with some variations being more appropriate to experienced/matured athletes.
Effectiveness of manual therapy in patients with tension-type headache. A systematic review and meta-analysis (Kamonseki et al., 2020):
Summary:
- Tension type headaches (TTH) are the most common primary headache, with almost half of all adults experiencing one in their lifetime.
- TTH are characterized by pain on both sides of the head, with mild to moderate pain described as a pressing or tightening. The pain is not aggravated by physical activity and does not cause nausea or vomiting.
- As manual therapy is one of the most common treatments by physical therapists for TTH, the aim of this review was to determine the effectiveness of manual therapies on TTH symptoms and frequency.
Findings:
- The results of the review indicated that in terms of manual therapies, soft tissue interventions such as massage or trigger point release, as well as dry needling, have the best effect on TTH pain intensity and frequency.
- High velocity and low amplitude manipulations were shown to not be superior than no treatment on TTH symptoms.
- Clinically, this article allows our therapists to streamline short term treatment of TTH, but there are still more important management strategies for long term function, such as education and exercise.
Impact of Patellar Tendinopathy on Isokinetic Knee Strength and Jumps in Professional Basketball Players (Dauty et al., 2021):
Summary:
- Patellar tendinopathy is characterised by pain through the patellar tendon and may reduce the level of performance.
- This study compared knee strength and jump performance between athletes with patellar tendinopathy and those without.
- The secondary aim of this study was to compare the relationship between knee strength and jump function.
- 62 professional basketball players were assessed; of which 24 had patellar tendinopathy.
- Each player completed a knee extension strength test, single leg countermovement jump and single leg hop test.
Findings:
- There was a noticeable decrease in quadriceps strength and countermovement jump scores in the affected limb of athletes with patellar tendinopathy.
- There was no difference in single leg hop testing between those with and without patellar tendinopathy. Researchers postulate that this could be due to compensatory strategies.
Muscle and Bone Health in Postmenopausal Women: Role of Protein and Vitamin D Supplementation Combined with Exercise Training (Agostini et al., 2018):
Summary:
- Menopause is associated with the decline in oestrogen levels and occurs around the age of 50.
- Loss of muscle mass and bone density also accelerates around the same time, and has been linked to the decrease of circulating oestrogen.
- Long term, this can lead to frailty, loss of independence and activity avoidance.
- Appropriate, frequent exercise and a well balanced diet that includes enough protein, vitamin D and calcium is vital to ensure a good quality of life in post menopausal women.
Agostini, D., Zeppa, S., Lucertini, F., Annibalini, G., Gervasi, M., & Marini, C. et al. (2018). Muscle and Bone Health in Postmenopausal Women: Role of Protein and Vitamin D Supplementation Combined with Exercise Training. Nutrients, 10(8), 1103. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10081103
Dauty, M., Menu, P., Mesland, O., Louguet, B., & Fouasson-Chailloux, A. (2021). Impact of Patellar Tendinopathy on Isokinetic Knee Strength and Jumps in Professional Basketball Players. Sensors, 21(13), 4259. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21134259
Kamonseki, D., Lopes, E., van der Meer, H., & Calixtre, L. (2020). Effectiveness of manual therapy in patients with tension-type headache. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Disability And Rehabilitation, 44(10), 1780-1789. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2020.1813817
Merrigan, J., Borth, J., Taber, C., Suchomel, T., & Jones, M. (2022). Application of Accentuated Eccentric Loading to Elicit Acute and Chronic Velocity and Power Improvements: A Narrative Review. International Journal Of Strength And Conditioning, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.47206/ijsc.v2i1.80
