Body composition and muscular strength are important for baseball skills and successful performance. Conditioning training programs have the potential to enhance athletic performance via physiological changes. In this single-group interventional study, we investigated the effect of 8 weeks of Pilates training (PT) on contralateral and regional body composition, and isokinetic muscular strength in knee and trunk flexion/extension in adolescent baseball players. In our results, PT increased both right- and left-sided lean mass in the trunk. Following PT, work per repetition and average power showed significant increases in the flexion and extension of the left knee only. PT significantly decreased the peak torque of the trunk flexor and increased the average power of the trunk extensor. In addition, the ratio of the trunk flexion/extension strength of peak torque showed a decreasing trend, whereas that of work and average power did not change significantly following PT. In conclusion, PT evenly improved lean mass on both the right and left sides of the body. Knee and trunk strength increased after PT. Our findings suggest that PT may be a useful strategy for enhancing athletic performance in regard to the muscular strength of adolescent baseball players.
Background: Increased strain of the iliotibial band (ITB) is a plausible contributing factor for the development of iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS). Although several studies have found relationships between the strain of the ITB and kinematic factors during running, the associations of the ITB strain with knee alignment and sex, which are considered intrinsic factors, are not well understood.Objective: To clarify the sex differences in the ITB strain between genu varum and normal knee alignments in different postures. Design: Observational cross-sectional study. Setting: Laboratory research within a university. Participants: Forty-four healthy recreational athletes (21 men and 23 women) volunteered for this study and were divided into four groups by sex and knee alignment: men with genu varum alignment, men with normal knee alignment, women with genu varum alignment, and women with normal knee alignment. Methods: An ultrasound real-time elastography (RTE) unit was used for distal ITB strain measurements in weight bearing and for different non-weight-bearing: neutral, knee flexion, hip adduction, and hip adduction with knee flexion. Gender information and the intercondylar distance data were collected to divide the participants into two groups. Main Outcome Measurements: Main Outcome was the ITB strain (strain ratio) measured by the RTE. Results: There were no significant differences in neutral and hip adduction postures among the four groups. However, during weightbearing, the women's genu varum group (6.91 AE 1.69; Mean AE SD) exhibited greater strain than both the men's normal group (3.50 AE 1.04, P = .005) and the women's normal group (4.42 AE 1.42, P = .048). In addition, there were significant positive correlations between the intercondylar distance and the ITB strain during weight-bearing (r = 0.315, P = .037). Conclusions: The women's genu varum group exhibited a higher ITB strain during weight-bearing, which may be related to the high incidence of ITBS in women athletes. Furthermore, the changes in alignment and muscle activities during weight-bearing could influence the strain of the ITB.
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