Objectives: This study aimed to examine the bilateral effect of 4 weeks of unilateral electroacupuncture on leg muscle strength.Design: The effect of unilateral electroacupuncture at two selected acupoints, Zusanli (ST-36) and Xiajuxu (ST-39), which are located on the anterior tibialis muscle, on dorsiflexion strength was evaluated by statistical analyses of the interactions between the muscle strength pre and post 4 weeks of intervention, between the two legs, and between an experimental and a control group.Settings/location: The trial was carried out in the exercise rehabilitation laboratory at Tianjin University of Sport.Subjects: Thirty (30) healthy men with an average age of 20.9 Ϯ 2.98 (SD) years were randomly allocated into an electroacupuncture group (EG) and a control group (CG). They were physically active, but without specific strength training or previous experience of acupuncture.Interventions: Participants in the EG were given 3 sessions of electroacupuncture per week. In each session, the electroacupuncture was applied to the right leg at the acupoints with 8 duty cycles of 1 minute on and 1 minute off, pulse width of 1 millisecond, frequency of 40 Hz, and intensity of 30-40 V. Participants in the CG group kept their normal daily activities without additional intervention.Outcome measures: The maximum strength in dorsiflexion of each leg was examined by having participants lift weights in the range of motion of ϳ20°at the ankle joint.Results: Repeated-measures analysis of variance with Bonferroni adjustment detected significant increase in strength of both legs (right 21.3%, left 15.2%) in the EG (p Ͻ 0.05) and the increase was significantly higher than that of the CG (p Ͻ 0.05). The CG showed no significant change (right 3.0%, left 4.8%), post-treatment.Conclusions: Unilateral electroacupuncture at the selected acupoints improved muscle strength of both limbs. These findings may have implications in physical therapy and rehabilitation settings.
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It was concluded that both unilateral manual and electric needling caused significant bilateral strength gain, and this effect was not specific to the selected acupoints or electric stimulation. The strength gain was sustained for at least 3 weeks after the 8-week intervention.
Purpose
To describe the prevalence and analyse the associated factors of possible sarcopenia and sarcopenia among community-dwelling old adults in China, in order to provide effective strategies for early prevention and treatment of sarcopenia.
Methods
This cross-sectional study evaluated community-dwelling old adults aged over 60 years. The basic information, morphological indices, body composition, physical activities were collected and assessed. Possible sarcopenia and sarcopenia were diagnosed by the criteria of Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) in 2019. A multivariate logistic regression model with stepwise method was employed to identify factors associated with possible sarcopenia and sarcopenia.
Results
In total 729 old adults from Tianjin were included in this study. Eighty-one participants were diagnosed with possible sarcopenia (prevalence of 11.11%). Seventy-five participants were diagnosed with sarcopenia (prevalence of 10.29%). Age (odds ratio (OR):1.047, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.055–1.090) and lower physical activities (low level OR:4.171, 95% CI:1.790–9.720; medium level OR:2.634, 95% CI:1.352–5.132) were significantly associated with possible sarcopenia. Age (OR:1.187, 95% CI:1.124–1.253), higher body fat percentage (OR:1.225, 95% CI:1.140–1.317), lower BMI (OR:0.424, 95% CI:0.346–0.519), lower mini-mental state examination (MMSE) scores (OR:0.865,95% CI:0.781–0.958) and low physical activities (OR:4.638, 95% CI:1.683–12.782) were significantly associated with sarcopenia.
Conclusion
Possible sarcopenia and sarcopenia are prevalent among community-dwelling old adults in China. Ageing and lower physical activities were both associated with possible sarcopenia and sarcopenia. Old adults with sarcopenia more likely have higher body fat percentage, lower BMI and lower cognitive function compared with those without this condition.
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