Background: Chronic pain and opioid treatment are associated with increased risk of male hypogonadism and subsequently decreased muscle function. A diagnosis of hypogonadism is based on the presence of low total testosterone and associated symptoms. The effect of testosterone replacement therapy on muscle function in men with chronic pain and low total testosterone remains to be investigated. Objectives:To investigate the effects of testosterone replacement therapy on muscle function and gait performance in men treated with opioids for chronic non-cancer pain. Materials and methods:A double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Forty-one men (>18 years) with opioid-treated chronic pain and serum total testosterone < 12 nmol/L were randomized to 24 weeks testosterone replacement therapy (testosterone undecanoate injection three times/6 months, n = 20) or placebo injections (n = 21). Muscle function was measured as leg press maximal voluntary contraction, leg extension power using the Nottingham power rig and handgrip strength using a handheld dynameter. Gait performance was measured at usual and maximal gait speed on a 10-m track. Body composition (lean body mass and fat mass) was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Mann-Whitney tests were performed on ∆-values (24-0 weeks) between testosterone replacement therapy and placebo.Results: At baseline, median (interquartile range) age was 55 ± 13 years and BMI was 30.7 ± 5.2 kg/m 2 . ∆-muscle function and ∆-gait performance were similar between testosterone replacement therapy and placebo. Median ∆-leg press maximal voluntary contraction was 174.2 ± 406.7 Newton, following testosterone replacement therapy, and 7.6 ± 419.1 Newton, after placebo, p = 0.091. ∆-lean body mass was significantly higher following testosterone replacement therapy compared to placebo, 3.6 ± 2.7 versus 0.1 ± 3.5 kg, respectively (p < 0.001).Discussion: Testosterone replacement therapy, compared to placebo, did not improve muscle function or gait performance despite increased lean body mass. Changes in body composition did not infer any changes in muscle function.

This paper aimed to examine the acute effect of low-load (LL) exercise with blood-flow restriction (LL-BFR) on microvascular oxygenation and muscle excitability of the vastus medialis (VM) and vastus lateralis (VL) muscles during a single bout of unilateral knee extension exercise performed to task failure. Seventeen healthy recreationally resistance-trained males were enrolled in a within-group randomized cross-over study design.Participants performed one set of unilateral knee extensions at 20% of one-repetition maximum (1RM) to task failure, using a LL-BFR or LL free-flow (LL-FF) protocol in a randomized order on separate days. Changes in oxygenation and muscle excitability in VL and VM were assessed using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and surface electromyography (sEMG), respectively. Pain measures were collected using the visual analog scale (VAS) before and following set completion. Within-and between-protocol comparisons were performed at multiple time points of set completion for each muscle. During LL-BFR, participants performed 43% fewer repetitions and reported feeling more pain compared to LL-FF (p<0.05). Normalized to time to task failure, LL-BFR and LL-FF generally demonstrated similar progression in microvascular oxygenation and muscle excitability during exercise to task failure. The present results demonstrate that LL-BFR accelerates time to task failure, compared with LL-FF, resulting in a lower dose of mechanical work to elicit similar levels of oxygenation, blood-pooling, and muscle excitability. LL-BFR may be preferable to LL-FF in clinical settings where high workloads are contraindicated, although increased pain experienced during BFR may limit its application.

Despite decades of attempts from doctors and dietitians to break the obesity curve, obesity rates are increasing in Denmark. To counteract this, municipal occupational therapy-based interventions are in development as part of the Danish Obesity Intervention Trial (DO: IT). The objective was to survey Danish adults on preferred content in an occupational therapy municipal weight loss intervention and determine if preferences differed by gender and age. A 21-item questionnaire was developed to explore preferences related to diet, physical activity, occupational balance, habits, and social relations. In all, 429 respondents were included. Chi-square statistics were performed to determine if preferences differed by gender and age. A total of 15 of the 21 items indicated gender-based differences in preferences. Two items indicated age-based differences. Notably, compared to men, women indicated significantly more interest in content relating to habit formation and occupational balance. Gender-based differences should be considered when developing a weight loss intervention.

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Objectives: The risk of musculoskeletal pain increases when there is an imbalance between work demands and physical capacity. Work in elder care requires frequent periods of high mechanical loading. Body weight can further amplify this load, while muscle strength may lessen the relative strain on the musculoskeletal system. The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation between body composition, muscular strength and localized musculoskeletal pain intensity in overweight female health care professionals. Methods: A sample of 139 overweight female health care professionals working in elder care were included in the analyses. Associations between BMI, fat percentage, waist circumference, muscle strength and localized pain intensity were assessed using Kendall’s rank correlation. Results: Significant associations were found between musculoskeletal pain in the right shoulder and BMI (rτ=0.194; p=0.035), whereas upper back pain was associated with fat percentage and waist circumference (rτ=0.212; p=0.023 and rτ=0.212; p=0.024, respectively). Conclusions: Results indicate high BMI, fat percentage, and waist circumference may be contributing factors of localized musculoskeletal pain intensity of the upper body in overweight female health care professionals. These results may help guide the design of future workplace health promotion programmes.

Background: Laboratory assessment of maximal oxygen uptake () is physically and mentally draining for the athlete and requires expensive laboratory equipment. Indirect measurement of could provide a practical alternative to laboratory testing. Purpose: To examine the relationship between the maximal power output (MPO) in an individualized 7 × 2-minute incremental test (INCR-test) and and to develop a regression equation to predict from MPO in female rowers. Methods: Twenty female club and Olympic rowers (development group) performed the INCR-test on a Concept2 rowing ergometer to determine and MPO. A linear regression analysis was used to develop a prediction of from MPO. Cross-validation analysis of the prediction equation was performed using an independent sample of 10 female rowers (validation group). Results: A high correlation coefficient (r = .94) was found between MPO and . The following prediction equation was developed: (mL·min−1) = 9.58 × MPO (W) + 958. No difference was found between the mean predicted in the INCR-test (3480 mL·min−1) and the measured (3530 mL·min−1). The standard error of estimate was 162 mL·min−1, and the percentage standard error of estimate was 4.6%. The prediction model only including MPO, determined during the INCR-test, explained 89% of the variability in . Conclusion: The INCR-test is a practical and accessible alternative to laboratory testing of .