Healthy untrained males (age 25.4 +/- 1.7 years, n=12) gave their informed consent to take part in all experiments within the study. After 100 intermittent (every 20 s) drop jumps from the height of 0. 4 m, jumps with counter-movement to 90 degrees angle in the knee and immediate maximal rebound (eccentric-concentric exercise; E-C) and 100 continuous jumps (five bouts of 20 jumps with counter-movement to 90 degrees angle in the knee with 10 s between bouts) (maximal exercise; M) with maximal intensity, the height of vertical jump decreased in a similar way, and this decrease did not depend on the performance mode of jumps. After E-C and M jumping exercises, there was a significant (P < 0.001) decrease in maximal voluntary contraction force, as well in the force generated by electrical stimulation at all stimulation frequencies, and these values were not restored to the initial level even after 24 h. After the E-C exercise, however, the muscle contraction force generated at different stimulation frequencies and, especially, at low-stimulation frequencies (1-20 Hz) decreased to a significantly (P < 0.05-0.001) greater extent than after M exercise. Twenty minutes after the end of M exercise, there was still a greater increase in low-frequency fatigue (LFF) and it was no different from the LFF registered 20 min after the end of E-C exercise. Twenty-four hours after the M exercise, however, LFF was smaller than its respective value after E-C exercise. There was no significant relationship between the values of LFF after E-C and M exercises. This may indicate that there are differences in the origin of the LFF after the E-C and M exercises.

Pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) play a crucial role in urinary continence. Therefore, training the PFMs remains the most popular conservative treatment for urinary incontinence (UI). The effect of training other body muscles on the PFMs is unclear and mostly hypothetical. The objective of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of postoperative diaphragm muscle, abdominal muscle and PFM training on PFM strength (PFMS) and endurance (PFME) as well as on UI in men after radical prostatectomy (RP). Per-protocol PFMS, PFME and urine loss measurements were performed at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. The primary endpoints were PFMS and PFME differences among the study groups. The secondary endpoint was the correlation between UI and PFMS and PFME. In total, 148 men were randomized to the treatment groups. An increase in PFMS and PFME was observed in all groups compared to baseline (p < 0.001). The greatest difference in PFMS was in the PFM training group, but diaphragm training had the best effect on PFME. The highest (from moderate to strong) correlation between UI and PFME and PFMS (r = −0.61 and r = −0.89, respectively) was observed in the diaphragm training group. Despite different but significant effects on PFMS and PFME, all rehabilitation-training programmes decreased UI in men after RP.

The greatest change of pelvic floor muscles strength and endurance occurred during the third to the sixth month following surgery. The greatest change in urinary incontinence occurred during the first month following surgery. Pelvic floor muscle strength causes a greater decrease in urinary incontinence than endurance. The greater the pelvic floor muscle strength before surgery, the lower the amount of urinary incontinence. Age also affects pelvic floor muscle strength and endurance; this relation gradually weakens and with age disappears. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:126-131, 2017. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Tyrimo problema: PSO duomenimis, 25% nėščiųjų skundžiasi nugaros skausmais, susijusiais su atramos judamojo aparato pokyčiais nėštumo metu. Lietuvoje daug dėmesio skiriama nėščiųjų sveikatingumui, bet nepakankamai, ypač toms moterims, kurias vargina nugaros skausmai ar sumažėjęs mobilumas nėštumo metu. Tyrimo objektas — nėščių moterų skersinis pilvo raumuo (SPR) ir nugaros skausmas. Tyrimo tikslas — nustatyti ryšį tarp skersinio pilvo raumens jėgos ir nugaros skausmo nėštumo metu. Uždaviniai: 1. Įvertinti kontrolinės ir tiriamosios grupės nėščiųjų nugaros skausmą prieš KT (kineziterapiją) ir po jos. 2. Įvertinti kontrolinės ir tiriamosios grupės nėščiųjų skersinio pilvo raumens jėgą prieš KT ir po jos. 3. Palyginti abiejų grupių rezultatus prieš KT ir po jos. Tyrimo metodika. Anketinės apklausos būdu buvo išsiaiškintas moterų amžius, nėštumo savaitė, ar šio nėštumo metu jaučia nugaros skausmus ir kada jie pasireiškia. Prieš KT ir po jos, taikant VAS (Skausmo vizualinę analogijų skalę), buvo įvertintas visų tiriamųjų nugaros skausmo intensyvumo suvokimas ir, naudojant liemens stabilumo vertinimo ir lavinimo prietaisą „Stabilizer“, atliktas objektyvus skersinio pilvo raumens jėgos testavimas nėščiosioms gulint ant nugaros ir šono. Taikant KT programą, tiriamosios grupės (n = 18) nėščiosios atliko SPR jėgos stiprinimo pratimus salėje, o kontrolinės grupės (n =16) — bendrojo pobūdžio pratimus vandenyje. Tyrimo duomenys statistiškai apdoroti naudojantis kompiuterine programa „SPSS 15.0 for Windows“. Rezultatai. Tiriamojoje grupėje vidutinė nugaros skausmo intensyvumo suvokimo įvertinimo reikšmė po KT programos sumažėjo apytiksliai 41% nuo pirmo įvertinimo gautos vidutinės reikšmės (p < 0,05). Tiriamosios grupės nėščiųjų SPR jėgos vertinimo rezultatai po KT gulint ant šono apytiksliai 3,12% (testavimo metu atitraukiant dešinę koją) ir 5,04% (kairę koją) buvo geresni nei kontrolinės grupės (p < 0,05). Išvados: 1. Tiriamosios grupės nugaros skausmo intensyvumo suvokimas po KT sumažėjo statistiškai patikimai (p < 0,05), kontrolinės — išliko nepakitęs. 2. Tiriamosios ir kontrolinės grupės nėščiųjų skersinio pilvo raumens jėga taikant kineziterapiją didėjo (p < 0,05). 3. Tiriamosios grupės nėščiųjų skausmo intensyvumo suvokimas taikant kineziterapiją sumažėjo labiau nei kontrolinės (p < 0,05), o skersinio pilvo raumens jėga didėjo labiau nei kontrolinės. 4. Skersinio pilvo raumens jėga turi įtakos nugaros skausmams nėštumo metu: didėjant liemens stabilumui, nugaros skausmas mažėja.

The purposes of this study were to investigate the muscle-tendon unit stiffness response and to compare the stiffness with those of other indirect markers induced by two bouts of unaccustomed eccentric exercise. Eleven untrained men performed two bouts of 200 maximal eccentric contractions of the right quadriceps 4 weeks apart. Changes in stiffness, pain evoked by stretching and pressure, plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity, and muscle thickness were followed for 7 days after each bout. Stiffness and pain peaked immediately and 1 day after the first exercise bout, whereas CK and thickness were highest 4 and 7 days after the first exercise bout, respectively (P < 0.05 for all). Muscular pain, thickness, and stiffness responses were lower by 53.3%, 99%, and 11.6%, respectively, after the repeated bout compared to after the first bout (P < 0.05 for all), while CK activity response did not differ significantly between bouts. High responders for an increase in muscle-tendon unit stiffness showed a repeated-bout effect for stiffness, pain, and CK activity (by 29%, 65%, and 98%, P < 0.05 for all), but the repeated-bout effect was not that clear in low responders. These findings suggest that a repeated eccentric exercise bout effect on stiffness in quadriceps is mostly not associated with muscle pain and CK activity, but there are large individual differences.