No abstract

Background During pregnancy, a number of changes affecting venous blood flow occur in the circulatory system, such as reduced vein wall tension or increased exposure to collagen fibers. These factors may cause blood stagnation, swelling of the legs, or endothelial damage and consequently lead to development of venous disease. Objectives The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of special footwear designed to improve blood circulation in the feet on venous blood flow changes observed during advancing phases of pregnancy. Methods Thirty healthy pregnant women participated in this study at 25, 30, and 35 weeks of gestation. Participants were allocated at random to an experimental group (n = 15) which was provided with the special footwear, or a control group (n = 15). At each data collection session, Doppler measurements of peak systolic blood flow velocity and cross-sectional area of the right popliteal vein were performed using a MySonoU6 ultrasound machine with a linear transducer (Samsung Medison). The differences were compared using Cohen’s d test to calculate effect size. Results With advancing phases of pregnancy, peak systolic velocity in the popliteal vein decreased significantly in the control group, whereas it increased significantly in the experimental group. No significant change in cross-sectional area was observed in any of the groups. Conclusions Findings in the experimental group demonstrated that wearing the footwear tested may prevent venous blood velocity from reducing during advanced phases of pregnancy. Nevertheless, there is a need for further investigation of the beneficial effect on venous flow of the footwear tested and its application.

Došla J, Korvas P, Zvonař M, Musil R, Šenkýř J, Kalina T. Comparison of selected characteristics of gait in men and women. J. Hum. Sport Exerc. Vol. 8, No. Proc2, pp. S114-S119, 2013. In this research, we have attempted to find out and compare selected characteristics of gait in men and women; 20 men and 20 women aged 30-39 were observed. The average age of men was 34.0 years, of women 34.1 years respectively. For measuring, pressure shoe insoles were used (Pedar Mobile, Novel Munich, 99 sensors, 100 Hz). Each person had three attempts: two trial attempts, the third one was measured. For observation, we selected three stances of each leg, always between the third and eighth stride. Significant differences between men and women were found in stance duration in the active part of stance while the passive part of stance was similar. With applied force (F1, F2, F3) during stance, after recalculating per a kilogram of weight, no statistically significant differences were found. No significant differences between the right and left legs were found either.

Throwing velocity is a relevant variable in water polo performance. Few studies have investigated the throw's speed during an official competition or real game situation in high level competition. All throws performed in 27th European Championship in 2006 (Belgrade, Serbia) and 12th World Championships in 2007 (Melbourne, Australia) were analyzed in the present study. The total sample was composed of 5,691 throws (2,474 in female category). The study was developed with an observational design. A digital video camera, a radar and Polo Análisis Directo v1.0 software were used to record data. The reliability between the observers was verified using the kappa agreement index, ensuring that in all cases this value was greater than .85. The average maximum speed of throws in female water polo was 13.88 m/s (±2.44 m/s) and 16.94 m/s (±3.38 m/s) in male. The variables distance and game situation showed a combined ability to predict 19% of speed differences in female water polo throws and 33% in male.

Došla, J., Hupka, D. & Musil, R. (2014). Selected characteristics of gait in women of different ages. J. Hum. Sport Exerc., 9(Proc1), pp.S538-S545. In our research we have attempted to find out and compare force and time characteristics of gait in women. We measured and compare women in two age groups -18-30 (group 1) a 46-60 (group 2). The average height of both groups was same, 167 cm, while the average weight and average body mass index were different (group 1 -weight 62 kg, BMI 22,3, group 2 -weight 68 kg, BMI 24,6). For measuring, pressure shoe insoles were used (Pedar Mobile, Novel Munich, 99 sensors, 100 Hz). Each person had three attempts: two trial attempts, the third one was measured. For observation, we selected three stances of each leg, always between the third and eighth stride. We measured force characteristics F1, F2, F3 and time characteristics t, t1, t2, t3. Significant differences between both groups were found in t3 on the left leg (time between peak force in active part of stance and peak force in passive part of stance). With applied force (F1, F2, F3) during stance, after recalculating per a kilogram of weight, no statistically significant differences were found.