This study aimed to reveal the functional ability of functional movement screening (FMS) scores in determining an athlete's predisposition to injury. One hundred (50 females and 50 males) university level athletes, weight of 69.44 ± 5.84 kg, height of 172.69 ± 7.26 cm, age of 22.56 ± 2.99 years and Baecke score 21.66 ± 1.73, practised in football, handball and basketball sports (at least for 5 years), with no recent (<6 weeks) history of musculoskeletal injury were recruited. Of the 100 subjects, 35 of them suffered an acute, lower extremity (ankle = 20 and knee = 15 subjects) injury. An odds ratio was calculated at 4.70, meaning that an athlete has an approximately 4.7 times greater chance of suffering a lower extremity injury during a regular competitive season if they score less than 17 on the FMS. This study provides FMS reference values for university level athletes that will assist in the interpretation of individual scores when screening athletes for musculoskeletal injury and performance factors. More research is still necessary before implementing the FMS into a pre-participation physical examination for athletics, but due to the low cost and its simplicity to implement, it should be considered by clinicians and researchers in the future.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of scapular exercises alone and combined with cognitive functional therapy in treating patients with chronic neck pain and scapular downward rotation impairment. Design: Single-blind randomized controlled trial. Setting: Outpatient. Subjects: A total of 72 patients (20–45 years old) with chronic neck pain were studied. Intervention: Allocation was undertaken into three groups: scapular exercise ( n = 24), scapular exercise with cognitive functional therapy ( n = 24) and control ( n = 24) groups. Each programme lasted three times a week for six weeks. Main outcomes: The primary outcome measure was pain intensity measured by the visual analogue scale scores. The secondary outcome measures included kinesiophobia and muscles activity. Results: Statistically significant differences in pain intensity were found when multidisciplinary physiotherapy group including a cognitive functional approach was compared with the scapular exercise alone group at six weeks (effect size (95% CI) = −2.56 (−3.32 to −1.80); P = 0.019). Regarding kinesiophobia, a significant between-group difference was observed at six-week (effect size (95% CI) = −2.20 (−2.92 to −1.49); P = 0.005), with the superiority of effect in multidisciplinary physiotherapy group. A significant between-group differences was observed in muscle activity. Also, there were significant between-group differences favouring experimental groups versus control. Conclusion: A group-based multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme including scapular exercise plus cognitive functional therapy was superior to group-based scapular exercise alone for improving pain intensity, kinesiophobia and muscle activation in participants with chronic neck pain.

Background: The treatment of chronic low back pain (LBP) should target both behavioral variables and physical performance factors. Hypothesis: Cognitive functional treatment (CFT) and lumbar stabilization treatment (LST) will result in positive changes in pain and lumbar movement control (LMC) in patients with LBP. Study Design: Pretest-posttest intervention. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Methods: After screening, 52 participants (mean age, 44.3 ± 2.46 years) with chronic LBP were allocated into CFT (n = 17), LST (n = 17), or control (n = 18) groups. Pain and LMC were evaluated before and after 8 weeks of intervention with visual analog scale (VAS) and Luomajoki LMC battery tests, respectively. Results: Compared with baseline, pain and LMC were reduced and improved significantly in both groups after 8 weeks. However, the changes in both variables were not significantly different between groups. Percent change for pain between pretest and posttest values in the LST group was a decrease of 45% ( P = 0.003), compared with a decrease of 40% ( P = 0.003) in the CFT group. Change in LMC in the LST group was a decrease of 100% ( P = 0.026), compared with a decrease of 200% ( P = 0.018) in the CFT group. There as no change for both variables in the control group. Conclusion: Both CFT and LST groups improved LMC scores and reduced pain intensity. However, there was no difference between the 2 experimental groups on pain and LMC test results. Clinical Relevance: In this study, intended to construct an intervention for people with chronic LBP, the primary aims were to help individuals “make sense of their pain,” develop effective pain control strategies via body relaxation and extinction of safety behaviors, and adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors to affect cognitive factors known to affect pain sensitivity and disability. These primary aims were achieved through an emphasis on factors such as development of positive beliefs, reduced fear, increased awareness, enhanced understanding and control of pain, adaptive coping, enhanced self-efficacy, confidence, and improved mood through the class-based intervention.

Falling is one of the most common causes of hip fracture and death in older adults. A comparison of the biomechanics of the gait in fallers and non-fallers older adults, especially joint coordination and coordination variability, enables the understanding of mechanisms that underpin falling. Therefore, we compared lower-extremity intra-joint coordination and its variability between fallers and non-fallers older adults during gait. A total of 26 older adults, comprising 13 fallers, took part in this study. The participants walked barefoot at a self-selected speed on a 10-m walkway. Gait kinematics in the dominant leg during 10 cycles were captured with 10 motion tracking cameras at a sampling rate of 100 Hz. Spatiotemporal gait parameters, namely, cadence, walking speed, double support time, stride time, width, and length, as well as intra-joint coordination and coordination variability in the sagittal plane were compared between the two groups. Results showed that fallers walked with significant lower cadence, walking speed, and stride length but greater double support and stride time than non-fallers. Significant differences in the ankle-to-knee, knee-to-hip, and ankle-to-hip coordination patterns between fallers and non-fallers and less coordination variability in fallers compared to non-fallers in some instants of the gait cycles were observed. The differences in spatiotemporal gait parameters in fallers compared to non-fallers may indicate an adaptation resulting from decreased efficiency to decrease the risk of falling. Moreover, the differences in segment coordination and its variability may indicate an inconsistency in neuromuscular control. It may also indicate reduced ability to control the motion of the leg in preparation for foot contact with the ground and the knee and ankle motions during loading response. Finally, such differences may show less control in generating power during the push-off phase in fallers.

Nonetheless, early-intervention studies of AD need reliable predictors of progression. These results underscore the importance of further research on how APOE isoforms influence cognition and dementia.