Igor Zlatović

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of permanent disorders affecting movement, posture, and balance. Spasticity is the most common movement disorder in CP, and muscle weakness is its primary impairment. There is a lack of studies that have examined the effects of short-term, moderate-intensity strength training (ST) in adults with CP, whereas recommendations suggest that long-term interventions are necessary for substantial improvements in strength in the CP population. This study investigated the effects of a 5-week, moderate-intensity ST intervention, that targets various upper and lower extremity muscles, on multiple morphological characteristics (MC) and motor abilities (MA) in a sedentary 30-year-old adult male with asymmetrical bilateral spastic CP level II. Methods: Body composition, maximal knee strength, maximal squat strength, leg explosive strength, and hip mobility were assessed before and after the ST intervention. Results: Changes in body composition were modest (0.6–6.4%). Maximal knee strength increased moderately on the less spastic side (40.7–65.9%) and substantially on the more spastic side (118.5–130.6%). Hip mobility showed a similar pattern, with small to moderate improvements (11.4–30.0%), while maximal squat strength and leg explosive strength increased moderately (29.5–46.3%). Conclusions: A short-term, moderate-intensity ST intervention produced meaningful improvements in MC and MA in this subject, especially on the more spastic side. The applied ST program was feasible and potentially efficient, and the results of this single-case study support its approach and methodology in necessary future studies on larger trials in an attempt to generalize these preliminary findings. This in turn may encourage practitioners to promote increased participation in physical activity among individuals with CP, given the short-term period of adaptations. The study discusses the potential of further refinement of the existing CP-specific ST guidelines and load programming aspects.

Background: Previous research has identified center of mass vertical oscillation and leg stiffness as the most common variables differentiating Natural and Groucho running techniques. The aim was to assess the inter-session reliability and inter-technique sensitivity of synchronized inertial measurement units and contact grids in quantifying kinematic and kinetic differences between Natural and Groucho running techniques. Methods: Eleven physically active and healthy males ran at a speed 50% higher than transition speed. Two sessions for Natural and two for Groucho running were performed, each lasting 1 min. Results: Most variables exhibited a similar inter-session reliability across running techniques, except contact time and center of mass vertical displacement, ranging from moderate to good (ICC = 0.538–0.897). A statistically significant difference between running techniques was found for all variables (p < 0.05), except for contact time and center of mass vertical oscillation (p > 0.05), likely due to inconsistency in reliability depending on the running technique, which may have covered the underlying differences. Conclusions: We can conclude that the combination of synchronized inertial measurement units and contact grids showed potentially acceptable reliability and sufficient sensitivity to recognize and differentiate between Natural and Groucho running techniques. The results may contribute to a broader understanding of the differences between these two running techniques and encourage the increased use of these devices within therapeutic, recreational, and sports running contexts.

Background: This study investigated whether diaphragmatic breathing intervention could lead to acute improvements in trunk and shoulder mobility and pulmonary function in healthy young adults. Methods: Twenty-six physically active males (aged 24.3 ± 2.0 years, body height of 182.9 ± 6.4 cm, and body weight of 82.8 ± 10.4 kg) were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group. The experimental group underwent a 22 min diaphragmatic breathing intervention in a lying position. The control group lay passively, breathing naturally. Mobility assessments (chest expansion, thoracic spine rotation, lateral trunk flexion, and shoulder girdle mobility) and pulmonary function tests (forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in one second and their ratio) were conducted before and after the intervention. Results: Only experimental group showed significant improvements after the intervention (p ≤ 0.01) in the chest expansion (+22.2%, ES = 0.62), thoracic spine rotation (+21.7%, ES = 0.76 on the left and +23.3%, ES = 0.84 on the right side), lateral trunk flexion (+11.7%, ES = 0.62 on the left and +15.4%, ES = 1 on the right side), shoulder girdle mobility (+20.2%, ES = 0.44 on the left and +21.5%, ES = 0.38 on the right side), forced vital capacity (+4.7%, ES = 0.39) and reduction (p ≤ 0.01) in ratio between forced expiratory volume in one second and forced vital capacity (−4.6%, ES = 0.47). Conclusion: The results revealed that a 22 min diaphragmatic breathing intervention could immediately improve trunk and shoulder mobility and pulmonary function, likely due to anatomical relationships and more efficient use of respiratory muscles, especially the diaphragm.