Exercise Alone (exercise + alone)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Treatment of chronic or recurrent proximal suspensory desmitis using radial pressure wave therapy in the horse

EQUINE VETERINARY JOURNAL, Issue 4 2004
O. M. CROWE
Summary Reasons for performing study: Proximal suspensory desmitis (PSD) is diagnosed with increasing frequency in horses and radial pressure wave therapy (RPWT) is a widely used therapy for painful orthopaedic conditions in man and dogs. There are, however, few published data as to the outcome of its use in PSD. Objective: To evaluate the use of RPWT in the treatment of chronic or recurrent PSD in the horse, an injury which carries a poor prognosis for return to athletic function with conservative management alone. Hypothesis: RPWT and controlled exercise improves the prognosis of chronic or recurrent PSD in the horse when compared to previously published results of controlled exercise alone. Methods: The use of RPWT in the management of chronic or recurrent proximal suspensory desmitis (PSD) was evaluated in 65 horses. Diagnosis was based on response to local analgesia, ultrasonography and radiography. Horses were classified according to severity of ultrasonographic lesions, whether fore- or hindlimbs were affected, and duration of lameness prior to diagnosis. Horses were treated 3 times at 2-week intervals and followed a controlled exercise programme; they were reassessed clinically and ultrasonographically 10,12 weeks after diagnosis, when further exercise recommendations were made dependent upon the animal's progress. Results: Forty-one percent of horses with hindlimb lameness and 53% with forelimb lameness were nonlame and returned to full work 6 months after diagnosis. The prognosis was significantly affected by the ultrasonographic grade at the time of diagnosis and by ultrasonographic evidence of resolution of the lesion in hindlimb cases. Conclusions: These findings, when compared to previously published results of treatment using controlled exercise alone, suggest that RPWT improves the prognosis for PSD in the hindlimb. Potential relevance: RPWT is a useful treatment modality for chronic or recurrent PSD when combined with controlled exercise. Further studies are required on the effect of RPWT employing histology and biomechanics in order to fully evaluate its use on equine tissues. [source]


Growth Hormone Administration and Exercise Effects on Muscle Fiber Type and Diameter in Moderately Frail Older People

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 7 2001
James V. Hennessey MD
OBJECTIVE: Reduced muscle mass and strength are characteristic findings of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and aging. We evaluated measures of muscle strength, muscle fiber type, and cross sectional area in response to treatment with recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) with or without a structured resistance exercise program in frail older subjects. DESIGN: Placebo-controlled, randomized, double blind trial. SETTING: Outpatient clinical research center at an urban university-affiliated teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-one consenting older subjects (mean age 71.3 ± 4.5 years) recruited as a subset of a larger project evaluating rhGH and exercise in older people, who underwent 62 quadricep-muscle biopsies. INTERVENTION: Random assignment to a 6-month course of one of four protocols: rhGH administered subcutaneously daily at bedtime, rhGH and a structured resistance exercise program, structured resistance exercise with placebo injections, or placebo injections only. MEASUREMENTS: Muscle biopsy specimens were obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle. Isokinetic dynamometry strength tests were used to monitor individual progress and to adjust the weights used in the exercise program. Serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) was measured and body composition was measured using a Hologic QDR 1000W dual X-ray densitometer. RESULTS: The administration of rhGH resulted in significant increase in circulating IGF-I levels in the individuals receiving rhGH treatment. Muscle strength increased significantly in both the rhGH/exercise (+55.6%, P = .0004) as well as the exercise alone (+47.8%, P = .0005) groups. There was a significant increase in the proportion of type 2 fibers between baseline and six months in the combined rhGH treated subjects versus those not receiving rhGH (P = .027). CONCLUSIONS: Our results are encouraging in that they suggest an effect of growth hormone on a specific aging-correlated deficit. IGF-I was increased by administrating rhGH and muscle strength was increased by exercise. The administration of rhGH to frail older individuals in this study resulted in significant changes in the proportions of fiber types. Whether changes in fiber cross-sectional area or absolute number occur with long-term growth hormone administration requires further study. [source]


Interaction of pyridostigmine and physical stress on antioxidant defense system in skeletal muscle of mice

JOURNAL OF APPLIED TOXICOLOGY, Issue 4 2001
R. Jagannathan
Abstract Pyridostigmine bromide (PB), a reversible anticholinesterase drug, had been used against possible nerve gas exposure during the Persian Gulf War. The Gulf War veterans used PB and they were under physical stress. This study investigated the delayed and interactive effects of pyridostigmine and physical stress on the antioxidant defense system in triceps muscle of mice. Male NIH Swiss mice were divided into four groups and treated as follows: sedentary control; pyridostigmine (1.2 mg kg,1 p.o.); exercise; and PB plus exercise. Mice were exercised for 10 weeks, but PB was administered daily during the 5th and 6th weeks. Mice were sacrificed 24 h after the last treatments and the triceps muscle was isolated and analyzed. There was a significant increase in total superoxide dismutase (CuZn-SOD + Mn-SOD) activity (141% of control) with PB plus exercise, suggesting that any influx of superoxide anions was scavenged efficiently. The Mn-SOD enzyme protein levels were reduced significantly (63% of control) by PB plus exercise. Catalase enzyme protein levels were increased significantly by exercise (132% of control) as well as by PB plus exercise (139% of control). Glutathione levels were increased significantly by exercise alone (123% of control). Pyridostigmine bromide plus exercise significantly increased the malondialdehyde concentration (124% of control) in the triceps muscle, indicating an oxidative stress response of the combination. The data indicate that a combination of PB ingestion and exercise training significantly altered the antioxidant enzyme activities, enzyme protein levels and lipid peroxidation, leading to oxidative injury. Physical stress amplified the delayed effects of PB in the skeletal muscle of mice. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Influence of energy drinks and alcohol on post-exercise heart rate recovery and heart rate variability

CLINICAL PHYSIOLOGY AND FUNCTIONAL IMAGING, Issue 1 2009
Urban Wiklund
Summary Background:, Media have anecdotally reported that drinking energy drinks in combination with alcohol and exercise could cause sudden cardiac death. This study investigated changes in the electrocardiogram (ECG) and heart rate variability after intake of an energy drink, taken in combination with alcohol and exercise. Methods:, Ten healthy volunteers (five men and five women aged 19,30) performed maximal bicycle ergometer exercise for 30 min after: (i) intake of 0·75 l of an energy drink mixed with alcohol; (ii) intake of energy drink; and, (iii) no intake of any drink. ECG was continuously recorded for analysis of heart rate variability and heart rate recovery. Results:, No subject developed any clinically significant arrhythmias. Post-exercise recovery in heart rate and heart rate variability was slower after the subjects consumed energy drink and alcohol before exercise, than after exercise alone. Conclusion:, The healthy subjects developed blunted cardiac autonomic modulation after exercising when they had consumed energy drinks mixed with alcohol. Although they did not develop any significant arrhythmia, individuals predisposed to arrhythmia by congenital or other rhythm disorders could have an increased risk for malignant cardiac arrhythmia in similar situations. [source]


Effectiveness of two conservative modes of physical therapy in women with urinary stress incontinence

NEUROUROLOGY AND URODYNAMICS, Issue 5 2001
Tiina Arvonen
Abstract Stress incontinence is the most prevalent form of female urinary incontinence and it affects approximately 5% of younger women to nearly 50% of elderly women. Women have traditionally been treated with pelvic floor muscle exercises alone or with the use of vaginal cones. A new treatment mode, vaginal balls, has been developed. The aim of this study was to compare pelvic floor muscle training with and without vaginal balls and to collect information on women's subjective feelings about the two training modes. The study was carried out as a prospective randomized clinical trial. Thirty-seven women aged 25,65 were assigned either to a pelvic floor muscle training program or to a training program using weighted vaginal balls for 4 months. Treatment outcomes were assessed by a pad-test with a standardized bladder volume, vaginal palpation, and by women's self-reported perceptions. The sense of coherence score was compared with the score for a normal population. Ninety-three percent of the women completed the study. Both training modes were effective in reducing urinary leakage: with vaginal balls (P,<,0.0001) and without (P,<,0.019); and increasing pelvic floor muscle strength: with vaginal balls (P,<,0.0039) and without (P,<,0.0002). However, the reduction of urinary leakage after four months of exercise in the training group with vaginal balls was significantly better (P,<,0.03) than the results in the group training with pelvic floor muscle exercises alone. The study found the weighted vaginal balls to be a good alternative for training pelvic floor muscles in women with stress urinary incontinence. Neurourol. Urodynam. 20:591,599, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]