Cosimo Costantino | University of Parma (original) (raw)

Papers by Cosimo Costantino

Clinical interventions in aging, 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of strength training, performed ag... more The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of strength training, performed against a different resistance from body weight, in improving motor and nonmotor symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The following electronic databases were searched: PubMed, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Scopus, and Web of Science. The review was conducted and reported in accordance with the PRISMA statement. Thirteen high-quality randomized controlled trials were included. Strength training performed against external resistance is well tolerated and appears to be a suitable physical activity to improve both physical parameters and quality of life parameters of PD subjects. However, although the study intervention included strength training, only a few selected studies assessed the improvement of muscle strength. Despite the encouraging results, it is difficult to establish a correlation between strength training and t...

Medicina dello sport; rivista di fisiopatologia dello sport

Obiettivo. Gli autori si sono proposti di valutare retrospettivamente l’incidenza di traumi disto... more Obiettivo. Gli autori si sono proposti di valutare retrospettivamente l’incidenza di traumi distorsivi dell’articolazione tibio-tarsica ed i relativi fattori di rischio in calciatori militanti nelle squadre della provincia di Parma durante una stagione agonistica Metodi. Sono state contattate 66 società calcistiche della provincia di Parma associate alla Federazione Italiana Gioco Calcio. Ogni atleta coinvolto ha compilato un questionario. Risultati. Cinquantatre atleti su 1452 hanno subito una distorsione della tibio-tarsica durante la stagione agonistica. Il 3,76% erano dilettanti, il 2,1% erano semiprofessionisti e il 18,2% professionisti. È stato evidenziato che nella maggior parte dei casi il trauma distorsivo era provocato da un contatto di gioco e che vi erano correlazioni significative tra la distorsione ed il periodo dell’anno, il numero di allenamenti a settimana, il tipo di calzature indossate, le caratteristiche del terreno di gioco e la presenza di traumi precedenti. Di...

Lesioni muscolari acute sono frequentemente ( tra il 10 e il 30 % ) riscontrate in diverse discip... more Lesioni muscolari acute sono frequentemente ( tra il 10 e il 30 % ) riscontrate in diverse discipline sportive. Nella pratica sportiva il muscolo deve possedere qualita' di forza, resistenza, reattività, velocita', ed elasticita', che vengono acquisite sul campo con allenamenti spesso intensi e al limite della resistenza elastica dei muscoli.

EMC - Medicina Riabilitativa, 2008

ABSTRACT Nella parte introduttiva gli autori descrivono le cause di amputazione e le conseguenti ... more ABSTRACT Nella parte introduttiva gli autori descrivono le cause di amputazione e le conseguenti problematiche. Vengono poi presentati i vari tipi di protesi a seconda del livello di amputazione e la loro classificazione morfologica e funzionale. La parte finale definisce le diverse fasi del trattamento riabilitativo: il momento postoperatorio o preprotesico, in cui si attuano tutti i provvedimenti atti a prevenire contratture, retrazioni, rigidità articolari e ipotrofie muscolari allo scopo di ottenere un moncone tonicotrofico ottimale; il momento rieducativo, che si articola nelle fasi preparatoria generale, specifica (con e senza protesi) e di controllo con prove di escursione, prensione e destrezza; il momento riabilitativo finale, che comprende l’apprendimento della gestualità finalizzata ad azioni grossolane, fini e del daily living.

PloS one, 2016

Manual measurement of 4-meter gait speed by a stopwatch is the gold standard test for functional ... more Manual measurement of 4-meter gait speed by a stopwatch is the gold standard test for functional assessment in older adults. However, the accuracy of this technique may be biased by several factors, including intra- and inter-operator variability. Instrumental techniques of measurement using accelerometers may have a higher accuracy. Studies addressing the concordance between these two techniques are missing. The aim of the present community-based observational study was to compare manual and instrumental measurements of 4-meter gait speed in older individuals and to assess their relationship with other indicators of physical performance. One-hundred seventy-two (69 men, 103 women) non-disabled community-dwellers aged ≥65 years were enrolled. They underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment including physical function by Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), hand grip strength, and 6-minute walking test (6MWT). Timed usual walking speed on a 4-meter course was assessed by us...

L'articolazione scapolo-omerale in quanto enartrosi gode di notevole libertà articolare poiché i ... more L'articolazione scapolo-omerale in quanto enartrosi gode di notevole libertà articolare poiché i suoi movimenti possono avvenire intorno a un infinito numero di assi intersecanti la testa omerale. Questa gamma di movimenti garantisce lo svolgimento della maggior parte delle attività della vita quotidiana.

Per caduta si intende una perdita dell'equilibrio e quindi della stabilità, senza perdita di cosc... more Per caduta si intende una perdita dell'equilibrio e quindi della stabilità, senza perdita di coscienza, che provoca un improvviso, inaspettato spostamento verso il basso dalla posizione ortostatica, assisa o clinostatica.

The Authors, after having defined the phenomenon and the biological characteristics of natural ma... more The Authors, after having defined the phenomenon and the biological characteristics of natural magnets, evaluate their ability in accelerating the formation of bone callus in hand and wrist fractures compared to treatment with immobilization in a plaster cast. Forty patients (4 females and 37 males) between 20 and 86 years of age were treated. A small natural magnet was inserted in each of the plaster casts (diameter: 2cm, height: 0.5cm) made of 4 blocks in Neodymium-Iron-Boron, capable of generating 4 magnetic poles (2 positive and 2 negative) of diagonal alternate polarity that produced a symmetric, quadruple static magnetic field. The created magnetic flow was wavelike, concentrated in one direction, and developed a force up to 12,500 gauss. From this study it has emerged that inserting a quadruple magnet in a plaster cast in hand and wrist fractures results in the formation of bone callus in an average time that is 35% inferior to the "standard" time. Accelerating the healing of the fracture is important since it reduces immobilization time for the joints involved, avoiding subsequent weakness and stiffness and allowing the patient to begin rehabilitative physiotherapy sooner, which permits a faster functional recovery. (www.actabiomedica.it)

La valutazione della posizione seduta su piattaforma stabilometrica a 3 trasduttori meccanici, pe... more La valutazione della posizione seduta su piattaforma stabilometrica a 3 trasduttori meccanici, permette l'analisi dell'oscillazione del centro medio di pressione (CMP) costituito dal sistema uomo-seduta. La variazione di posizione del CMP consente di verificare alcuni aspetti di stabilità del sistema. In soggetti emiplegici in fase postacuta, è stato analizzato l'andamento spazio-temporale del gomitolo stabilometrico con lo scopo di identificare il pattern strumentale al fine dell'ottimizzazione della seduta e della fase di alzata 1 .

In ambito oncologico si stima che la fatica abbia un'incidenza compresa tra 70-90%, con un coinvo... more In ambito oncologico si stima che la fatica abbia un'incidenza compresa tra 70-90%, con un coinvolgimento del sesso femminile quasi doppio rispetto a quello maschile.

Background and aim of the work: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a major cause of disability, for ... more Background and aim of the work: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a major cause of disability, for which clinical practice guidelines suggest exercise programs, such as Back School program (stretching and selective muscle reinforcement techniques) and Hydrotherapy technique, as an effective treatment to reduce pain intensity and disability. Methods: We enrolled 56 elderly individuals, affected by non-specific CLBP, whose pain had worsened in the last three months, which were randomly allocated to Back School (group A) or to Hydrotherapy program (group B). Each group underwent two one-hour-treatment sessions per week, over a 12-week period. Each patient was evaluated using the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RM-DQ) and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) V2.0 at the beginning (T0), at the end of treatment (T1) and at the 3-month follow-up (T2). Results: At T1 and T2 we observed a highly significant statistical difference in the values measured in both groups: at T1 in group A RMDQ improvement of 3.26±1.02 (p<0.001) and SF-36 of 13.30±1.44 (p<0.001); in group B RMDQ improvement of 4.96±0.71 (p<0.001) and SF-36 of 14.19±1.98 (p<0.001). We have also evaluated the difference in effectiveness of the two programs and no significant statistical differences were found between the two groups. Conclusions: Back School program and Hydrotherapy could be valid treatment options in the rehabilitation of non-specific CLBP in elderly people. Both therapies proved to be effective and can be used in association with other rehabilitation programs. We believe that Back School program should be favored for its simplicity and the small number of resources required. (www.actabiomedica.it)

Aging clinical and experimental research, Jan 21, 2015

Advanced PD is often associated with cognitive impairment and frequent falls. We describe a sugge... more Advanced PD is often associated with cognitive impairment and frequent falls. We describe a suggestive case report of PD associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and falls. The aim of our study was to test alteration in balance potentially related to use of acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AchEI). We address this hypothesis after keeping the patient in stable dosage of dopamine agonist. We describe an initial pharmacological management in a 78-year-old man affected by Parkinson disease (PD) associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and history of falls. The diagnosis of PD was also confirmed by SPECT with DATSCAN, after CT-brain exclusion of potential other causes of the symptoms. Cognitive and motor performances of the patient were initially evaluated by Mini Mental Examination State Examination (MMSE), Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and Romberg test. We also recorded gait parameters using an accelerometer, while balance and stability were assessed by stabilo...

Circa l'80% delle persone adulte presenteranno nel corso della propria esistenza un lombalgia acu... more Circa l'80% delle persone adulte presenteranno nel corso della propria esistenza un lombalgia acuta associata o meno a interessamento radicolare. Il dolore lombare origina dai recettori algogeni situati nelle strutture ossee, articolari e muscolari della colonna vertebrale e può manifestarsi improvvisamente, nel corso di uno sforzo di particolare intensità, specie se al movimento di flessione si associa una componente di rotazione; in altri casi compare nel corso di movimenti banali oppure si manifesta spontaneamente 1,2 . I possibili meccanismi in grado di determinare dolore a livello delle strutture lombari sono molteplici: microfratture e fratture dei corpi vertebrali, riduzione dello spazio discale, lesioni degenerative e infiammatorie delle articolazioni interapofisarie posteriori, stiramenti e sovraccarico meccanico dei ligamenti e dei muscoli paravertebrali, irritazione e stiramento del ligamento longitudinale posteriore e compressione delle strutture nervose 3 .

The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness, 2014

Whole body vibration training is a recent area of study in athletic conditioning, health and reha... more Whole body vibration training is a recent area of study in athletic conditioning, health and rehabilitation. This paper provides a review of the effectiveness of this type of training in sport. A search was conducted across several electronic databases and studies on effects of whole body vibration training on sport performance were reviewed. Thirteen articles were included in the final analysis. The following variables were considered: participants investigated (sex and age), characteristics of the vibration (frequency and amplitude), training (type of sport, exposure time and intensity, tests used, type of study, effects examined and results obtained). This review considers proposed neural mechanisms and identifies studies that have demonstrated the effectiveness of WBV in sports. It considers where WBV might act and suggests that vibration can be an effective training stimulus. Future studies should focus on evaluating the long-term effects of vibration training and identify opti...

Acta bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis, 2016

The purpose of the study was to examine the long term effects of a selective muscle strengthening... more The purpose of the study was to examine the long term effects of a selective muscle strengthening program in reducing pain and improving knee function and strength in athletes with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome. A total of one hundred and thirty four athletes were enrolled in the study. All patients were evaluated with Isokinetic Test, Cincinnati Knee Rating System and Visual Analogue Scale. The selective muscle strengthening consisted of 8 weeks of exercises performed 3 times in the first 4 weeks and twice in the last 4 weeks. The muscle strengthening program was performed between 30-90° of knee flexion. During the first 4-weeks treatment we used closed kinetic chain exercises with 3 sets of 8 repetitions at 80% of maximum load. In the last 4-weeks we added open kinetic chain exercises at 70% of maximum load with 3 sets and 10 repetitions to improve the resistance. Analyzing data at the beginning and at the end of the treatment for Isokinetic test, Cincinnati and Visual Analogue Sca...

Acta bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis, 2016

Scapular dyskinesis in pitchers can potentially lead to impairments in the optimal performance of... more Scapular dyskinesis in pitchers can potentially lead to impairments in the optimal performance of muscles of the shoulder complex. The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate whether the use of a scapula stabilizing t-shirt can decrease stress and discomfort in over-head baseball pitchers. Thirty-two semi-professional baseball pitchers were divided into 2 groups. Group A dressed the scapula stabilizing t-shirt during the weekly practice while group B (control group) continued to follow their training program without the t-shirt. All pitchers underwent a clinical examination at the beginning of the study (T0), 4 weeks (T1) and 8 weeks after (T2). Data collected showed a better clinical outcome at T1 which increased in T2 for pitchers in Group A, while in Group B athletes these positive results were not observed. This study underlines that scapula-stabilizing t-shirt can have positive effects on shoulder discomfort in over-head athletes.

Acta Bio Medica Atenei Parmensis, Aug 1, 2012

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK: Neuromuscular Taping (NT) is a relatively new device that induces... more BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK: Neuromuscular Taping (NT) is a relatively new device that induces micro-movements by stimulating receptors in the skin. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of the application of Neuromuscular Taping (NT) on motor performance and quality of life in a cohort of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.METHODS: Twenty MS patients with Expanded Disability Status Scale < or = 4 (EDSS); clinically stable disease; absence of relapses during the last 3 months; absence of rehabilitation treatment or symptomatic drugs acting on muscular tone or fatigue for at least 2 months; a stable disease modifying treatment for at least 3 months; were treated with the application of NT. It was applied four times at 4-day intervals on the weakest side of the hamstrings muscles. The treatment efficacy on motor performance was evaluated by the six minute walking test (6MWT), measured at the beginning of treatment (TO), at the end of NT application (T1), and three weeks after the last treatment application (T2). Moreover, Short Form 36 health survey (SF-36) was administered to evaluate the quality of life.RESULTS: The mean distance covered during the 6MWT improved significantly between TO and the successive T1 and T2 measurements, passing from 342.6 +/- 148.9 mt at TO to 395.8 +/- 146.0 mt at T2 (p=0.03). The SF-36 showed a statistically significant improvement in most items.CONCLUSIONS: The application of NT was able to improve significantly the motor performance and the quality of life in our small case series of MS patients. (www.actabiomedica.it).

Clinical interventions in aging, 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of strength training, performed ag... more The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of strength training, performed against a different resistance from body weight, in improving motor and nonmotor symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The following electronic databases were searched: PubMed, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Scopus, and Web of Science. The review was conducted and reported in accordance with the PRISMA statement. Thirteen high-quality randomized controlled trials were included. Strength training performed against external resistance is well tolerated and appears to be a suitable physical activity to improve both physical parameters and quality of life parameters of PD subjects. However, although the study intervention included strength training, only a few selected studies assessed the improvement of muscle strength. Despite the encouraging results, it is difficult to establish a correlation between strength training and t...

Medicina dello sport; rivista di fisiopatologia dello sport

Obiettivo. Gli autori si sono proposti di valutare retrospettivamente l’incidenza di traumi disto... more Obiettivo. Gli autori si sono proposti di valutare retrospettivamente l’incidenza di traumi distorsivi dell’articolazione tibio-tarsica ed i relativi fattori di rischio in calciatori militanti nelle squadre della provincia di Parma durante una stagione agonistica Metodi. Sono state contattate 66 società calcistiche della provincia di Parma associate alla Federazione Italiana Gioco Calcio. Ogni atleta coinvolto ha compilato un questionario. Risultati. Cinquantatre atleti su 1452 hanno subito una distorsione della tibio-tarsica durante la stagione agonistica. Il 3,76% erano dilettanti, il 2,1% erano semiprofessionisti e il 18,2% professionisti. È stato evidenziato che nella maggior parte dei casi il trauma distorsivo era provocato da un contatto di gioco e che vi erano correlazioni significative tra la distorsione ed il periodo dell’anno, il numero di allenamenti a settimana, il tipo di calzature indossate, le caratteristiche del terreno di gioco e la presenza di traumi precedenti. Di...

Lesioni muscolari acute sono frequentemente ( tra il 10 e il 30 % ) riscontrate in diverse discip... more Lesioni muscolari acute sono frequentemente ( tra il 10 e il 30 % ) riscontrate in diverse discipline sportive. Nella pratica sportiva il muscolo deve possedere qualita' di forza, resistenza, reattività, velocita', ed elasticita', che vengono acquisite sul campo con allenamenti spesso intensi e al limite della resistenza elastica dei muscoli.

EMC - Medicina Riabilitativa, 2008

ABSTRACT Nella parte introduttiva gli autori descrivono le cause di amputazione e le conseguenti ... more ABSTRACT Nella parte introduttiva gli autori descrivono le cause di amputazione e le conseguenti problematiche. Vengono poi presentati i vari tipi di protesi a seconda del livello di amputazione e la loro classificazione morfologica e funzionale. La parte finale definisce le diverse fasi del trattamento riabilitativo: il momento postoperatorio o preprotesico, in cui si attuano tutti i provvedimenti atti a prevenire contratture, retrazioni, rigidità articolari e ipotrofie muscolari allo scopo di ottenere un moncone tonicotrofico ottimale; il momento rieducativo, che si articola nelle fasi preparatoria generale, specifica (con e senza protesi) e di controllo con prove di escursione, prensione e destrezza; il momento riabilitativo finale, che comprende l’apprendimento della gestualità finalizzata ad azioni grossolane, fini e del daily living.

PloS one, 2016

Manual measurement of 4-meter gait speed by a stopwatch is the gold standard test for functional ... more Manual measurement of 4-meter gait speed by a stopwatch is the gold standard test for functional assessment in older adults. However, the accuracy of this technique may be biased by several factors, including intra- and inter-operator variability. Instrumental techniques of measurement using accelerometers may have a higher accuracy. Studies addressing the concordance between these two techniques are missing. The aim of the present community-based observational study was to compare manual and instrumental measurements of 4-meter gait speed in older individuals and to assess their relationship with other indicators of physical performance. One-hundred seventy-two (69 men, 103 women) non-disabled community-dwellers aged ≥65 years were enrolled. They underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment including physical function by Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), hand grip strength, and 6-minute walking test (6MWT). Timed usual walking speed on a 4-meter course was assessed by us...

L'articolazione scapolo-omerale in quanto enartrosi gode di notevole libertà articolare poiché i ... more L'articolazione scapolo-omerale in quanto enartrosi gode di notevole libertà articolare poiché i suoi movimenti possono avvenire intorno a un infinito numero di assi intersecanti la testa omerale. Questa gamma di movimenti garantisce lo svolgimento della maggior parte delle attività della vita quotidiana.

Per caduta si intende una perdita dell'equilibrio e quindi della stabilità, senza perdita di cosc... more Per caduta si intende una perdita dell'equilibrio e quindi della stabilità, senza perdita di coscienza, che provoca un improvviso, inaspettato spostamento verso il basso dalla posizione ortostatica, assisa o clinostatica.

The Authors, after having defined the phenomenon and the biological characteristics of natural ma... more The Authors, after having defined the phenomenon and the biological characteristics of natural magnets, evaluate their ability in accelerating the formation of bone callus in hand and wrist fractures compared to treatment with immobilization in a plaster cast. Forty patients (4 females and 37 males) between 20 and 86 years of age were treated. A small natural magnet was inserted in each of the plaster casts (diameter: 2cm, height: 0.5cm) made of 4 blocks in Neodymium-Iron-Boron, capable of generating 4 magnetic poles (2 positive and 2 negative) of diagonal alternate polarity that produced a symmetric, quadruple static magnetic field. The created magnetic flow was wavelike, concentrated in one direction, and developed a force up to 12,500 gauss. From this study it has emerged that inserting a quadruple magnet in a plaster cast in hand and wrist fractures results in the formation of bone callus in an average time that is 35% inferior to the "standard" time. Accelerating the healing of the fracture is important since it reduces immobilization time for the joints involved, avoiding subsequent weakness and stiffness and allowing the patient to begin rehabilitative physiotherapy sooner, which permits a faster functional recovery. (www.actabiomedica.it)

La valutazione della posizione seduta su piattaforma stabilometrica a 3 trasduttori meccanici, pe... more La valutazione della posizione seduta su piattaforma stabilometrica a 3 trasduttori meccanici, permette l'analisi dell'oscillazione del centro medio di pressione (CMP) costituito dal sistema uomo-seduta. La variazione di posizione del CMP consente di verificare alcuni aspetti di stabilità del sistema. In soggetti emiplegici in fase postacuta, è stato analizzato l'andamento spazio-temporale del gomitolo stabilometrico con lo scopo di identificare il pattern strumentale al fine dell'ottimizzazione della seduta e della fase di alzata 1 .

In ambito oncologico si stima che la fatica abbia un'incidenza compresa tra 70-90%, con un coinvo... more In ambito oncologico si stima che la fatica abbia un'incidenza compresa tra 70-90%, con un coinvolgimento del sesso femminile quasi doppio rispetto a quello maschile.

Background and aim of the work: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a major cause of disability, for ... more Background and aim of the work: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a major cause of disability, for which clinical practice guidelines suggest exercise programs, such as Back School program (stretching and selective muscle reinforcement techniques) and Hydrotherapy technique, as an effective treatment to reduce pain intensity and disability. Methods: We enrolled 56 elderly individuals, affected by non-specific CLBP, whose pain had worsened in the last three months, which were randomly allocated to Back School (group A) or to Hydrotherapy program (group B). Each group underwent two one-hour-treatment sessions per week, over a 12-week period. Each patient was evaluated using the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RM-DQ) and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) V2.0 at the beginning (T0), at the end of treatment (T1) and at the 3-month follow-up (T2). Results: At T1 and T2 we observed a highly significant statistical difference in the values measured in both groups: at T1 in group A RMDQ improvement of 3.26±1.02 (p<0.001) and SF-36 of 13.30±1.44 (p<0.001); in group B RMDQ improvement of 4.96±0.71 (p<0.001) and SF-36 of 14.19±1.98 (p<0.001). We have also evaluated the difference in effectiveness of the two programs and no significant statistical differences were found between the two groups. Conclusions: Back School program and Hydrotherapy could be valid treatment options in the rehabilitation of non-specific CLBP in elderly people. Both therapies proved to be effective and can be used in association with other rehabilitation programs. We believe that Back School program should be favored for its simplicity and the small number of resources required. (www.actabiomedica.it)

Aging clinical and experimental research, Jan 21, 2015

Advanced PD is often associated with cognitive impairment and frequent falls. We describe a sugge... more Advanced PD is often associated with cognitive impairment and frequent falls. We describe a suggestive case report of PD associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and falls. The aim of our study was to test alteration in balance potentially related to use of acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AchEI). We address this hypothesis after keeping the patient in stable dosage of dopamine agonist. We describe an initial pharmacological management in a 78-year-old man affected by Parkinson disease (PD) associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and history of falls. The diagnosis of PD was also confirmed by SPECT with DATSCAN, after CT-brain exclusion of potential other causes of the symptoms. Cognitive and motor performances of the patient were initially evaluated by Mini Mental Examination State Examination (MMSE), Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and Romberg test. We also recorded gait parameters using an accelerometer, while balance and stability were assessed by stabilo...

Circa l'80% delle persone adulte presenteranno nel corso della propria esistenza un lombalgia acu... more Circa l'80% delle persone adulte presenteranno nel corso della propria esistenza un lombalgia acuta associata o meno a interessamento radicolare. Il dolore lombare origina dai recettori algogeni situati nelle strutture ossee, articolari e muscolari della colonna vertebrale e può manifestarsi improvvisamente, nel corso di uno sforzo di particolare intensità, specie se al movimento di flessione si associa una componente di rotazione; in altri casi compare nel corso di movimenti banali oppure si manifesta spontaneamente 1,2 . I possibili meccanismi in grado di determinare dolore a livello delle strutture lombari sono molteplici: microfratture e fratture dei corpi vertebrali, riduzione dello spazio discale, lesioni degenerative e infiammatorie delle articolazioni interapofisarie posteriori, stiramenti e sovraccarico meccanico dei ligamenti e dei muscoli paravertebrali, irritazione e stiramento del ligamento longitudinale posteriore e compressione delle strutture nervose 3 .

The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness, 2014

Whole body vibration training is a recent area of study in athletic conditioning, health and reha... more Whole body vibration training is a recent area of study in athletic conditioning, health and rehabilitation. This paper provides a review of the effectiveness of this type of training in sport. A search was conducted across several electronic databases and studies on effects of whole body vibration training on sport performance were reviewed. Thirteen articles were included in the final analysis. The following variables were considered: participants investigated (sex and age), characteristics of the vibration (frequency and amplitude), training (type of sport, exposure time and intensity, tests used, type of study, effects examined and results obtained). This review considers proposed neural mechanisms and identifies studies that have demonstrated the effectiveness of WBV in sports. It considers where WBV might act and suggests that vibration can be an effective training stimulus. Future studies should focus on evaluating the long-term effects of vibration training and identify opti...

Acta bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis, 2016

The purpose of the study was to examine the long term effects of a selective muscle strengthening... more The purpose of the study was to examine the long term effects of a selective muscle strengthening program in reducing pain and improving knee function and strength in athletes with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome. A total of one hundred and thirty four athletes were enrolled in the study. All patients were evaluated with Isokinetic Test, Cincinnati Knee Rating System and Visual Analogue Scale. The selective muscle strengthening consisted of 8 weeks of exercises performed 3 times in the first 4 weeks and twice in the last 4 weeks. The muscle strengthening program was performed between 30-90° of knee flexion. During the first 4-weeks treatment we used closed kinetic chain exercises with 3 sets of 8 repetitions at 80% of maximum load. In the last 4-weeks we added open kinetic chain exercises at 70% of maximum load with 3 sets and 10 repetitions to improve the resistance. Analyzing data at the beginning and at the end of the treatment for Isokinetic test, Cincinnati and Visual Analogue Sca...

Acta bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis, 2016

Scapular dyskinesis in pitchers can potentially lead to impairments in the optimal performance of... more Scapular dyskinesis in pitchers can potentially lead to impairments in the optimal performance of muscles of the shoulder complex. The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate whether the use of a scapula stabilizing t-shirt can decrease stress and discomfort in over-head baseball pitchers. Thirty-two semi-professional baseball pitchers were divided into 2 groups. Group A dressed the scapula stabilizing t-shirt during the weekly practice while group B (control group) continued to follow their training program without the t-shirt. All pitchers underwent a clinical examination at the beginning of the study (T0), 4 weeks (T1) and 8 weeks after (T2). Data collected showed a better clinical outcome at T1 which increased in T2 for pitchers in Group A, while in Group B athletes these positive results were not observed. This study underlines that scapula-stabilizing t-shirt can have positive effects on shoulder discomfort in over-head athletes.

Acta Bio Medica Atenei Parmensis, Aug 1, 2012

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK: Neuromuscular Taping (NT) is a relatively new device that induces... more BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK: Neuromuscular Taping (NT) is a relatively new device that induces micro-movements by stimulating receptors in the skin. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of the application of Neuromuscular Taping (NT) on motor performance and quality of life in a cohort of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.METHODS: Twenty MS patients with Expanded Disability Status Scale < or = 4 (EDSS); clinically stable disease; absence of relapses during the last 3 months; absence of rehabilitation treatment or symptomatic drugs acting on muscular tone or fatigue for at least 2 months; a stable disease modifying treatment for at least 3 months; were treated with the application of NT. It was applied four times at 4-day intervals on the weakest side of the hamstrings muscles. The treatment efficacy on motor performance was evaluated by the six minute walking test (6MWT), measured at the beginning of treatment (TO), at the end of NT application (T1), and three weeks after the last treatment application (T2). Moreover, Short Form 36 health survey (SF-36) was administered to evaluate the quality of life.RESULTS: The mean distance covered during the 6MWT improved significantly between TO and the successive T1 and T2 measurements, passing from 342.6 +/- 148.9 mt at TO to 395.8 +/- 146.0 mt at T2 (p=0.03). The SF-36 showed a statistically significant improvement in most items.CONCLUSIONS: The application of NT was able to improve significantly the motor performance and the quality of life in our small case series of MS patients. (www.actabiomedica.it).