Dariusz Boguszewski

The use of thermal imaging to assess the effectiveness of ice massage and cold-water immersion as methods for supporting post-exercise recovery.

Cold water immersion (CWI) and ice massage (IM) are commonly used treatments to prevent the delay onset of muscle soreness (DOMS); however, little is known on their relative benefits and effectiveness to lower tissue temperature. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of IM and CMI on tissue temperature and potential benefit to preventing DOMS. The research encompassed 36 subjects divided into three groups of twelve depending on the form of recovery: ice massage (IM), cold-water immersion (CWI), or passive recovery (PAS). All the participants were asked to jump as high as possible from a full squat for one minute. Thermal imaging was conducted at rest, immediately following the exercise, immediately after the trial, following the recovery treatment, and after 30min of rest. Their pain levels were assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). After applying the selected method for supporting recovery, the LA level decreased by 4.25mmol/L in the IM group, and by 4.96mmol/L in the CWI group (IM vs. CWI p>0.05). The 2.75mmol/L decrease in lactate concentration in the PAS group was significantly lower than in the other groups (IM vs. PAS p<0.05/ CWI vs. PAS p<0.01). In both groups, Tsk after 30min was significantly lower (ΔTsk~0.5°C) than at rest (p<0.05). In turn, Tsk in the PAS group returned to the resting values (p>0.05). Seventy-two hours after the exercise, a clear decrease in discomfort was observed in the IM and CWI groups compared to the PAS group. The two applied treatments have proven to be effective both in utilizing lactate and preventing DOMS. Depending on training requirements, we recommend the use of IM when athletes experience localized muscle fatigue. One the other hand, CWI is recommended in situations of global or generalized muscle injury or fatigue.

Using thermal imaging to assess the effect of classical massage on selected physiological parameters of upper limbs

Summary Study aim: the aim of this study was to assess the relationship between classical sport massage of the hand and the forearm and the surface temperature of upper limb muscles, and between hand grip strength and the range of motion in the radiocarpal joint. Material and methods: study participants comprised 35 women not engaging in competitive sport, aged 19–23 years. Thermal images were taken with a Flir A325 camera. Hand grip strength was measured using an analogue dynamometer. The range of motion in the radiocarpal joint was measured using a goniometer. All tests and measurements were performed twice: directly before and after the massage of the hand and the forearm (of the right limb). Classical massage was applied on the dorsal and palmar surfaces of the hand and on the anterior and posterior surfaces of the forearm. Results: after the massage, the temperature of the right limb increased significantly, as did the temperature of the posterior surface of the left limb. However, no change in temperature was observed on the anterior surfaces of the left forearm and the left arm. A significant increase in the range of motion in the right radiocarpal joint (in all planes) was observed. No significant differences in hand grip strength measured with a dynamometer were found before and after the massage. Conclusions: while classical sport massage increases muscle temperature, it does not improve effort capacity, and therefore it is not a sufficient means of preparing an athlete for physical effort. The massage increased the range of motion in the massaged limb, which mostly indicates the relaxing effect of the treatment.

Evaluation of effectiveness of kinesiology taping as an adjunct to rehabilitation following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Preliminary report.

BACKGROUND. Kinesiology Taping (KT) is being increasingly more often used in musculoskeletal rehabilitation. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of Kinesiology Taping on rehabilitation outcomes in patients following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS. The study enrolled 26 patients (16 women and 10 men) aged between 20 and 41 years. The patients were randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group (Group 1), which received Kinesiology Taping, and a control group (Group 2), which followed the same rehabilitation protocol except for KT. Students t test with a minimum significance level at p<0.05 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS. All participants demonstrated a significant improvement in the range of knee flexion and extension in the affected limb as soon as the end of the first week of rehabilitation (p˂0.001). This tendency persisted in the following weeks until Day 28. Thigh measurements revealed a faster increase in thigh circumference in Group 1. Significant swelling reduction was found among patients from the experimental group at all consecutive measurements. The greatest difference (p<0.001) was noted at the beginning of the rehabilitation. After 28 days of rehabilitation, pain intensity and pain frequency had significantly decreased in all patients (p<0.001). Patients from the control group used analgesics significantly more often. CONCLUSIONS. 1. The use of KT contributed to a faster improvement of the range of knee motion, reduction of oedema and greater improvement in thigh circumference. 2. A similar reduction in pain intensity was observed in all patients. However, pain significantly less often forced patients from the experimental group to use analgesics or reduced their activity.

Influence of karate exercises on motor development in pre-school children

In pre-school children, motor activity stimulates general development and is a necessary factor in every child’s life. Through motor activity performance, a child has an opportunity to participate in many forms of activity – their favourite plays involving movement. Additionally, motor activity shapes the child’s personality [1,2]. Karate is a martial art which excellently develops physical fitness and can be a form of physical education. Karate training guarantees the trainees a wealth of movements and complexity of the exercises performed. It favourably affects movement coordination and spatial orientation. Exercises with elements of karate are symmetric and use laterally alternant move ments, stimulating the nervous system of the child’s developing body. Systematic participation in karate sessions enables comprehensive development of physical fitness. Most of the sport disciplines develop only some motor features and muscle groups. Karate develops endurance, strength, agility, mo tor coordination and elasticity of the entire body, increases the skeletal system endurance and movement precision and improves metabolism. Parallel development of all parts of the body, strengthening the abdominal and dorsal muscles and improving movement apparatus elasticity contributes to shaping a correct body posture in karate practitioners. The important elements of eastern martial arts include affecting the mental sphere and shaping character, control ability, precision, systematic work and self-discipline [2-5]. During karate sessions children have an opportunity to learn about their body and develop their strength and selfconfidence. Exercising in pairs, the children learn how to co ope rate with their peers, how to be loyal and reliable. Karate training can also relieve tension in, hyperexcitable, hyperactive or aggressive children [6]. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of different forms of motor activity on physical fitness in pre-school children.

The effect of sport massage on the mental disposition in kickboxing and judo competitors, reducing their body mass prior to competitions

to competition. The goal of the study was to establish the relationships between sport massage procedures and mental disposition of the athletes being prepared for the competition. Material and methods. The sample included 16 females and 32 males – kickboxers and judokas. The study used Spielberger State Trait Anxiety questionnaire and a tailored questionnaire. The differences between variables were studied using Wilcoxon signed rank test. The minimal significance level was set at p<0.05. Results. Among the competitors qualified for the study, 48% reduced their body mass (Body Mass Reduction – BMR) before each start. They most often started reducing their body mass 10 days before the start by a doing a more intense physical exercise (on average 9.55 days and 9.5 days prior to the start for the female and male subjects respectively) and exercised wearing special clothes triggering sweat glands to release perspiration (8.14 days and 6.56 days for the female and male subjects respectively). Most of competitors (94% of the females and 72%of the males ) experienced negative consequences of BMR. The most frequently mentioned side effect was worsening of general feeling (70% of females and 86% of males). Besides, over a half (56%) of the female competitors complained of a decrease in endurance. The obtained results indicate that among the body mass reducing competitors the level of anxiety significantly increases before the start in competition. The differences, however, were only significant in the control group (p=0.021 in the females and p=0.002 in the males). This indicates a favourable effect of massage on the mental state in the competitors being prepared for the competition. Conclusions. A large group of athletes reducing their body mass obtain results below their expectations. Therefore, they should be subjected to physician’s, physiotherapist’s or sport psychologist’s care. The massage resulted in low levels of anxiety in the athletes before competitions. Physical disposition is of key importance in start preparation of combat athletes, thus the studies on the application of physiotherapeutic approaches among these athletes should be continued

The physical fitness and the safety falling skills of karatekas

The physical fitness in karate, similarly to all martial arts and combat sports is extremely important, because the high level of such motor features as power, speed or endurance can improve the effectiveness of performed techniques and lead to enlargement of chances of the high result in sport [1]. Equally important as power, endurance or speed, is the skill of the maintenance of the equilibrium. Therefore a lot of time on trainings is spent on the improvement of throws and takedowns. During the fight the single action lasts approx. 3-5 seconds because all happens very quickly. In case of the take-down by the opponent there is no time then for thinking how to arrange the body not to get the contusion. Such reaction should be performed automatically [2]. The learning of throws in the karate one starts already in the beginning of the training. Starting with rollings backward and forward, one learns back throw or side throw. The knowledge of those throws is very important, because in most cases during kumite fights in just such manner the competitor falls after the take-dawn by the opponent. Doing throw on the right side of the body the person exercising should perform the leftward strike with the right hand and leg. Then maximally lower the centre of gravity of the body on the left leg so that the body collides with the basis after the fall from the least height possible. The right buttock should touch the floor by the nearest heel of the left foot. In the moment of rolling on the right side, the right hand should energetically hit the floor for the purpose of the assurance. The arrangement of the hand should be analogous to the case of backward throw [3]. Perfecting above-techniques of throws and take-downs one can protect himself from traumata both during karate fights as well as in everyday life in great extent. Karate can be classified as the art of the self-defence. This is not the art of aggression and only the answer to the aggression of the opponent. The foundation of Father of karate – Gichin Funakoshi – was the defence against the aggressor by means of definite blocks and attacks both manual and of foot. Simultaneously one ought to ascertain that the self-defence needs not mean the fight with the opponent, but also the skill of managing threatening situations eg. the fall [4]. Going out from these premises for the aim of the work one put the answer whether there exists the dependence between the special fitness of karate competitors, and skills of falling and the susceptibility to bodily injuries.

The evaluation of health-related behaviours between the physically active and non-active women

Abstract Introduction. In the face of the more and more general threat with civilization diseases the promotion of healthy lifestyle should be one of main activities of educational and medical institutions. Aim. The aim of the work was comparison of chosen elements of healthy lifestyle between the young physically active women and non-sports ones. Material and methods. The survey was carried out on 156 women aged 18-35 years, divided into two groups. Persons physically active were classified into Group 1 (n=72), whereas into Group 2 - non-active ones (n=84). The investigative tool was the Inventory of Health-Related Behaviours by Juczyński (where health-related behaviours were rated in four categories: proper nutrition habits, prophylaxis behaviours, and positive attitude and health practices). Differences between the data were qualified with the t-student test for independent groups; level p≤0.05 was accepted as of minimum significance. Results. The results show that physically active persons pay greater attention to healthy lifestyle than non-sports people. The general indicator of health-related behaviours was noticeably higher in Group 1 (p=0.007). Greatest differences (p=0.008) were noted within the range of nutritional habits, and the least significant ones - in positive attitude (p=0.546). Conclusion. The positive influence of the physical activity on other aspects of the healthy lifestyle has been proven. It seems legitimate to promote physical activity among women of every age

Dynamics of judo contests performed by top world judokas in the years 2008-2012

Present sport apart from health-related values, educational or utilitarian ones, is also a marketing tool [1,2]. For many countries, cities or regions it is the only media’s own image. However, to make this tool efficient there must be fulfilled a number of conditions. One of them is attractiveness of discipline as the sports-show. Its indicator is created not only by the number of persons watching contest of sportsmen live, but also the interest of media, and what follows also sponsors or local authorities [1]. For many years organizer of athletic events have been outdoing each other in ideas enriching the competing of contestants, and international sports federations modify regulations to improve ratings. This phenomenon does not bypass combat sports. Over the recent years in Olympian combat sports there were several changes of regulations done. Their purpose was the facilitation of reception and increase of struggle dynamics. However, as the research proves, e.g. in judo, struggle dynamics dropped and the number of practiced elements of technique diminished, too. Regulation penalties have also more often influence on a win in the fight [3-7]. Considerable changes of regulations took place in the first decade of 21 century. Changes of rules in the year 2006 were to limit a role of referee during the fight. In the year 2009 a restriction in grabbing the leg of contestant’s trousers was introduced, and in 2010 it was completely forbidden to grip below the belt in direct attack (this offence was punished with the disqualification – hansoku-make) [8]. For the purpose of the verification of results of introduced changes there was executed a number of analyses of contestants’ actions at start [9,10]. The influence of regulations on the manner of leading and finishing fights was diagnosed [4-7]. Preferences of combat sports fans were examined, too – the attractiveness of show was most often connected with the high dynamics of the sports-fight [11-13]. The main cognitive objective of the study was the evaluation of struggle dynamics realized by top world judo contestants. The application aim was the formulation of trainingfoundations and methodical instructions in relation to contest strategy and tactics optimization where present combat regulations were taken into consideration.

The estimation of health-related behaviours of male judokas

Combat sports are a discipline of sport in which the rivalry consists of direct encounter of two sportsmen, in the form of immediate influence on the body of the competitor with the purpose of the documentary evidence of one’s own superiority. The sports-fight relies among other things on the infliction of knocks (boxing, kick boxing, taekwondo), or the usage of throwing or grappling (wrestling, judo) [1,2]. The identity of combat sports and martial arts consists of the integration of three specific factors: pragmatic, utilitarian and mental. They influence on the psychophysical and moral education of a man. Therefore, sports and martial arts are much more than disciplines of sport. They are the form of the physical education, the civil (defensive) education and the philosophy [3]. Judo is modified form of the old Japanese martial art – jujitsu. The goal of the creator of judo – Jigoro Kano, was the creation of wholly developmental, utilitarian system of exercises, applied in the physical education of children and young people, the defensive instruction of policeand military formations, and also disciplines of sport in the Olympian dimension and recreational one. Judo can be practiced by men in every age, of different physique and different fitness level. For Jigoro Kano, judo was not only the martial art, but also the kind of specific philosophy. Students of his school were obliged to obey strict regulations instituted by the master. The word ‘judo’ in the literal translation from Japanese means ‘the way’ (a rule, manner) of gentleness (agility, compliance). The idea of judo according to his creator had to be the fight with the utilization of the opponent’s power [4,5]. In the judo train-

Assessment of the Impact of Kinesiology Taping Application Versus Placebo Taping on the Knee Joint Position Sense. Preliminary Report

BACKGROUND Kinesiology Taping is a very popular physiotherapy method. It is used in both healthy people and orthopaedic patients in order to relieve pain, increase range of motion and for other purposes. Many researchers claim that these applications will also improve proprioception and sensorimotor efficiency, which are important for recovery after injuries and orthopaedic surgeries, especially on the knee joint. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the muscle application of Kinesiology Taping on knee joint position sense in active motion. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study involved 50 healthy people (30 men and 20 women). Mean age was 23.2 years (range 18-30 years). The exclusion criteria were past knee injuries and knee surgery that could affect the test results. The participants were divided randomly into two equal groups. The first group (KT group) had a Kinesiology Taping muscle application placed, whereas a placebo application of an adhesive tape was used in the remaining participants (placebo group). Both applications were supposed to support quadriceps muscle activity. Joint position sense (JPS) was evaluated by measuring the error of active reproduction of the joint position (EARJP) of the knee in 45° flexion. The test was performed prior to applying the patch, after the patch was applied, then after 24 hours of wearing it and after removing the tape. The interval between trials before and after application of the patch was not less than 30 minutes. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistica 12.0. Distribution characteristics were calculated and the Wilcoxon test, Friedmans ANOVA and Mann-Whitney U test were performed. RESULTS The average test scores of JPS in the KT group and the placebo group before applying the KT patch were 3.48° and 5.16° respectively, compared to 4.84° and 4.88°, respectively, with the patch on, 5.12° and 4.96°, respectively, after 24 hours of wearing the tape, and 3.84° and 5.12°, respectively, after removing the patch. Within-group differences at any two time points were not statistically significant. There were also no significant differences between the groups. CONCLUSIONS 1. Kinesiology Taping application to the quadriceps muscle had no significant effect on knee joint proprioception. Its use in order to improve sensorimotor skills therefore seems unreasonable. 2. The results are the basis for future prospective, randomised trials of larger experimental groups and involving the use of other Kinesiology Taping applications as well as including individuals with lesions of knee joint structures.