Jose Casaña

Dose-response association between leisure time physical activity and work ability: Cross-sectional study among 3000 workers.

Introduction: Regular physical activity is important for longevity and health, but knowledge about the optimal dose of physical activity for maintaining good work ability is unknown. This study investigates the association between intensity and duration of physical activity during leisure time and work ability in relation to physical demands of the job. Methods: From the 2010 round of the Danish Work Environment Cohort Study, currently employed wage earners with physically demanding work (n = 2952) replied to questions about work, lifestyle and health. Excellent (100 points), very good (75 points), good (50 points), fair (25 points) and poor (0 points) work ability in relation to the physical demands of the job was experienced by 18%, 40%, 30%, 10% and 2% of the respondents, respectively. Results: General linear models that controlled for gender, age, physical and psychosocial work factors, lifestyle and chronic disease showed that the duration of high-intensity physical activity during leisure was positively associated with work ability, in a dose-response fashion (p < 0.001). Those performing ⩾ 5 hours of high-intensity physical activity per week had on average 8 points higher work ability than those not performing such activities. The duration of low-intensity leisure-time physical activity was not associated with work ability (p = 0.5668). Conclusions: The duration of high-intensity physical activity during leisure time is associated in a dose-response fashion with work ability, in workers with physically demanding jobs.

Progression of core stability exercises based on the extent of muscle activity

Objective The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate a variety of isometric plank exercises. Design Twenty university students performed the following eight different variants of plank exercises in random order and with 1-min rest intervals: stable prone plank, suspended prone plank, stable roll-out plank, suspended roll-out plank, unilateral stable prone plank, unilateral suspended prone plank, stable lateral plank, and suspended lateral plank. Surface electromyography signals were recorded for the upper rectus abdominis, lower rectus abdominis, external oblique, lumbar erector spinae, and normalized to the maximum voluntary isometric contraction. Results The suspended prone plank and the suspended roll-out plank provided the greatest upper rectus abdominis activity. The greatest lower rectus abdominis activity was induced by the suspended roll-out plank. The highest lumbar erector spinae activity was provided by the suspended and stable lateral planks. The suspended prone plank and the suspended roll-out plank provided the greatest external oblique activity, although not significantly different from the suspended lateral plank. Conclusions Muscle activity could be progressed using the different exercises. Although suspended prone plank and the suspended roll-out plank were most efficient for the abdominal muscles, suspended and stable lateral planks were most efficient for the lumbar muscles.

Ankle dorsiflexion range of motion differences among children with mild and severe haemophilia

Low Bleeding Rates with Increase or Maintenance of Physical Activity in Patients Treated with Recombinant Factor IX FC Fusion Protein (rFIXFc) in the B-LONG and Kids B-LONG Studies J. WINDYGA*, R. KULKARNI, A. D. SHAPIRO, M. V. RAGNI, K. J. PASI, M. C. OZELO, E. TSAO, G. ALLEN, B. MEI Department of Disorders of Haemostasis and Internal Medicine, Institute of Haematology and Transfusion Medicine, Warsaw, Poland; Dept. Of Pediatrics and Human Development, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI; Indiana Hemophilia & Thrombosis Center, Indianapolis, IN; University of Pittsburgh and Hemophilia Center of Western PA, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Barts and the London Comprehensive Care Center, London, United Kingdom; INCT do Sangue Hemocentro UNICAMP, Campinas, Brazil; Biogen, Cambridge, MA, United States

Trunk muscle activity during different variations of the supine plank exercise

BACKGROUND Exercises providing neuromuscular challenges of the spinal muscles are desired for core stability, which is important for workers with heavy manual labour as well as people recovering from back pain. PURPOSE This study evaluated whether using a suspended modality increases trunk muscle activity during unilateral or bilateral isometric supine planks. DESIGN Cross-sectional. METHODS Twenty university students participated in this cross-sectional study. Each subject performed four different conditions: bilateral stable supine plank, unilateral stable supine plank, bilateral suspended supine plank and unilateral suspended supine plank. Surface electromyography (EMG) signals were recorded for the upper rectus abdominis (UP ABS), lower rectus abdominis (LOW ABS), external oblique (OBLIQ) and lumbar erector spinae (LUMB). Peak EMG of the filtered signals were normalized to the maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC). RESULTS No differences between exercises were found for UP ABS, LOW ABS and OBLIQ muscle activity. The unilateral suspended supine plank provided the highest LUMB activity (20% of MVIC) whiles the bilateral stable supine plank provided the lowest activity (11% of MVIC). CONCLUSIONS The combination of unilateral variations with a suspended support provides the greatest LUMB muscle activity, while using these variations separately only provides advantages when compared with regular planks.

Hand strengthening exercises in chronic stroke patients: Dose-response evaluation using electromyography

Study Design: Cross‐sectional. Purpose of the Study: This study evaluates finger flexion and extension strengthening exercises using elastic resistance in chronic stroke patients. Methods: Eighteen stroke patients (mean age: 56.8 ± 7.6 years) with hemiparesis performed 3 consecutive repetitions of finger flexion and extension, using 3 different elastic resistance levels (easy, moderate, and hard). Surface electromyography was recorded from the flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) and extensor digitorum (ED) muscles and normalized to the maximal electromyography of the non‐paretic arm. Results: Maximal grip strength was 39.2 (standard deviation: 12.5) and 7.8 kg (standard deviation: 9.4) in the nonparetic and paretic hand, respectively. For the paretic hand, muscle activity was higher during finger flexion exercise than during finger extension exercise for both ED (30% [95% confidence interval {CI}: 19‐40] vs 15% [95% CI: 5‐25] and FDS (37% [95% CI: 27‐48] vs 24% [95% CI: 13‐35]). For the musculature of both the FDS and ED, no dose‐response association was observed for resistance and muscle activity during the flexion exercise (P > .05). Conclusion: The finger flexion exercise showed higher muscle activity in both the flexor and extensor musculature of the forearm than the finger extension exercise. Furthermore, greater resistance did not result in higher muscle activity during the finger flexion exercise. The present results suggest that the finger flexion exercise should be the preferred strengthening exercise to achieve high levels of muscle activity in both flexor and extensor forearm muscles in chronic stroke patients. The finger extension exercise may be performed with emphasis on improving neuromuscular control. Level of Evidence: 4b.

Fear Avoidance Beliefs and Risk of Long-Term Sickness Absence: Prospective Cohort Study among Workers with Musculoskeletal Pain

Background and Objective Musculoskeletal pain is common in the population. Negative beliefs about musculoskeletal pain and physical activity may lead to avoidance behavior resulting in absence from work. The present study investigates the influence of fear avoidance beliefs on long-term sickness absence. Methods Workers of the general working population with musculoskeletal pain (low back, neck/shoulder, and/or arm/hand pain; n = 8319) from the Danish Work Environment Cohort Study were included. Long-term sickness absence data were obtained from the Danish Register for Evaluation and Marginalization (DREAM). Time-to-event analyses (cox regression) controlled for various confounders estimated the association between fear avoidance beliefs (very low, low, moderate [reference category], high, and very high) at baseline and long-term sickness absence (LTSA; ≥6 consecutive weeks) during a 2-year follow-up. Results During the 2-year follow-up, 10.2% of the workers experienced long-term sickness absence. In the fully adjusted model, very high-level fear avoidance increased the risk of LTSA with hazard ratio (HR) of 1.48 (95% CI 1.15-1.90). Similar results were seen analyses stratified for occupational physical activity, i.e., sedentary workers (HR 1.72 (95% CI 1.04-2.83)) and physically active workers (HR 1.48 (95% CI 1.10-2.01)). Conclusion A very high level of fear avoidance is a risk factor for long-term sickness absence among workers with musculoskeletal pain regardless of the level of occupational physical activity. Future interventions should target fear avoidance beliefs through information and campaigns about the benefits of staying active when having musculoskeletal pain.

Muscle strength in Spanish children with mild and severe haemophilia A

Low Bleeding Rates with Increase or Maintenance of Physical Activity in Patients Treated with Recombinant Factor IX FC Fusion Protein (rFIXFc) in the B-LONG and Kids B-LONG Studies J. WINDYGA*, R. KULKARNI, A. D. SHAPIRO, M. V. RAGNI, K. J. PASI, M. C. OZELO, E. TSAO, G. ALLEN, B. MEI Department of Disorders of Haemostasis and Internal Medicine, Institute of Haematology and Transfusion Medicine, Warsaw, Poland; Dept. Of Pediatrics and Human Development, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI; Indiana Hemophilia & Thrombosis Center, Indianapolis, IN; University of Pittsburgh and Hemophilia Center of Western PA, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Barts and the London Comprehensive Care Center, London, United Kingdom; INCT do Sangue Hemocentro UNICAMP, Campinas, Brazil; Biogen, Cambridge, MA, United States

Children with severe haemophilia have greater functional tests performance compared with mild peers

Low Bleeding Rates with Increase or Maintenance of Physical Activity in Patients Treated with Recombinant Factor IX FC Fusion Protein (rFIXFc) in the B-LONG and Kids B-LONG Studies J. WINDYGA*, R. KULKARNI, A. D. SHAPIRO, M. V. RAGNI, K. J. PASI, M. C. OZELO, E. TSAO, G. ALLEN, B. MEI Department of Disorders of Haemostasis and Internal Medicine, Institute of Haematology and Transfusion Medicine, Warsaw, Poland; Dept. Of Pediatrics and Human Development, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI; Indiana Hemophilia & Thrombosis Center, Indianapolis, IN; University of Pittsburgh and Hemophilia Center of Western PA, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Barts and the London Comprehensive Care Center, London, United Kingdom; INCT do Sangue Hemocentro UNICAMP, Campinas, Brazil; Biogen, Cambridge, MA, United States