Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of Pole Walking On Older Adults Following Six Weeks Of Training, Samantha Forsch, Raevyn Haugland

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Introduction: Age-related changes in adults over 60 include reduced mobility and function as well as an increase in frailty. Conventional walking has been shown to be an effective physical activity to maintain mobility and improve function and overall health and fitness. Specifically, walking speed has been identified as a crucial predicting factor for fall risk and decreased functional mobility. For this reason, clinicians considered the element of walking speed as the sixth vital sign. Pole walking has gained popularity over the years and may provide additional benefits, when compared to conventional walking, such as improved stride and step length, faster …

Emg And Motion Analysis Of Swiss Ball Abdominal Exercises And Pilates Multi-Chair Exercises, Kelly L. Almquist, Ember M. Bopp, Chet R. Yoder

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

As the second most common reason for visits to primary care doctors, and a symptom that affects 80% of the general United States population, low back pain and its' treatment is a burdening cost on the American economy every year. Various spinal stabilization exercises have emerged as a means to treat low back pain. One of the most recent fonns of these stabilization exercises used in the physical therapy arena is Pilates, a fonn of dynamic spinal stabilization. Although numerous electromyographic (EMG) studies have been completed on abdominal exercises for spinal stabilization, minimal scientific research can be found on the …

Diet And Exercise-Induced Menstrual Dysfunction In The Female Athlete, Roberta Welp

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

In recent years there has been an overwhelming increase in the number of females participating in athletic activities. As members of the sports medicine team, physical therapists must be able to recognize afflictions unique to the female athlete. A cluster of increasingly common disorders has been titled the "female athlete triad." By definition, it is the inter-relatedness of disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis. Clinically, it may include other factors such as excessive exercise, various degrees and forms of menstrual dysfunction, and additional issues such as fractures, scoliosis, and general musculoskeletal injury.

The purpose of this study is to provide information …

Plyometrics: A Look At The Biomechanical Basis Of Its Use In The Realm Of Sports Performance Enhancement And Physical Rehabilitation, Sara C. Fetsch

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Plyometrics is a rather new and somewhat foreign concept that is becoming more popular in athletic training programs in the hopes of providing optimal gains in power, which is difficult to obtain by other means of exercise. With its increasing acceptance in the athletic environment, it is also being incorporated into rehabilitation programs as a means of providing strength and proprioceptive feedback.

Little is currently known about the principles that govern the use of plyometrics and the efficacy that has been demonstrated with this training method. The purpose of this independent study is to analyze the basic concepts underlying plyometrics …

A Comparison Of A Traditional Training Program To The Sports Acceleration Program® In Improving An Athlete's Speed, Quickness, Agility, Strength, And Power, Brian Borchardt

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to compare a traditional training program to the Sports Acceleration Program® (SAP) in regards to the ability to improve an athlete's speed, quickness, agility, strength and power.

Methods. Twenty-four high school football players from Fargo South High (FSH)(Fargo, ND) participated in this study. Ten subjects served as the control group and participated in the FSH summer strength and conditioning program. The remaining 14 subjects were included in the experimental group and participated in the SAP. All subjects underwent seven weeks of training in their respective programs, precluded and followed by testing on performance …

Theoretical And Practical Considerations For Enhancing Power To Improve Athletic Performance, Douglas A. Herron

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Power is of extreme interest to coaches and athletes alike because of the crucial role it plays in athletic performance. This independent study examines the essence of power and attempts to describe its components in detail as they relate to various sporting events and explores theoretical and practical considerations for anaerobic power augmentation using mathematical arguments as a basis for the suggested changes to traditional training protocol.

Specifically, this study suggests changes to traditional resistance training protocol during the power phase of a mesocycie by decreasing the percentage of the maximal lift from 90% through 95% to 60% through 85%. …

The Relationship Between Vertical Leap And Eccentric Ground Force Time In Competitive University Men And Women Basketball Players, Cory Alan Ash

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

This study evaluated the relationship between vertical leap and eccentric ground force time as measured by the Cybex Fastex TM. Ten male and ten female competitive university basketball players volunteered to perform three maximum vertical jumps on the Fastex TM force platform. Pearson correlation coefficients were not significant between eccentric ground force time and vertical leap when all subjects on all jumps were assessed. When differences in gender were examined, pearson correlation coefficients showed a significant positive relationship between eccentric ground force time and vertical leap for men, but no such relationship was found for women. These results show that …

The History And Evolution Of Stretching, Jennifer Roberts

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Virtually every athlete engages in some form of stretching before beginning a training routine or competitive event. Stretching is an integral component of endless physical therapy treatment programs for muscle strains, ligament sprains, fibromyalgia protocols, and joint replacements to name a few. However, the physiological effect of stretching and the best method for producing the desired outcome is often questioned by coaches, athletes, and therapists.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of static stretching and ballistic stretching individually and in conjunction with modalities. Muscle physiology, the benefits of flexibility, and the psychological and physiological effects of …

Resistance Training In Children, Debra L. Cutner

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Strength training in the child and adolescent has been a controversial topic for quite a few years. Current research has changed the thoughts of many professionals regarding strength gains or the possibility of strength gains in the prepubertal and adolescent age groups. Part of the controversy lies with the fact that some believe it is not safe for a child to do resistance training as it may cause various injuries such as musculoskeletal sprains and strains and epiphyseal fractures.

A review of the literature indicates that strength gains can occur in prepubertal children and that training with weights can be …