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Background and Aim: Hamstring muscles are biarticular muscles, which conducted to pelvic and knee. Shortness of hamstring muscles can influence on the upper and lower joints of its attachment .With respect of the high prevalence of shortness of  these muscles, accurate assessment of these muscles is important. There are many tests for assessment of hamstring muscles length During using the straight leg raise (SLR) test, pelvic rotation can contribute to the angle of SLR, while pelvic movement in passive knee extension (PKE) is limited. This study was designed to measure the relationship between two alternative tests in order to use of simple and accurate PKE test for measuring of hamstring length.

Material & Method: 3308 healthy girls (3-17 years) were tested, and hamstring length were determined with using of two tests (SLR and PKE) for both side of lower limbs and measured of active SLR and popliteal angle (PA) with goniometer.

Results: Pearson che-squre analysis showed significant relationship(r = 0.529(R), r = -0.435(L), p< 0/05) between PKE and SLR .

Conclusion: Results demonstrated relationship between two tests, in all of ages and both side. SLR and PKE tests can use for assessing of hamstring muscles shortness, but PKE test may be a useful alternative in comparison with activeSLR for providing an indication of hamstring muscle length.

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Background and aim:The knee joint is one of the most important joints of human body, witch tolerates many forces while the subject is standing up or walking especially during close chain and squat positions.

Muscle fatigue may causes some modifications on effects of forces and accordingly some changes on strategy of movement, therefore the concentration in thigh muscles impression on continuous movements is a guidance that makes the investigation on these changes so important.

Materials and Methods: Fifteen healthy women in the range of 20-30 years were contributed in this study. Muscle fatigue were applied in separate sessions by maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) in both open and close chains.

Subjects were done five dynamic repetitions of flexion / extension motion of knee before and after fatigue tests. Surface electromyography (sEMG) recorded from vastus medialis (VM), rectus femoris (RF) and vastus lateralis (VL) muscles during all conditions of tests. Normalized electromyography (NEMG) of muscles activities in two conditions of concentric (Con) and eccentric (Ecc), also median frequency (MF) were calculated for fatigue index. Muscle timing or recruitment pattern indicated by onset of muscle activities for both dynamics chains.

Results:  There are significant different of fatigue indexes between before and after fatigue tests (p<0.05).  After fatigue muscle timing delayed in open chain (p<0.05) and recruitment patterns changed from VL- VM- RF to VL-RF-VM. Fatigue test in close chain caused increment of muscle timing (p<0.05), but it did not change recruitment patterns.

Conclusion: After fatigue tests MF reduced little than NEMG. Significant difference occurred in muscle timing. These variations were increase and delay of timing with change of recruitment in open chain. These findings suggest that motor control strategy is will change at different condirions of with and without load situations.

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Background and aim: With respect to attachment and mechanical relationship of hamstring and calf muscles, interaction between their function is unavoidable. Inspite of prevalence of hamstring and calf muscles shortness, there is not any statistical data about the relationship of shortness of above-mentioned muscles in Iran. The aim of this study was to verify of this prevalence.

Materials and methods: In this study 3308 healthy girls with age 3-17 years old participated. Length of calf muscles with dorsi flexion angle and hamstring with hip flexion angle (SLR) in both side were measured.

Results: The prevalence of hamstring and calf muscles shortness with together was20% in right and 25% in left side .The Prevalence of hamstring and calf muscles shortness with together in 20 district was greater than 3.The greatest amount was seen in secondary school(31.6%).               

Conclusion:The results indicated that most of subjects who had hamstring shortness, they had also calf muscles shortness, so if there is any shortness in one of them, we shouhd pay attention to shortness of the another.

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Background and aim: Active straight leg raise test in patients with sacroiliac joint dysfunction (SIJ ) is accompanied by feeling pain on joint or heaviness and inability to lift the leg. This test has been advocated as reliable and valid test for the quality of load transfer through the lumbo-pelvic region. With respect to the important role of muscles, in pelvic stability and with respect to patients with SIJ dysfunction can not do this test easily. There is no study has been done about assessment and comparison  of changes in muscle timing of pelvic stabilizer muscles and duration of ramping time during ASLR between healthy and patients with SIJ dysfunction 

Materials and methods:Eleven female subjects with clinical diagnosis of sacroiliac joint pain and 15 match healthy female subjects were tested in the supine resting position with the ASLR. Surface electromyography of rectus abdominus , oblique externus , oblique internus  , adductor longus , biceps femoris , gluteus maximus and  erector spine muscles  were recorded during ASLR test. Timing of muscles and ramp time during ASLR  test were acquired and measured in MATLAB software . 

Results: No statistically significance were found in ramp time between two groups. The onset timing of activation of adductor longus (A.L) was delayed on symptomatic side in subject with SIJ pain (P=0.006).

Conclusion: Delayed onset of A.L suggests an alteration in strategy for lumbopelvic stabilization that may disrupt load transfer through the pelvis.

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Background and aim: In physical evaluations, measuring the joint angle is one of the most important outcomes to assess the patient's progress, the effectiveness of various treatment techniques and to delineate the need for future treatments. The aim of this study is to study the reliability of a system consists of skin markers, digital photography, and AutoCAD software for measuring the knee joint angles.

 Materials and methods: In first section, reliability of markers placement was evaluated within three different intervals (five minutes, two days, and twenty days). At second section, reliability of digital photography was evaluated while position of the skin markers and subjects was the same. At the end, in third section, reliability of angle measurement by means of AutoCAD software was assessed.

Results: In first section, the ICC for test-retest reliability of markers placement between first and second sessions, first and third sessions, and also first and forth sessions were 0.97, 0.94, and 0.73, respectively. In second section, the ICC for test-retest reliability of digital photography was 0.99 and in third section, the ICC for intra-rater reliability of angle measurement by means of AutoCAD software was 0.99 (p=0.05).

Conclusion: It was noted that the introduced system was highly reliable, so it could be utilized to measure the knee joint angles.

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Background and Aim: The rapid growth of the athletic training profession has been accompanied by an equally rapid increase in focus on basic and clinical research. Lateral ankle sprain (LAS) is an extremely common athletic injury. Despite extensive clinical and basic science research, the recurrence rate remains high. Chronic ankle instability (CAI) following LAS is hypothesized to predispose individuals to re-injury because of neuromuscular control deficits which result following injury. No investigation has been carried out on the existence of joint position deficits in the knee joint of patients with CAI. In this study, joint position sense (JPS) was evaluated in patients with CAI.

Materials and Methods: Ten female patients with CAI and ten healthy control subjects participated in this study. JPS was evaluated by reproduction of the angles in two standing and sitting positions, and in each position two target angles were tested. The knee joints in both lower limbs of patients and the dominant knee-limb of healthy subjects were evaluated. The knee angles were measured by using a system comprised of skin markers, digital photography, and Auto CAD software. Absolute error was considered as a dependant variable.

Result: There were no significant differences between the knee JPS of dominant leg in healthy subjects and both knee joints of patients. There were also no significant differences between knee JPS in two standing and sitting positions and in two different target angles (p>0/05).

Conclusion: The result of this study suggests that subjects who have CAI do not have deficit in knee JPS when tested in sitting position and also under functional weight bearing conditions.  

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Background and aim: The aim of this study was to verify the relationship between pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis with muscle tightness, muscle strength, BMI, and age in standing position.

Material and methods: In this study, 75 healthy female subjects participated with age range 20-70 years, mean (SD) = 40.66 (13.69). Pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis were measured in standing position with pelvic inclinometer and flexible ruler respectively. The length of muscles, including: erector spinae, iliopsoas, rectus femoris, hamstrings, tensor fascia lata & ilio tibial band, and gastrocnemius were assessed by Schober, Thomas, Ely, 90/90 SLR, Ober tests and passive dorsiflexion of foot, respectively. The strength of muscles, including: rectus abdominis, transversus abdominis, left & right obliqus, Gluteus maximums & medius, and quadriceps were evaluated by manual muscle tests.

 Results: The relationship between pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis with muscle strength, BMI, and age was poor. Muscle tightness and muscle strength had no significant effect on pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis.

Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that the evaluated variables including: pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis, have poor correlation with muscle tightness, muscle strength, BMI, and age. 

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Background and Aim: Core stability is the ability of the lumbopelvic- hip complex to prevent buckling of the vertebral column and return it to equilibrium following perturbation. It has been demonstrated that trunk muscle activity occurs before the activity of the prime mover of the limb. Core stability is seen as being pivotal for efficient biomechanical function to maximize force generation and minimize joint loads in all types of activities ranging from running to throwing. The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between core stability and lower extremity function in female athletes.

 Materials and Methods: Thirty volunteer female athletes with mean age (SD)=23(3.8) years old, participated in this study. They performed two series of tests: core stability tests (hip isometric abduction and lateral rotation, double leg lowering, trunk extension – flexion and left and right lateral flexion endurance, and double leg lowering), and lower extremity function tests (star excursion balance tests in three directions, vertical jump, single and triple hopping, stairs sprinting, 6 m hopping, and shuttle run).

Results: The results of this study showed that the strength of hip isometric abduction with stairs sprinting, 6 m hopping , and with star excursion balance test in three directions had r=-0.430, r=-0.367and r=0.515 respectively and all significant. Also , right lateral flexion endurance with shuttle run (r=0.367) , double leg lowering with vertical jump (r=0.42), trunk extension endurance with vertical jump (r=-0.404) ,were significantly correlated. In the other items there were no relationship between core stability and lower extremity function (p>0.05).

Conclusion: There is a relationship between core stability and lower extremity function but studies have not supported them. However, the data showed that core stability is moderately too weak related to lower extremity function, core stability could not be measured with these tests and they are not good indicators for lower extremity function. Evaluation of the core should be dynamic, and compromise assessment of the specific functions which specialize for athletic groups.

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Bachground and Aim: Ankle sprain is one of the most common injury among the athletic injuries. Around 70-80% of these injuries tend to be chronic. Despite extensive clinical and basic science research, the incidence of Chronic Ankle Instability(CAI) has not significantly reduced. Because the causes of CAI is not quite clear, the rehabilitation still deals with great challenges . one of the treatment methods which has been under special attention for this injuries is Kinesio Taping(KT). In this study, effects of three KT methods on performance in athletes with CAI was investigated .

 

Materials and Methods: Thirty male athletes (futsall, football) with CAI participated in this study. The KT was used in three distinct times with three different methods (mechanical, functional and ligament- Tendon Correction) for these people and their short- time effects on functional performance of lower limb was evaluated. This evaluation was done thorough two functional performance test (Star Excursion Balance Test and Figure of 8 Hop Test).

 

Results: In taping with the aim of functional and mechanical correction, functional performance after KT dramatically improved but in taping with the aim of Ligament-Tendon correction functional performance did not change significantly after taping.

 

Conclusion: The result of this study suggests that functional and mechanical correction have the significant effect on functional performance of futsaland football athletes with CAI , the ligament-tendon correction has not significant effect.

 

Keywords: Chronic ankle instability, Kinesio tape, Functional performance tests.

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Background and Aim: According to the attachments lumbar spine and pelvic muscles, it seems that pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis have previous studies about this relationship have shown different results and these conflicting results can hamper therapist to set a correct therapeutic plan. The aim of this study was to examine this relationship in a large sample and with more accurate instruments. Materials and Methods: One hundred and eighty healthy women (20-65 year-old) with a mean age of 41.45 12.27 participated in this study. Pelvic tilt was measured by inclinometer and lumbar lordosis by flexible ruler. Statistical tests have been performed by SPSS (version 11.5) computer software. Results: The results of this study showed a weak correlation between pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis (r =0.16, p<0.05). This association was little affected by age. Conclusion: This study has examined the relationship between pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis of healthy women in static position. The present study showed a weak correlation between pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis in healthy women.