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School-age children are particularly prone to disturbances in body composition, because this is a period of intensive growth and a period in which correct habits are shaped, especially in relation to diet. This is why it is so important to diagnose emerging disorders early so as to implement therapeutic or educational activities. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the factors of body mass composition and body mass index (BMI), as well as the balance parameters in children and adolescents. The study group consisted of 1137 children aged 7 to 15. There were 559 girls and 578 boys among the subjects. The study used the Tanita 780 body mass composition analyser and the Zebris stabilometric platform. It was found that girls were characterized by a significantly higher content of adipose tissue (24.37% vs. 20.45%), while boys were characterized by a higher content of lean tissue (32.99% vs. 30.43%), muscle tissue (31.23% vs. 28.86%) and water (24.15% vs. 22.28%). Interestingly, the girls had better balance than their peers in all analyzed parameters (COF TTL.—616.72 vs. 661.50; CEArea—73.63 vs. 112.24; COF HD—3.44 vs. 4.23; COF VD—4.52 vs. 5.12). It turned out that among children in adolescence, a higher adipose tissue content and a higher BMI correlated with a smaller surface area (p < 0.05) defined by the center of gravity and smaller deviations of the center of gravity in the horizontal plane (p < 0.05). Sex and adolescence play an important role in differentiating both body composition and body balance. The results of this study allow us to conclude that children with higher BMI values have better balance. Due to the fact that these conclusions are inconsistent with those of other researchers, it will be worth continuing the research (e.g., on a different population group) in order to confirm the results and to draw far-reaching conclusions.

Accurate and reliable vertical ground reaction force (VGRF) measurement is essential in various biomechanical and clinical studies. Recently, pressure–pad-embedded treadmills have been widely used for VGRF measurement as a relatively less expensive option than the force platform-mounted treadmills. Prior studies have shown that the popular Zebris treadmill is reliable when used to measure peak VGRF for short walking sessions. However, comprehensive evaluation of human walking requires information of gait parameters over sufficient gait cycles. In this study, we quantify the long-term temporal changes in VGRF values measured by the Zebris treadmill. Twenty participants walked on the treadmill for 10 min twice, with 10 min rest between trials. We found an evident decline in the measured VGRF and impulse over time for both trials. The Zebris system also consistently yielded the lower VGRF values during the second trials. These results indicate that the Zebris treadmill is unreliable in measuring VGRF during walking, and a 10 min break is not enough for the embedded sensors to recover their sensitivity. We provided a way to resolve these time-dependent errors; using the impulse-momentum theorem and collected kinematics of the participants, we formulated a curve-fitting model encapsulating the growing VGRF estimation error.

Sports training can significantly influence specific motor skills. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of gender and the specificity of sports activities on body balance, symmetry of lower extremity loads (SI) as well as body mass index (BMI) in young athletes aged 14 to 17. There were 240 participants (145 boys and 95 girls) divided into five groups: swimmers, dancers, soccer players, archery and control group. The average age was 16. Participants had 3 years of training experience (training three times a week or training that lasted between 4.5 and 6 h weekly). To assess balance, the stabilized Zebris platform was used in the study. The SI was calculated based on the percentage load on the lower extremities, dividing the greater value by the lower. Body mass index was calculated on the basis of height and weight. Women had a significantly lower BMI and balance in some analyzed parameters, while men had better SI. Archers obtained the best results of the balance parameters and the worst results of SI. Only swimmers and soccer players had a normal SI. Sports specialization generates significant differences in the manifestation of balance compared to the gender variable and sport discipline.

Background Headache is a common and costly health problem. Although the pathogenesis of headache is heterogeneous, reported contributing factors are dysfunctions of the upper cervical spine. The flexion rotation test (FRT) is a commonly used diagnostic test to detect upper cervical movement impairment. A digital goniometer may support precise measurement of movement impairment in the upper cervical spine. However, its reliability and validity is not assessed, yet. The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of the digital goniometer compared to an ultrasound-based movement analysis system. Methods Two separate cross-sectional studies were conducted using the digital goniometer EasyAngle (Meloq AB, Stockholm, Sweden) for a) investigating the concurrent validity of upper cervical range of motion (ROM) during the FRT and b) determining the inter- and intra-rater reliability in the target population of patients with head and neck pain. Sixty-two participants, 39 with and 23 without head and neck pain, were recruited for the concurrent validity study. For the reliability study, a total of 50 participants were recruited. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland Altmann plots were used to assess validity and ICC values, Bland Altmann plots as well as Kappa coefficients were used for estimating intra-rater and inter-rater reliability. Results Concurrent validity was strong with an ICC (2,1) of 0.97 for ROM to either side (95%CI = 0.95–0.98). Bland Altman Plots revealed a mean difference between measurement systems of 0.5° for the left and 0.11° for the right side. The inter-rater ICC (2,1) was 0.66 (95%CI 0.47–0.79, p  <  0.001, SEM 6.6°), indicating good reliability. The limits of agreement were between 10.25° and − 11.89°, the mean difference between both raters was − 0.82°. Intra-rater reliability for the measurement of ROM during the FRT was between 0.96 (ICC 3,1) for rater 1 and 0.94 (ICC 3,1) for rater 2. Conclusions The digital goniometer demonstrated strong concurrent validity and good to strong reliability and can be used in clinical practice to accurately determine movement impairment in the upper cervical spine. Trial registration German Registry of Clinical Trials DRKS00013051 .

Children with weakened axial muscle tone face various problems every day. One is maintaining a stable body posture, which limits their participation in activities and games with peers. The study aimed to assess balance parameters in children with weakened axial muscle tone who underwent sensory integration therapy (SI). The study group consisted of 21 children (divided into three age groups) referred by a doctor for therapy. Methods: The ZEBRIS platform was used to measure the balance parameters (MCoCx, MCoCy, SPL, WoE, HoE, and AoE). The study was conducted twice: before and after two months of sensory integration therapy. The results were compiled using the TIBICO® Statistica software version 13.3.0. Results: After the SI program, statistically significant changes were observed in the values of MCoCy_oe, WoE_oe, AoE_oe in the group of four-year-olds, MCoCX_ce in the group of five-year-olds, and in SPL_ce and AoE_ce in six-year-olds. A statistically significant, highly positive correlation was observed between body height and changes in SPL_oe, HoE_oe, and AoE_oe in the group of six-year-olds, as well as in the case of changes in SPL_oe in the group of five-year-olds. In the group of four-year-olds, a statistically significant correlation occurred only between body height and the change in the MCoCx_oe value. Conclusions: the sensory integration therapy used in the study group of 4–6-year-old children with reduced muscle tone gave positive results in the form of improved static balance and balance.

Inertial measurement units (IMUs) enable easy to operate and low-cost data recording for gait analysis. When combined with treadmill walking, a large number of steps can be collected in a controlled environment without the need of a dedicated gait analysis laboratory. In order to evaluate existing and novel IMU-based gait analysis algorithms for treadmill walking, a reference dataset that includes IMU data as well as reliable ground truth measurements for multiple participants and walking speeds is needed. This article provides a reference dataset consisting of 15 healthy young adults who walked on a treadmill at three different speeds. Data were acquired using seven IMUs placed on the lower body, two different reference systems (Zebris FDMT-HQ and OptoGait), and two RGB cameras. Additionally, in order to validate an existing IMU-based gait analysis algorithm using the dataset, an adaptable modular data analysis pipeline was built. Our results show agreement between the pressure-sensitive Zebris and the photoelectric OptoGait system (r = 0.99), demonstrating the quality of our reference data. As a use case, the performance of an algorithm originally designed for overground walking was tested on treadmill data using the data pipeline. The accuracy of stride length and stride time estimations was comparable to that reported in other studies with overground data, indicating that the algorithm is equally applicable to treadmill data. The Python source code of the data pipeline is publicly available, and the dataset will be provided by the authors upon request, enabling future evaluations of IMU gait analysis algorithms without the need of recording new data.

A standardized observational instrument designed to measure change in gross motor function over time in children with cerebral palsy is the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM). The process of evaluating a value for the GMFM index can be time consuming. It typically takes 45 to 60 min for the patient to complete all tasks, sometimes in two or more sessions. The diagnostic procedure requires trained and specialized therapists. The paper presents the estimation of the GMFM measure for patients with cerebral palsy based on the results of the Zebris FDM-T treadmill. For this purpose, the regression analysis was used. Estimations based on the Generalized Linear Regression were assessed using different error metrics. The results obtained showed that the GMFM score can be estimated with acceptable accuracy. Because the Zebris FDM-T is a widely used device in gait rehabilitation, our method has the potential to be widely adopted for objective diagnostics of children with cerebral palsy.

The aim of this paper was to study a number of 34 athletes practicing different kinds of sports activities, in order to determine whether they have developed a certain spine deficiency and if there is any association between the type of sports they practice and the postural changes they develop. Methods: In this study we have enrolled 12 members of the men's volleyball team of the \"West University of Timisoara\", 9 members of the men's football team ASU Politehnica Timişoara, and 13 members of the men's basketball team BC SCM Timişoara. Postural analysis was carried out with the Zebris CMS-10 from the mechatronics department of the Politehinca University Timisoara, a device that determines the spatial coordinates of the spinous processes. From the obtained data we have established the angle of the spinal deviation both sagittal and frontal, in a similar manner as with the Cobb method. Results: We have observed a reduction in the spinal curvature in volleyball players; 8 out of 12 had values under the normal range that can in time lead to a rigid spine. 7 players from the basketball team presented values out of the normal range for kyphosis and 8 of them for lordosis, while all except two of the team players present with a front plane deviation of the spine. From the evaluation of the football players from ASU Politehnica Timişoara we cannot generalize a deviation in the sagittal plane, but all of them present deviations in the frontal plane. Conclusion: Professional athletes can also present postural changes determined by the positions they most frequently adopt depending on the type of sports they practice.

The main aim of the pilot study was to evaluate the relationship between degree of visual impairment of patient and his postural stability. The article contains basic explanation and requirements for stabilography research. The paper also describes statistic analysis of influence of visual impairment on postural stability opposed to control group (people perfectly sighted). These results allowed us to verify the approved research plan.

The article provides an insight into contemporary Latvian historical fiction. It focuses on a new series of historical novels, which aims at the interpretation of crucial transformations in the life of society during the 20th century. The first three novels in the series are discussed through a synchronic as well as a diachronic perspective. The introductory part of the article deals with recent general transformations in the literary scene in Latvia and with changes in the interpretation of history during the period of postcommunist transition in particular. A retrospective of the history of Latvian literature helps to explain the relevance of historical topics in the process of nation building. The novels under discussion are interpreted from the point of view of their literary genre and their use of time and space as constitutive factors in the creation of a literary text.