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Browsing EM - ESSEM - Fisioterapia by advisor "Vaz, João Pedro Casaca de Rocha"
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- Comparison of external load variability in injured and uninjured youth elite football male athletes : a cross-sectional studyPublication . Passos, Fábio Gonçalo Sales; Vaz, João Pedro Casaca de RochaFootball's nature carries a high risk of injury, particularly given the increased amount of hard running and sprinting. This study aims to investigate the external load temporal structure between non-injured and injured football athletes, during a 10-day period prior to the injury event. A sample of 38 male youth elite football players was selected for the study. Information on their external load was gathered throughout a range of durations, and GPS data was used to gauge it. The results from linear GPS variables mean and standard deviation between the two groups weren’t statistically significant. On the other hand, the values from non-linear metrics, such as Detrended Fluctuations Analysis, showed that the alpha from the injured players was significantly lower (0.84±0.03) compared to non-injured players (0.86±0.03, p<0.05). We have observed greater randomness in the temporal structure of injured athletes. This study concludes that integrating these metrics may make GPS technology an even more effective tool for injury prevention and possible daily monitoring. Further research could include combined nonlinear measures with subjective fatigue measures to give a holistic picture of an athlete's condition with a larger sample size and other sports contexts
- Gait variability in anterior cruciate ligament injured athletes compared to healthy controlsPublication . Pinto, Ana Costa; Vaz, João Pedro Casaca de RochaBackground: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries affect gait variability, motor control, and adaptability. This study examines stride-to-stride gait fluctuations in athletes with and without ACL injuries, focusing on variability as a marker of adaptability. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 15 ACL-deficient athletes and 12 healthy controls. Participants performed a 12-minute split-belt treadmill walking task, and gait variability was analyzed using Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (α-ISIs). Results: ACL-deficient athletes showed significantly lower α-ISIs values (0.78 ± 0.08) than healthy controls (0.85 ± 0.084, p = 0.045), indicating reduced gait complexity. No significant differences were found in the coefficient of variation (CV), and kinesiophobia showed a weak correlation with gait variability. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that individuals with ACL deficiency exhibit reduced gait complexity, characterized by increased randomness in variability patterns. The findings suggest that ACL deficiency impairs neuromuscular regulation, leading to compensatory gait adaptations. Despite stable variability magnitude, its temporal organization was significantly altered. These results emphasize the importance of gait complexity as a key marker for motor adaptability in ACL-deficient individuals.
- The effects of different temporally structured cues on gait variability in anterior cruciate ligament injured athletesPublication . Hilário, Mafalda Sofia Pereira; Vaz, João Pedro Casaca de RochaThe anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is essential for knee stability and proprioception. ACL injuries, often caused by non-contact valgus and internal rotation motions, lead to increased instability, altered joint pressures, and a higher risk of secondary injuries and osteoarthritis, causing a significant impact in the athlete’s career. Full restoration of neuromuscular function and gait variability remains unachieved. The purpose of this study is to investigate how different temporally structured cues affect gait patterns of acute ACL-injured athletes. Seventeen adult athletes with acute ACL-injury, were engaged in two 12-minute walking trials – one uncued trial and one cued trial – on a split-belt treadmill, at their optimal walking speed, previously calculated. A 10-minute resting period between trials. Additionally, the participants had to answer the Tampa Scale questionnaire. Inter-stride intervals were determined from a custom MATLAB code and fractal scaling obtained, through Detrended Fluctuation Analysis, was calculated. A mixed-model repeated measures ANOVA was used to identify differences between groups and conditions. The results showed that ACL-injured athletes from fractal group did not exhibit significant improvements in their temporal structure of gait patterns while walking to these cues, however isochronous group worsened it, towards to randomness, highlighting the potential clinical value of fractal cues.