Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the immediate effect of a sciatic nerve slider technique added to sustained hamstring stretching on lumbar and lower quadrant flexibility. Design: This was a randomized controlled pilot study. Subjects: Eight (8) healthy male soccer players (21 ± 3 years) were randomly assigned to 2 groups. Interventions: Group A received 5 minutes of bilateral sustained hamstring stretching. Group B additionally received 60 seconds of a sciatic nerve slider technique for each leg. Outcomes: Pre- and postintervention outcomes taken by an assessor blinded to the treatment allocation of the participants included metric distance on finger-to-floor, sit and reach, and the modified Schöber tests and goniometric range of each hip for the straight-leg raise and each knee for seated slump test. Baseline between-group differences were examined with an independent t test and a two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance with p < 0.05 and p < 0.025 analyzed effects of the interventions. Results: There were no significant between-group baseline differences (p > 0.2). There was a significant effect for time on all outcomes (p < 0.01) other than the sit and reach test (p = 0.8). A significant interaction between group · time with greater improvements in group B was found for the modified Schöber test (F = 5.5; p < 0.05), left straight-leg raise (F = 6.1; p < 0.05) and slump test in either leg (left F = 28.7; p = 0.002; right F = 4.9; p < 0.05). Conclusions: Adding a sciatic nerve slider technique to sustained hamstring stretching led to greater immediate increases in both lumbar and lower quadrant flexibility in young healthy soccer players as measured by four of the seven outcomes used. Study limitations and suggestions for future studies are discussed.

We aimed to determine the short- and medium-term effects of a multimodal physical exercise program (MPEP) on bone health status, fall risk, balance, and gait in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. A single-blinded, controlled clinical trial was performed where 72 subjects were allocated in a 3:1 ratio to an intervention group (IG; n = 53) and control group (CG; n = 19), where the IG’s subjects were admitted to live in a State Reference Center of Alzheimer’s disease, which offers the targeted exercise program, while the CG’s subjects resided in independent living. A multidisciplinary health team assessed all patients before allocation, and dependent outcomes were again assessed at one, three, and six months. During the study, falls were recorded, and in all evaluations, bone mineral density was measured using a calcaneal quantitative ultrasound densitometer; balance and gait were measured using the performance-oriented mobility assessment (POMA), the timed up and go test (TUG), the one-leg balance test (OLB), and the functional reach test (FR). There were no differences between groups at baseline for all outcome measures. The prevalence of falls was significantly lower in the IG (15.09%) than in the CG (42.11%) (χ² = 5.904; p = 0.015). We also found that there was a significant time*group interaction, with a post hoc Šidák test finding significant differences of improved physical function, especially in gait, for the IG, as assessed by POMA-Total, POMA-Gait, and TUG with a large effect size (ƞ²p = 0.185–0.201). In balance, we found significant differences between groups, regardless of time, and a medium effect size as assessed by POMA-Balance and the OLB (ƞ²p = 0.091–0.104). Clinically relevant effects were observed, although without significant differences in bone health, with a slowing of bone loss. These results show that a multimodal physical exercise program reduces fall risk and produces an improvement in gait, balance, and bone mineral density in the short and medium term in institutionalized patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Introduction: Reduced bone mineral density and increased risk of falls are related with Alzheimer disease, and these increase likelihood of bone osteoporotic fractures causing serious complications such as disability, fear of falling, loss autonomy, decreased quality of life, and anticipated mortality in elderly patients. Gait and balance disturb are 2 factors to favor falls in elderly, and in patients with cognitive impairment, the risk of falls increases to double. Exercise and Mediterranean diet produce beneficial effects for aging, cognitive decline, and are widely recommended to reduce the effects of osteoporosis, fall risk, and related fragility fractures. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the short and medium-term effects during 6 months, of a multicomponent physical exercise program with a Mediterranean diet on bone mineral density, fall risk, balance, and gait by a controlled clinical trial in patients with Alzheimer disease. Methods: The study is a 6-month, randomized controlled parallel-group, single-blinded clinical trial. Institutionalized patients with Alzheimer disease will be included. The intervention group will perform a multicomponent physical exercise program in reduced groups, with a frequency of 3 sessions per week, associated with a Mediterranean diet. This program includes strength, balance, and aerobic resistance exercises, and in the main part of the session, also ludic exercises to improve agility, coordination, and balance. The control group will receive usual care. The outcomes to assess are the change of physical functions, such as gait and balance, and the change of bone mineral density by calcaneal quantitative ultrasound, during the study follow-up at 1, 3, and 6 months. This clinical trial will generate more and new evidence on the effects of a multicomponent physical exercise program and Mediterranean diet in patients with Alzheimer disease on risk of falls and osteoporotic fractures, the relation of these with bone mineral density, gait and balance, and the correlations between them. Ethics and dissemination: This study protocol has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Salamanca. The results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated in national and international conferences, to the participants and their families, and the general public through the associations of people with AD. Trial registration ID: ClínicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04439097.

Background: Sarcopenia is a clinical syndrome characterized by the loss of muscle mass and strength. Hormonal changes that occur early in women may influence protein synthesis and promote muscle atrophy, leading to probable sarcopenia, defined as a loss of muscle strength without an obvious decrease in muscle mass. Various types of exercise have already proven effective in treating sarcopenia. Power training (PT), a subtype of resistance training performed at high speed, has not yet been studied in this population group. Methods: A randomized controlled trial will be conducted with three parallel groups: a PT group, a multicomponent training (MT) group, and a no-exercise group. The inclusion criteria will be women over 65 years of age who meet the diagnostic criteria for probable sarcopenia (Hand grip test less than 16 kg and Five Times Sit to Stand Test more than 15 s) according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2). Two assessments will be conducted at the beginning and at the end of the 32 weeks of intervention, in which variables of body composition (muscle, fat and weight) and functionality (strength and physical performance) will be collected. There will be 3 sessions of 50 minutes per week in each intervention group. The masking strategy will be double-blind. The analysis of intergroup differences will be conducted using multivariate and univariate analysis of variance (MANOVA and ANOVA), as well as pairwise comparisons (Bonferroni corrections). Changes in the degree of sarcopenia and how many women eliminate the risk of sarcopenia (no probable sarcopenia) after the different interventions will be tested. Discussion: The study aims to investigate the impact of PT in older women at risk of sarcopenia. The expected results are that PT will significantly improve functionality and body composition compared to other forms of exercise (MT) and no physical activity. The results may represent a significant advance in understanding and addressing sarcopenia before it becomes established, providing preventive treatment and new tools whose clinical applicability has been studied. Trial registration: The clinical trial was prospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05870046.

Background: Burnout syndrome and job satisfaction are topics of increasing interest due to their relevance in people’s health and well-being. Besides, they are considered very relevant in the fields of social and health care studies. Objective: The objective of this study was to analyse the professional profile of music therapists in Spain and the prevalence of burnout syndrome and job satisfaction among them. Methods: This was an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study, carried out using an ad-hoc online questionnaire, the Maslach Scale and the general satisfaction scale on a sample of employed Spanish music therapists with more than two years of working experience in Spain. Results: Eighty questionnaires were analysed. The majority of the participants were between 30–39 years old (38.8%) and were women (85%). They combined their profession with other occupations (76.3%), mostly in care roles with a fix term contract and were self-employed (40%). The prevalence of burnout syndrome was 3.8% (p < 0.001) and the predisposition or tendency to develop this condition was over 57.5% (p < 0.001). The highest levels of burnout syndrome were found in professionals with trainee contracts (p = 0.001), in those who were providing training (p = 0.021), who attended 6 to 10 patients per week (p = 0.001), who were usually working with a therapist colleague (p = 0.046) and those who did not take prescribed psychotropic drugs (p = 0.034). The highest level of job satisfaction was observed in music therapists working in the field of disability (p = 0.010) and mental health (p = 0.022) and with seniority in their job position. The lowest level of job satisfaction was seen in music therapists with trainee contracts (p = 0.041), with less working hours per week (p = 0.016), working in the field of education (p = 0.006) and in those who did not feel valued by their colleagues (p < 0.001) or by the director of the centre where they worked (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, Spanish music therapists show a low prevalence of burnout syndrome but a moderate-high predisposition to develop it. Music therapists with burnout syndrome are those who work longer hours and perform their job in palliative care setting. In general, music therapists have a high level of both intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction. The lowest level of job satisfaction was found in music therapists with trainee contracts and the highest in music therapists with senior positions.