The COVID-19 is a multiorgan disease that appeared in December 2019 in the Chinese province of Wuhan. It produces various clinical manifestations, although it mainly affects the respiratory system. Given these potentially detrimental long-term consequences of COVID-19, an appropriate assessment must be carried out to plan early rehabilitation interventions. To assess the persistent symptoms it produces, as well as exercise tolerance for a given exertion, stress testing is a feasible and cost-effective option. Therefore, the objective of this study was to provide test-retest reliability for the Chester Step Test and 1 minute Sit to Stand tests and to establish the minimum detectable change in Long-COVID patients. Method: This observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted following the STROBE guidelines. A total of 42 patients carried out, twice per partici-pant, the Chester Step and 1-Minute Sit-to-Stand (1min-STST) tests on two different days, with a five-day time lag between the initial measurement and the second measurement. Results: The Test-retest reliability for the Chester Step was excellent within session ICC (95% CI) 0.96 (0.93 to 0.98), being even better for the 1-STST, ICC (95% CI) 0.98 (0.96 to 0.99). Establishing a change of at least 16.96 steps (MDC90) or 20.15 steps (MDC95) and 1.89 stands (MDC90) or 2.71 stands (MDC95), respectively. Conclusions: The Chester Step and 1min-STST tests are reproducible and reliable tools to measure exercise tolerance in long COVID patients. The minimum detectable changes observed in the values recorded by the participants can be very useful for the evaluation of the effectiveness of interventions applied to these patients.

Background and Objectives: Temporomandibular disorders or dysfunction (TMDs) encompass a range of complex conditions that impact the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), chewing muscles, teeth, and/or their supporting tissues. Stress is one of the most associated factors studied as a TMD predictor. The aim is to figure out the influence of stress on TMJ status and salivary cortisol in university students during and before exams. Materials and Methods: The study was non-experimental, employing a longitudinal, analytical, observational cohort design. The study population consisted of students enrolled in the physiotherapy degree program at the Alfonso X El Sabio University (Madrid, Spain). Data were collected during two distinct academic periods: the first period was characterized by low academic stress and no exams, and the second period coincided with the high academic stress of final course exams. The collected results included sociodemographic data, assessment of TMJ status (Fonseca Index), evaluation of muscle evaluation (masseter, upper trapezius, and sternocleidomastoid) using a MOXY Monitor (muscle oxygenation) and Neurotrac^® (surface EMG, sEMG), assessment of perceived stress (PSS-14), and measurement of salivary cortisol (enzyme immunoassay with Elisa). The statistical analysis was conducted with a confidence level of 95% (p ≤ 0.05) and asymptotic or bilateral significance. Results: 70 students were analyzed during two different measurement periods. According to the Fonseca Index, initially, 37.14% of the analyzed students showed mild TMDs, 17.14% moderate TMDs, and 45.72% showed no TMDs. In general terms, stress increased with age and is related to female sex, maximum mouth opening decreased with age, oxygen saturation decreased with age and academic stress, and myoglobin concentration was related to age. Furthermore, muscle contraction decreased during higher academic stress and increased with age. For women, age was a risk factor for suffering from TMDs, and stress worsened the transition from having TMDs to having no TMDs in both sexes. Conclusions: Academic stress influences TMJ status and muscle outcomes such as oxygen saturation, myoglobin concentration, and muscle contraction, although more research is needed.

Background: Cancer treatments often reduce quality of life (QoL), and non-pharmacological options are limited. Supervised exercise shows promise, but its effectiveness across exercise types and patient subgroups is unclear. Objective: This study aimed to assess the impact of supervised exercise on QoL in breast and prostate cancer patients, considering exercise type, duration, and patient characteristics. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis including 26 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and approximately 3500 participants was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Web of Science, PEDro, SciELO, Cochrane, and Scopus were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published between 2014 and 2024. Eligible studies involved adults with breast or prostate cancer undergoing supervised exercise versus usual care or unsupervised activity. Risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool, methodological quality with the PEDro scale, and certainty of evidence using the GRADE approach. Results: Supervised exercise was associated with significant improvements in QoL (SMD = 0.46; 95% CI: 0.22–0.70; p < 0.001), with considerable heterogeneity (I² = 91.5%). Combined programs had the greatest effect (SMD = 0.77), followed by high-intensity interval training (HIIT) (SMD = 0.30). Shorter interventions (≤12 weeks) yielded larger improvements. Effects were more consistent in women with breast cancer. Overall, the certainty of the evidence was low. Conclusions: Supervised therapeutic exercise is associated with significant improvements in QoL in breast and prostate cancer patients. Combined and well-structured programs, particularly of short duration, appear especially beneficial. These findings support the integration of supervised exercise into standard oncological care. Further research should explore long-term sustainability and optimize interventions for specific patient profiles.

Background: Velocity loss (VL) at 1 m·s⁻¹ can help to determine neuromuscular fatigue after performing an exercise protocol. The aim of this study was to analyse muscle fatigue and metabolic stress during the 15 min that follow the execution of a bench press (BP) exercise protocol. Methods: Forty-four healthy male students of sports science performed two exercise sessions separated by one week of rest. In the first week, the participants carried out a test with progressive loads in the (BP) exercise until reaching the one-repetition maximum (1RM) in order to obtain the load–velocity relationship of each participant. In the second week, each participant conducted three BP exercise sets at an intensity of 70% of 1RM, determining this load through the mean propulsive velocity (MPV) obtained from the individual load–velocity relationship, with the participants performing the maximum number of repetitions (MNR) to muscle failure. Two minutes of rest were allocated between sets. MPV at 1 m·s⁻¹ and blood lactate concentrations were recorded before executing the exercise and at minute 0, 5, 10 and 15 after performing the exercise protocol. Results: A two-factor repeated measures ANOVA was performed. MPV at 1 m·s⁻¹ in minute 0 post-exercise was −33.3% (p < 0.05), whereas in minute 10 and 15 post-exercise, it was ≈−9% (p > 0.05). Regarding the blood lactate levels, significant differences were observed in all measurements before and after the exercise protocol (p < 0.001), obtaining ≈7 mmol·L⁻¹ at minute 10 post-exercise and 4.3 mmol·L⁻¹ after 15 min of recovery. Conclusions: MPV with medium or moderate loads shows a certain recovery from minute 10 of rest. However, the blood lactate levels are still high (>5 mmol·L⁻¹). Therefore, although there seem to be certain conditions to reach a similar maximum MPV peak, the residual fatigue at the neuromuscular level and the non-recovery of metabolic homeostasis would hinder the reproduction of these protocols, both at the level of applied stimulus and from a methodological perspective, since a long recovery time would be required between sets and exercises.

Throughout history a variety of therapeutic tools have been studied as possible enhancers of sports activities. This study proposes the use of Capacitive-Resistive Electric Transfer (CRET) as a performance booster to paralympic athletes, specifically those belonging to the Spanish Paralympic swimming committee. The study was a randomized, single-blind, and observer-blind, crossover clinical trial. Six athletes were randomly assigned to three groups: one treated with CRET (A); a placebo group (B) and a control group (C). The CRET group attended a twenty-minute session before being subjected to pool trials at distances of 50 and 100 m at maximum performance. Measurements were in two dimensions: time in seconds and the Borg scale for perceived exertion. Comparisons between groups were made with respect to distance and the main variables. In the case of perceived exertion, no significant changes were observed in any of the distances; however, in the case of the time variable, a significant difference was observed between Group A vs. Personal Record at 100 m distance (76.3 ± 6.8 vs. 68.4 ± 3.3). The proposed protocol and level of hyperthermia applied suggest refusal of CRET use for the 100-m distance a few minutes before sports practice. Our analysis suggests the need to modify the presented protocol. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier under NCT number: NCT04336007.

Background: Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a common musculoskeletal condition in physically active individuals. Although quadriceps strengthening has traditionally been the cornerstone of conservative management, hip-strengthening exercises have gained increasing attention because of their potential to improve lower-limb biomechanics. However, the optimal exercise prescription for PFPS remains uncertain. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of isolated or combined hip muscle strengthening compared with knee strengthening or no intervention on pain, physical function, and muscle strength in individuals with PFPS. Methods: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD420261342475). PubMed, PEDro, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and Web of Science were searched from inception to 31 December 2025. Randomised controlled trials comparing hip-strengthening interventions with knee strengthening or no intervention were included. Methodological quality, risk of bias, and certainty of evidence were assessed using the PEDro scale, the Cochrane RoB 2 tool, and the GRADE approach, respectively. Results: Fifteen randomised controlled trials involving 1002 participants were included. Exercise therapy consistently improved pain, physical function and muscle strength. Both hip- and knee-strengthening programmes were superior to no intervention. Programmes incorporating hip strengthening may provide greater reductions in pain and larger improvements in proximal muscle strength than knee-focused programmes, whereas functional outcomes were generally comparable. Combined hip- and knee-strengthening programmes appeared to provide the most consistent overall clinical benefits. The overall certainty of the evidence was moderate for all outcomes. Conclusions: Current evidence supports exercise-based rehabilitation for PFPS, while evidence remains insufficient to determine whether any specific strengthening strategy provides a clear overall advantage. Further high-quality randomised controlled trials are needed to determine the optimal exercise prescription.