Cold water immersion (CWI) and percussive massage therapy (PMT) are commonly used recovery techniques in team sports. In particular, despite its wide use, PMT has been scarcely investigated in the literature, especially regarding neuromuscular measures and in comparison with other techniques. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the acute and short-term effects (24 h) of CWI and PMT on muscle strength, contractile properties, and soreness after exercise. A randomized crossover study was performed on sixteen male soccer players (22 years, 20–27) who participated in three experimental sessions involving a fatiguing protocol consisting of a Yo-Yo Intermittent Endurance Test followed by 3 × 10 squat jumps and a wall sit for 30 s, and 12 min of recovery including CWI (10 °C water), bilateral PMT on the anterior and posterior thigh, or passive resting. Outcomes were assessed immediately after the exercise protocol, after the recovery intervention, and at 24 h. Isometric knee extension (IKE) and flexion (IKF) and tensiomyography (TMG) were assessed. Muscle soreness and fatigue were scored from 0 to 10. PMT increased strength after the treatment (p = 0.004) and at 24 h (p = 0.007), whereas no significant differences were found for the other two recovery modalities. At post-recovery, compared to CON, CWI resulted in a longer TMG contraction time (p = 0.027). No significant differences were found at 24 h. Finally, PMT and CWI enhanced muscle soreness recovery compared to passive rest (F_4,60 = 3.095, p = 0.022, _pη² = 0.171). Preliminary results from this study suggest that PMT might improve isometric strength after strenuous exercise, and both PMT and CWI reduce muscle soreness perception, while the effects on TMG parameters remain controversial.

Swimmer’s shoulder is a common condition among elite swimmers, often leading to pain and reduced performance. Fatigue can exacerbate this condition by affecting shoulder strength, proprioception, and range of motion, potentially increasing the risk of overuse injuries. This preliminary study aimed to evaluate the impact of physiotherapy treatment and the effects of fatigue on shoulder kinematics using inertial and magnetic measurement units (IMUs). Five male swimmers (aged 21–27) with at least 3 years of training and suffering from swimmer’s shoulder pain participated in the study. The protocol included three sessions: dry front crawl exercises using one arm in the first and third sessions, and a fatiguing swimming exercise in the second. IMUs were used to capture 3D rotation angles, focusing on flexion/extension, abduction/adduction, and internal/external rotations during the first and third sessions. Stroke amplitude was analyzed before and after the physiotherapy treatment and fatiguing exercise. The results showed a significant increase in internal/external rotation amplitude post-fatigue before physiotherapy (p = 0.03), with a non-significant decrease in flexion/extension after treatment, suggesting improved shoulder stabilization. Despite these preliminary findings being based on a reduced number of participants, they indicate that physiotherapy may enhance shoulder motion control in swimmers with shoulder pain. Nevertheless, further studies with larger cohorts are needed to confirm these results.

(1) Background: Axial postural deformities represent a more common disabling motor complication in Parkinson’s disease. This study aims to investigate the clinical and neurophysiological effect of a rehabilitation treatment based on exergaming. (2) Methods: A pilot observational study was conducted on nine subjects affected by Parkinson’s disease and lateral trunk flexion, as well as on nine healthy controls with regard to some clinical and neurophysiological outcomes (3) Results: Statistically significant improvements were observed in all clinical assessment outcomes taken in to consideration: Berg balance scale (p = 0.0078), timed up and go tests (p = 0.03), degrees of lateral trunk inclination (p = 0.0039), and anterior/posterior trunk inclination (p = 0.0039). Regarding neurophysiological outcomes, the pressure pain threshold was enhanced and statistically significant in all areas assessed. Moreover, tensiomyography highlighted a statistically significant improvement in the maximal radial displacement of the ipsilateral erector spinae muscles. (4) Conclusions: The clinical and neurophysiological outcomes suggest both peripheral and central effects of exergaming. Peripherally, exergaming seems to lead to a postural trunk correction through a reduction in muscle stiffness in the ipsilateral erector spinae. Centrally, exergaming seems to lead to a central pain modulation through an upregulation of cortical connectivity associated with cognitive tasks. Taken together, these results also indicate that exergaming can be a feasible and enjoyable complement to traditional rehabilitation, potentially enhancing patients’ motivation and adherence.

Surface electromyography (sEMG), increasingly delivered through wireless wearable systems, is a key non-invasive tool for the objective monitoring of muscle activation during repetitive motor tasks. The clinical and longitudinal usefulness of wearable sEMG during rowing depends on the test–retest reliability of the parameters extracted from the signal during high-intensity, multi-muscle cyclic locomotor tasks. This study aimed to use advanced sEMG processing to quantify the between-session reliability of EMG-derived parameters (onset, offset, active duration, and peak position) across seven major muscles, to characterize the between-session similarity of ensemble-averaged activation waveforms, and to describe within-trial activation dynamics. Fifteen competitive rowers (10 males, five females; aged 14–22 years) performed two identical 2000 m all-out trials seven days apart, with sEMG recorded by a wireless wearable system. Reliability was assessed by ICC(A,1) with 95% CIs, SEM, MDC₉₅, CV%, and Bland–Altman analysis. The waveform similarity of the session ensemble cycles was quantified by Pearson correlation, cosine similarity, normalized cross-correlation maximum, and normalized dynamic time warping (DTW). Within-trial dynamics were assessed across ten consecutive stroke-count windows. Onset showed excellent reliability across all seven muscles (ICC = 0.943–0.995); offset, moderate-to-excellent (0.524–0.907); peak position, poor-to-excellent (0.114–0.948); active duration, poor-to-good (0.077–0.814). Ensemble-waveform similarity between sessions was high for each athlete across all muscles (Pearson r = 0.832–0.972; cosine similarity = 0.924–0.983), confirming that the individual activation fingerprint of the mean stroke cycle is stable over a 7-day interval. Both amplitude (FMPR) and active duration revealed a reproducible U-shaped within-trial pattern. These findings highlight the potential of wearable sEMG to provide reliable, personalized insights into rowing-specific muscle activation patterns, supporting more individualized monitoring and training optimization in rowers.