The study investigated touch and pain sensations and the correlation between them in diadynamic current (DD) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), electrotherapies commonly applied in musculoskeletal disorders and occupational rehabilitation medicine. Forty healthy subjects were treated with either DD (n=20) or TENS (n=20). Each treatment consisted of three sessions with one-week interval. Touch sensation was determined with the JVP Domes esthesiometer, pain sensation with pressure pain threshold (PPT), and pressure pain tolerance threshold (PPTO) by an algometer. During each session the measurements were performed before the application of the procedure (T0), immediately after it (T1), and 30 minutes after the end of the procedure (T2). Both DD and TENS increased touch sensation (p0.05). No statistically significant differences in short-term effects, i.e., 3 weeks of the trial, were noted between DD and TENS in their influence on touch and pain sensations (p>0.05). There was a high significant correlation between touch and pain sensations in DD (r=0.86). TENS and DD caused similar analgesic effects. DD, which is shorter in the duration of the treatment, may comprise a realistic alternative to TENS in clinical practice of pain management.

BACKGROUND : The aim of the study was to compare the static and dynamic plantar pressure profiles of amateur marathon runners with sedentary cohorts. Research questions: Are there differences in the plantar pressures of these two populations? Is there a correlation between body mass and BMI with plantar loading? METHODS: The study involved 43 runners involved in marathon training and 30 age-matched untrained individuals. Plantar pressure was measured using a baropodometric system. RESULTS: The marathon runners showed greater forefoot plantar pressure of the dominant extremity in the static condition and reduced medial plantar pressure of both extremities in the dynamic condition. A correlation was observed between body mass and BMI with mean plantar pressure only in the marathon group and only for the dominant extremity in the dynamic condition. CONCLUSIONS: Marathon training may modify the forefoot plantar loading characteristics of the dominant extremity during static conditions and increase lateral plantar pressure of both extremities in a dynamic (gait) condition.

Foot orienteering is an endurance sport that requires high musculoskeletal efficiency to maintain performance while running across varied and uneven terrain. This study aimed to assess functional movement competency in national-level foot orienteers (FO) using the Functional Movement Screen™ (FMS™). Fifty-one athletes (21 females and 30 males) from Spain, Italy, and Poland were evaluated to analyze fundamental movement patterns. Participants were grouped according to sex, age category (junior vs. senior), and body mass index (BMI). The median FMS™ score for the entire cohort was 17.0, with no significant differences observed between males and females, juniors and seniors, or BMI categories. Junior female athletes achieved significantly higher scores than junior males in the Hurdle Step test (r = 0.37, p = 0.048), and a positive correlation was identified between age and Hurdle Step performance (r = 0.319, p = 0.02), indicating lower scores in younger athletes. Athletes with lower BMI demonstrated superior performance in the Shoulder Mobility test (r = 0.38, p = 0.01), supported by a moderate negative correlation between BMI and shoulder mobility (r = −0.37, p = 0.01). Across all subgroups, the lowest scores were recorded in the Deep Squat test. These findings suggest that age, sex, and BMI may influence specific components of functional movement competency in FO and should be considered when designing training and injury-prevention programs. Further research involving national teams from additional countries is recommended to confirm and extend these results.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether training for a marathon and powerlifting could affect the value of the center of pressure (COP) in static and dynamic testing assessed with the Free Med ground reaction force platform. A baropodometric mat was used to evaluate COP values, using Free Step computer software. The study was performed in three groups: marathon runners (M, n = 31), powerlifters (PL, n = 24), and a control group (C, n = 30). Basic descriptive statistics (mean ± standard deviation) were calculated for the COP in the static, anteroposterior (AP), and mediolateral (ML) directions, followed by dynamic test variables for the dominant (D) and non-dominant (ND) lower limbs. In each of the three study groups, one-factor ANOVA, two-factor MANOVA, and r-Pearson correlation coefficients between COP and D lower limb, as well as between COP and ND lower limb, were calculated. No statistically significant differences were observed between the means of the COP in the groups studied in the static test. A statistically significant difference between the COP of the D and ND lower limbs (p < 0.001) was observed in the dynamic test only in the M group. In both the C and PL groups, a significant relationship was observed between the two variables for the parameter of sway distance between the lower limbs (r = 0.75; p < 0.001 and r = 0.73; p < 0.001). Only in the M group were statistically significant differences found between the D and ND lower limbs in the dynamic study (p < 0.001). These athletes developed specific postural strategies characterized by the difference between the length of the sway path between the D and ND lower limbs. Further research is needed in these athlete groups to determine whether practicing these sports can affect the distribution of foot pressure on the ground.