A very popular method in the field of prevention, sports, and therapy is flossing, working with an elastic band. A number of effects have been reported with this approach, but there are so far only a few studies to objectivize the declared effects. The aim of our study was to determine the change in the blood supply to the musculus biceps brachii during and after the flossing method applied to the upper limb in the area of the shoulder joint. The study recruited 27 healthy respondents (23.3 ± 2.8 years old). Measurement of the blood flow was performed on a Précisé 8008 (Ulrichstein, Germany) a device for measuring transcutaneous oxygen (tcpO₂) before, during the 2-min compression therapy applied in the area of the shoulder joint, and after. We noted that both upper limbs, the limb where the application was performed and the opposite limb reached significant changes in the blood flow in musculus biceps brachii. Due to the significant depression of perfusion after only 2 min of flossing, great caution is required when performing the flossing method. The “sponge effect,” which means that after the occlusion is removed, the perfusion increases rapidly, was not confirmed by our study.

The modified goniometric platform (MGP) is a novel instrument used to measure trunk rotation while sitting. A lack of reliable and valid evidence has been reported to measure trunk rotation using MGP. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the intra- and inter-rater reliabilities and validity of the MGP for measuring trunk rotation while sitting. Methods: Seventeen participants performed right trunk rotation followed by left trunk rotation (three repetitions for each trial) and two random measurements at 40-minute intervals. Inter-rater and intra-rater reliabilities were calculated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Validity was assessed using the Pearson correlation coefficient (r). Results: The test and re-test inter-rater reliabilities for right trunk rotation were 0.990 and 0.986, respectively, and those for left trunk rotation were 0.989 and 0.978, respectively. The intra-rater reliabilities for right trunk rotation were 0.949 and 0.954, respectively, and those for left trunk rotation were 0.944 and 0.946, respectively. The right and left trunk rotation validities were 0.986 and 0.981, respectively. Conclusion: MGP is reliable and valid for measuring right and left trunk rotations while sitting.

Background: Pain affected gait performance in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP) due to protective mechanisms in response to pain. Insufficient evidence demonstrated whether pain altered the walking patterns in NSCLBP. Therefore, this review aimed to compare the walking patterns between individuals with and without NSCLBP. Methods: The literature was systematically reviewed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The Cochrane, PubMed, Web of Science (WOS), EMBASE, and EBSCOhost were searched for the relevant studies, which were included if they: 1) compared patients with NSCLBP to the healthy controls, 2) evaluated spatiotemporal gait characteristics, 3) were published in English, 4) were peer-reviewed original research articles, and 5) were published since the year of 2000. Two researchers independently assessed the quality of the studies using the modified Downs and Black checklist. Meta-analyses with the random effects model were used, and the standardized mean differences (SMD) and the 95% confidence intervals (CI) were analyzed. Results: Out of 822 records, thirteen studies were included in the systematic review, and twelve were incorporated into the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis revealed significant differences between NSCLBP patients and healthy controls in walking speed (SMD = –0.67, 95% CI: –1.08 to –0.25, p = 0.002, I2 = 76%) and step length (SMD = –0.55, 95% CI: –0.94 to –0.17, p = 0.004, I2 = 64%). Discussion: Within spatiotemporal gait parameters, patients with NSCLBP show moderately consistent reductions in walking speed and step length relative to healthy controls, which may reflect pain-related protective strategies. These alterations underscore clinically meaningful gait impairments that should be considered in the design of targeted rehabilitation programs. PROSPERO registration number is CRD42023418511.