The goal of the trial was to examine the effects of adding electromyographic biofeedback (EMG-BF) to the conventional program of physiotherapy after total hip arthroplasty (THA) on functional recovery and quality of life. The trial was designed as a prospective, interventional, single-blinded randomized controlled study. Ninety patients were randomized into an experimental group (EG) (n = 45; mean age 63.9 ± 8.8) and control group (CG) (n = 45; mean age 63.9 ± 9). All patients received 21 days of physiotherapy which consisted of therapeutic exercise (land-based and aquatic), electrotherapy, and education. Electromyographic biofeedback was added to a portion of the land-based exercise in EG. The Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS), Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), Short Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36), use of a walking aid, 30 s chair stand test (CST) as well as the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test were used for outcome measurement. A higher proportion of the participants in both groups did not need a walking aid after the intervention (p < 0.05). All participants improved their 30 s CST and TUG results (p < 0.001), as well as their NRS and HOOS scores (p < 0.05). No significant differences between the groups were found. There were no additional benefits from adding EMG-BF to the conventional physiotherapy protocol.

Soccer is a sport with worldwide popularity but has a substantial risk of injury. Clinical screening tools are an important factor in strategies of injury prevention. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) and injury and lower back pain (LBP) in amateur soccer players. The research was performed as a longitudinal cohort study on 42 amateur male soccer players with 15.8 ± 6.6 years of soccer playing (age: 25.5 ± 6 years). Participants were surveyed with regard to their soccer playing, injuries, and LBP, and the SEBT was performed. They were followed for 3.5 months. At the follow-up, an additional set of data regarding injuries and LBP was gathered. Significant differences were found in all directions and in the composite score of the SEBT between uninjured and injured players. Shorter distance in all directions and a lower composite score were associated with injury in general. Shorter distances in all but the anterior direction and a lower composite score were associated with lower extremity injury, and shorter anterior distance was associated with LBP. Amateur soccer players with lower SEBT scores are more prone to injuries in general, as well as injuries of the lower extremities. SEBT presents as a useful clinical screening tool in identifying amateur soccer players at risk of injury.

Physical exercise during pregnancy is associated with important maternal and foetal health benefits. These include reduced risks of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), and excessive gestational weight gain. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these benefits remain incompletely understood. Exerkines are exercise-responsive signalling molecules released from skeletal muscle and other metabolically active tissues and may contribute to metabolic, vascular, inflammatory, and mitochondrial adaptations. This narrative review critically examines current evidence linking exerkines with maternal exercise and cardiometabolic adaptation during pregnancy, with particular emphasis on GDM, HDP, maternal obesity, placental function, and maternal–placental–foetal communication. Evidence was identified through a comprehensive, iterative search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science primarily covering literature published between January 2016 and July 2026. Priority was given to human pregnancy studies and clinically relevant outcomes. Pregnancy-specific evidence is currently strongest for irisin, although findings remain heterogeneous. Acute exercise studies also indicate transient changes in circulating fibroblast growth factor 21. Evidence for β-aminoisobutyric acid, apelin, adiponectin, chemerin, and interleukin-6 is more limited and frequently relies on experimental or non-pregnant populations. Overall, current evidence supports exerkines as plausible contributors to the cardiometabolic adaptations associated with maternal exercise, but does not establish them as causal mediators. Their principal value at present lies in providing a biological framework linking established clinical benefits of prenatal exercise with metabolic, vascular, inflammatory, and placental adaptations, while identifying specific pathways that require confirmation in pregnancy-specific longitudinal and intervention studies.