Daina Sturnieks


Older people maintain their strength and balance after a busy day

Previous studies have shown that repeatedly working muscles until fatigue results in reduced strength, sensation, walking and balance control in older people (Helbostad et al. 2007, 2010; Kent-Braun, 2009; Pline et al. 2005). However, these extreme protocols are unlikely to accurately reflect an older person’s daily activities and likely miss the […]


Muscle weakness or sarcopenia? Call it what it is! 1

The term ‘sarcopenia’ comes from ‘sarco-’, the Greek word for ‘flesh’ (muscle), and ‘-penia’ which denotes ‘deficiency’.  The original definition reflected this as ‘the degenerative loss of skeletal muscle mass that accompanies ageing (0.5–1% loss per year after the age of 25)’ (Cruz-Jentoft et al., 2010).  However over time, the […]


The effects of fatigue on reaction time in people with multiple sclerosis

People with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) often report fatigue and reduced capacity for walking as some of their most disabling symptoms (1-3). Indeed, fatigue is often reported after relatively short bouts of walking. However, the functional consequences of this fatigue are not well known. We were interested in how walking might […]


Should we train proprioception in people with knee osteoarthritis?

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a painful condition that can substantially interfere with peoples’ daily activities. It will affect one in two people over their lifetime and is more likely in people who are overweight (Murphy et al., 2008). In light of the existing literature regarding joint function in people with […]