Resistance training is a type of physical exercise used in rehabilitation, sports, and recreational settings to increase muscle force and mass. Significant increases in muscle mass usually occur after weeks of resistance training, but strength improvements can occur after just a few training sessions (Calder et al., 2007). These initial […]
Intensive care beds, which cater for critically ill patients, are predicted to represent >30% of all future hospital beds. Around a third of critically ill patients require mechanical ventilation to help them breathe. While a lifesaving intervention, mechanical ventilation increases breathing and heart related complications, decreases quality of life, and […]
Single limb resistance training improves strength not only in the trained limb, but also in similar muscles of the untrained limb. The increase in strength in the untrained limb, commonly known as ‘cross-education’, is due to a strengthening of connections within the brain and spinal cord (Farthing and Zehr, 2014). […]
The loss of passive joint range of motion (i.e. contracture) is common in stroke and other neurological conditions. More than half of people with stroke or spinal cord injury will develop at least one contracture (Diong et al., 2012; Kwah et al., 2012). Contracture impairs physical function and can cause […]
For decades, there has been a consensus amongst scientists and practitioners that one of the ways people become stronger after resistance training is that their muscles become bigger. This increase in muscle size is termed muscle hypertrophy. Over the past 3 years, however, Jeremy Loenneke’s research group at the University […]
In stroke-induced hemiparesis, muscles such as the plantar flexors undergo dramatic alterations that involve both physical shortening (decrease in fascicle length) and viscoelastic loss of extensibility (Kwah et al., 2012). This muscle disorder has been termed spastic myopathy (Gracies, 2015) and is commonly treated with stretching techniques. However, the effectiveness […]
Fluid intelligence, sometimes called abstract reasoning, is the ability to think logically and solve problems; a highly valued human capacity. Over 70% of patients admitted to hospital with stroke have cognitive impairment, but cognition is rarely a target of rehabilitation treatments. Moderate-vigorous intensity aerobic exercise is a potent brain stimulus […]
Dizziness is a debilitating symptom that affects 10-30% of middle-aged and older people (Aggarwal et al, 2000; Colledge et al, 1994). People with dizziness often report poor health outcomes including reduced quality of life, depression, fear of falling and falls (Aggarwal et al, 2000; Colledge et al, 1994; Tinetti et […]
The one repetition maximum (1RM) is a test of muscle strength. It is defined as the maximal amount of weight an individual can lift once, but not twice, when using the correct technique. Common 1RM tests include the bench press, chest press machine, biceps curl, lat pulldown, back squat, leg […]
In general, the term ‘fatigue’ is used to describe any exercise-induced decline in the ability of a muscle to generate force. To identify the causes of fatigue, it is common to examine two divisions of the body that might be affected during exercise. The central component of fatigue includes the […]
