Humans have evolved to have more endurance than power and speed. In contrast to other primates, humans are capable of sustained endurance activities such as trekking and running long distances over extended periods. Only a few other running-adapted mammals, such as dogs, wolves, and horses, are known to be capable of such sustained aerobic capacity.
Persistent inflammation processes can cause fibrosis and stiffness of the connective tissue. This increased stiffness may affect the sliding of the connective tissue layers. Further to this, it may contribute to musculoskeletal pain. Manipulation of the fascial system via manual technique is commonly used for pain management. A study from Brazil and Germany investigate
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease that becomes more prevalent in recent decades. Age, sex, genes, obesity are known to influence knee OA susceptibility. There is also evidence that physical inactivity that may induce OA prevalence. Physical activity for attaining and maintaining optimal knee tissue structure and strength is well documented, particularly by
Massage therapy is commonly used as a relief from anxiety and stress. Acute treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder often requires 3 months or more of care to optimize response. Currently, there was only few studies that evaluated the effectiveness of massage for GAD. A case series reported that patients with GAD benefited from Swedish Massage
A study from Iran evaluated massage as recovery techniques following exercise‐induced muscle injury in older adults. The study recruited 78 older men and women; they performed a single bout of strength training on the calf muscles to induce muscle injury. After the exercise, participants received either a 15‐min massage on calf muscles or the lower
Proposed mechanical interaction between the deep fascia and the skeletal muscle. In resting conditions (left), a displacement of the muscle (right) will stretch and stiffen the fibrous connections (black lines) to the superficial fascia, potentially leading to its displacement. From Wilke and Tenberg (2020) The deep fascia that envelops the skeletal muscle can play
Environmental enrichment is a term used in neuroscience on the influence of sensory experience on the brain and behaviour. Maternal care in animals, and particularly tactile stimulation through licking and grooming, may represent a key component in the early phases of environmental enrichment. Massage and multisensory stimulation in newborns’ neonatal care have been shown to
Aging is commonly accompanied by a progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and function, or sarcopenia. A vital structure that may change with advancing age is the muscle’s extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM consists of a mesh of collagenous components as well as a mixture of further macromolecules, including various glycoproteins, proteoglycans, and elastin. Its
One of the designs of modern sports shoes is the toe spring, upward curvature of the sole at the front of the shoe. The toe spring elevates the toe box dorsally above the ground and thereby holds the toes in a constantly dorsiflexed position. The toe spring holds the toes, so they move less
An anatomical study provides structural evidence for a morphological connection between the Achilles tendon and plantar fascia via the highly aligned calcaneal trabeculae of the posterior calcaneus. Macroscopic observations during the separation of the Achilles tendon-calcaneus-plantar fascia complex (AT-calcaneus-PF complex). (A) The AT-calcaneus-PF complex can be observed looking from proximal to distal after the AT was
