Dr. Ulloa-Díaz, David

Background and Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee and hip is a major cause of pain and functional impairment. This study evaluated the effects of non-immersive virtual reality (NIVR) combined with conventional physical therapy (CPT) on pain intensity, mechanical hyperalgesia, and perceived recovery in older adults with OA. Materials and Methods: Sixty older adults with mild-to-moderate knee or hip OA were randomly assigned to a NIVR group (NIVR-G; n = 30) or a CPT group (CPT-G; n = 30). Both groups completed 30 sessions over 10 weeks (3 sessions/week). The NIVR-G performed 20 minutes of exergames integrated into CPT. Pain intensity was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and mechanical hyperalgesia was evaluated through pressure pain thresholds (PPTs). Secondary outcomes included the Global Rating of Change (GRoC) and the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for the VAS. This study is a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT05839262). Results: The NIVR-G demonstrated significant reductions in pain intensity after 30 sessions (p < 0.05, d = 1.50), with greater improvements compared to the CPT-G (p < 0.05, d = 1.17). The MCID for the VAS was established at 9.2 mm, with a higher proportion of responders in the NIVR-G (p < 0.05). The NIVR-G also reported superior recovery perception on the GRoC scale (p < 0.05). No significant changes in PPTs were observed in either group. However, the improvements in the NIVR-G diminished four weeks post-intervention. Conclusions: NIVR exergames combined with CPT significantly reduced pain intensity, improved perceived recovery, and resulted in a higher proportion of responders compared to CPT alone. These findings support the use of NIVR as an effective adjunct to CPT in older adults with OA; however, further research is needed to optimize its long-term benefits.

The peak velocity of an athlete’s throws is a determining factor for sports performance. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of a post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) protocol with functional electro-mechanical dynamometry (FEMD) on throwing velocity. Thirteen international-level female handball players voluntarily participated in the study. The PAPE protocol considered four sets of eight repetitions controlled by FEMD (four at 30% of 1RM followed by another four at 60% of 1RM). After each series, the athletes’ throwing velocity was measured. Significant differences (p < 0.01) were found in the effect size (ES), which measures the strength of the statistical relationship between two variables by group with the repeated measures ANOVA statistic with an effect size ω2 = 0.028. The effect size analysis identified measurements that are considered null for the baseline—PAPE 1 comparison and small baseline—PAPE 2, baseline—PAPE 3, and baseline—PAPE 4. When resistance is controlled during the run as with an FEMD device, only two sets of eight repetitions (four repetitions at 30% and four repetitions at 60% of 1RM) are required for the improvement of throwing speed in elite handball players.

Background/Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of mobility impairment in older adults, yet few studies have explored exergames (EXGs) as a complementary therapy for knee and/or hip OA (KOA/HOA). This study evaluated the effects of integrating EXGs into conventional therapy (CT) on functional mobility. Methods: Sixty participants were randomized into an EXG/CT group or a CT-only group. The interventions lasted 10 weeks (3 sessions/week), and the EXGs were selected from the interactive game Ring Fit Adventure (Nintendo Switch®, Kyoto, Japan). Results: Functional mobility (Timed Up and Go test) significantly improved in the EXG/CT group but not in the CT group. Additionally, lower-limb strength and aerobic endurance increased in the EXG/CT group. No adverse events were reported, and the adherence was high. Conclusions: These findings support EXG-based interventions as a viable complement to CT. Future studies should design OA-specific EXGs and include patient subgroups to expand the impact of interventions using virtual systems.

Optimal hydration is crucial for maintaining health and athletic performance in young soccer players. This requires constant monitoring by medical and sports teams during training sessions and competitions. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine hydration status based on variations in body weight, fluid intake, and urine specific gravity during three training sessions and a FIFA competition in elite U-17 youth soccer players, national team members. Methods: Twenty-one elite soccer players, aged 17.2 ± 0.29 years, with a body weight of 72.1 ± 6.95 kg and a height of 1.80 ± 0.05 m, participated in the study. To determine hydration status, percentage weight loss, fluid intake, and urine density were measured during three training sessions and one FIFA-level competition. Results: Differences in body weight were observed in two of the training sessions, with greater variation in the competition (3.5% of BW, p < 0.001). Significant differences were found between weight losses in training sessions vs. matches. An increase in initial weight was associated with lower urine density. Regression coefficients showed that differences in body weight can predict urine density during training and competition (p < 0.05). A decrease in final body weight could be a valid indicator as a predictor of higher urinary density.

Background: This study aimed to explore whether a predictive model based on body composition and physical condition could estimate seasonal playing time in professional soccer players. Methods: 24 professional soccer players with 5–7 years of professional experience participated. Body composition and physical condition variables were assessed, and total minutes played during the season were recorded as the dependent variable. Correlations between variables were examined to reduce multicollinearity, followed by a principal component analysis (PCA) of the selected predictors. The first three components were used as inputs in a Gradient Boosting model. Model performance was evaluated using 5-fold cross-validation and leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV). Results: High intercorrelations among independent variables (r > 0.70) justified dimensionality reduction through PCA. The first three components explained 70% of the total variance. However, no direct correlations were observed between individual variables and minutes played, and the Gradient Boosting model did not achieve positive predictive performance under cross-validation (5-fold CV: R2 = −0.04; LOOCV: R2 < 0). Conclusion: In this small dataset, a multivariate approach combining PCA and Gradient Boosting did not yield predictive accuracy for playing time. Nonetheless, the PCA revealed meaningful structures in the players’ physical and body composition profiles, which may inform future research. Larger and more heterogeneous samples are required to determine whether component-based predictors can reliably estimate playing time in professional soccer.

Background: The aim of our study was analyze the bilateral strength balance of the knee extensor and flexor muscles in female soccer players. Methodology: Participated in this study twenty-three professional female soccer players. The volunteer participants of the study were eligibly if: (a) signing of informed consent, (b) 5 years of sporting experience as a soccer player and have experience with training and evaluation of muscle strength in the lower limb, (c) participate in five weekly training sessions (d) no musculoskeletal pathology in the lower limbs 6 months prior to the evaluation date. The assessment was performed unilaterally, with peak muscle strength values recorded using the FEMD device software at a constant velocity of 0.4 m s-1. The range of motion (ROM) was 90°–0° of joint extension in the sitting position and 150°–90° of flexion in the prone position. Each participant was required to perform their maximum effort for all repetitions. Results: Bilateral strength balance measurements were obtained in the range of 10.68%–13.80% for maximum muscle strength in knee extension and 13.27%–15.21%. No significant differences (p > 0.05) were found in the comparison of independent means for maximum muscle strength between the knee extension and flexion in the concentric and eccentric phases. Significant differences (p < 0.01) and small ES (ES < 3.32) were found in peak muscle strength measurements of the dominant and non-dominant lower extremity in the unilateral comparison of the extensor muscle and the flexor muscle group in the concentric and eccentric phase. Conclusion: In the analysis of bilateral strength balance, lower indices are presented in the knee extensor compared to the flexor, these bilateral indices would reveal intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries in the hamstring muscles and anterior cruciate ligament of professional soccer players.