Italian Journal of Sports rehabilitation and Posturology

224 -231

Authors: Massimo Armeni

Abstract The leg-extension exercise is a universally recognized exercise, proposed for the analytical strengthening of the quadriceps muscle (Fig.1). Its applicability especially in rehabilitation and in the fitness field, today, is being much questioned by literature, particularly by those concerning rehabilitation of knee pathologies. This current orientation finds ample evidence in relation to the important patello-femoral joint compressive forces that the knee extension can create9. Despite the leg extension machine being invented to solicit selectively the thigh musculature without placing excessive loads on the spine, and potentially, the risk of injury increases as the knee and lower leg do not work correctly. Furthermore, in soliciting the lower extremities by sitting at an angle of 90°-120° between the pelvis and the spine, the latter is maintained verticalized at the lumbar region and this inversion of curves is not free from risks in hypomobile subjects or suffering from spinal pathologies. The object of this study is to analyze the validity of the exercise in an open kinetic chain defined as “leg-extension”.

242 – 253

Authors: Francis Osei, M. Omoniyi Moses and Arthur Kwaku Boateng

BACKGROUND: Rehabilitation of traumatic athletic injuries requires modern scientific approaches, the need for comprehensive knowledge of normal and deviance in functional and structural alignments of joints as well as understanding supporting tissues. Complications of injury athletes are attributes of traditional healers’ involvement in injury management. Study on clinical and traditional approaches to injury management with specific attention to footballers in Ashanti region is scanty. This study was then undertaken to assess clinical and traditional sports injuries treatment and rehabilitation processes in four football clubs within Ashanti region. It also described knowledge of injury ideology, causes and prevention among football athletes. METHODS: Descriptive survey research design was adopted. Judgmental sampling technique was adopted to recruit seventy-five footballers (mean age = 21.89 ± 0.75; mean playing years = 8.63 ± 3.36). Structured and validated four-point-likert scale injury rehabilitation instrument with cronbach’s alpha reliability values range 0.82 to 0.90 was employed to collect data. RESULTS: Athletes statistically have significant (p<0.05) knowledge of general ideology, causes and prevention of injuries. Traditional injury management approaches were statistically significant (p<0.05) as against the clinical injury management approaches that were not statistically significant (p>0.05). There were significant differences between clinical and traditional approaches to injury rehabilitation F (24.976) = 29.088, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: We conclude that application of sub-standard traditional athletic injury management approaches caused significant degenerative commitment to footballers’ performance in the region and that these may undermine the uphill struggle of scientifically inclined sports professionals