Tai Chi

It is well known that moderate forms of exercise can help COPD patients to improve their exercise tolerance, symptoms of breathlessness and their overall quality of life. This new study aimed to investigate whether Sun-style Tai chi could be used as an effective form of exercise therapy neoReh The research, which was published online (XX August 2012) ahead of print in theEuropean Respiratory Journal, suggests that this form of exercise can improve exercise capacity and quality of life in people with COPD and may be as beneficial as pulmonary rehabilitation Fizjomaster Researchers from the Concord Repatriation General Hospital and the University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, worked with 42 people with COPD. Half the group attended Tai Chi lessons twice a week, as well as performing Tai Chi at home, whereas the other half followed their usual medical management which did not include exercise.

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Knee braces fail to help ACL injuries

2012 is almost at an end, and it's been a year of gold medal triumphs, and more than a few major controversies.  Armstrong, Wiggins, Farah, Bolt, Ennis, London, Messi, Spain, Tygart, Kimmage and Walsh were some of the newsmakers of the year, not often for the right reasons, in a year that brought many firsts.  FizjoMaster Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) damage can be a common injury for many sportsmen and women, but new research has shown that the standard treatment of a knee brace does little to improve a person's recovery time.  neoReh Researchers looked at 29 studies into the treatment after reconstructive ACL surgery and noted that while bracing did record an improvement in the person's recovery, a programme involving physical therapy soon after the operation yielded much better results. They noted that strength, range-of-motion and functionality exercises provide significantly better outcomes in terms of helping the person to recover to the debilitating injury.

FizjoMaster And I took the opportunity, in providing answers, of editorializing somewhat, and embellishing those answers with some facts and trivia, to sum up what has been a memorable and enthralling year in sport.  I know the last month has seen the posting frequency dwindle - let's call it a loss of creative energy, but the plan is to do more posting next year, including more translation of sports science research during slower news times.  I'm mindful that there are outstanding journalists who do a better job of reporting the news (e.g: Armstrong and cycling's dramas this year), and so we'll try to return to a more niche-based offering in 2013.   neoReh

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