Purpose. The purpose of this study was to analyze scientific evidence on the effects that Nordic Walking (NW) has on the human body. Basic procedures. A comprehensive search of computer databases (MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus) was conducted to identify relevant English and Polish studies on NW that were published from 1995 to 2009 and based on scientific research. Main findings. A total of 26 studies met the inclusion criteria. The majority of studies (12) discussed physiological issues, eleven studies were dedicated to NW as a form of rehabilitation (including one case study), and three studies focused on biomechanical issues present in NW. Conclusions. Not all of the widely promoted benefits of NW were confirmed in the results of the found scientific studies. Often analyzed issues did not provide sufficient explanation. There is a large discrepancy in the results of physiological responses during NW in a variety of conditions (on a treadmill with/without grade; field - uphill/downhill/horizontal level terrain). The results of studies analyzing the effects of NW training as a form of rehabilitation particularly in the areas of cardiology confirmed the positive aspects of including NW towards a patient's rehabilitation after acute coronary syndrome, with intermittent claudication, and after coronary artery disease, or after myocardial infarction. Contrary to popular belief and previously done studies, recent research has shown that NW does not reduce the loading of the knee joint.
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Introduction: The assessment of functional fitness of older people, who took part in different forms of activities e.g. in programs which are offered by UTW, together with the information about the fitness level, can have a great importance in optimization of motor activation of older people. The aim of this study is to evaluate the changes in the level of functional fitness and basic parameters of the anthropometric parameters of older women after 16-weeks activity program offered by University of the Third Age (UTW) at the Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw. Material and methods: Ten women at the age of 72,0±5,40 who attended UTW 1,7±0,48 years took part in the study. Women participated in the activities 2-3 a week, and the major activities were Nordic Walking and gymnastics. Moreover they had a chance to attend Tai Chi, swimming and dancing classes. The Fullerton Functional Fitness Test was used to assess women’s functional fitness. Test was done twice - during the second week and at the end of first semester. Results were evaluated with the usage of norms described for particular test trials and age groups (Jones and Rikli 2002). Measurements and evaluation of basic anthropometric parameters were done as well as Body Mass Index was calculated. Results: At the end of the cycle of activities, it turned out that women achieved better results during the fitness tests than they had after the first test. During evaluation with the usage of norms of Fullerton Fitness Test good level of aerobic endurance, strength and coordination of tested women was noted, however the flexibility test results gave evidence of negligence in this area. It was also discovered that participation in the cycle of physical activities might have been one of the elements that caused positive, considering health, changes in anthropometric parameters of tested women. Reducing of the body mass and the percentage of the fat tissue and regular physical activity had an influence on lean body mass increase. onclusions: Physical activities done by UTW participants during the program, where the major activities were Nordic Walking and gymnastics, had the influence on improvement of their fitness and positive changes in their anthropometric parameters.
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Purpose. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations between anaerobic performance (AnP), applicable field tests, and the functional classification levels in female wheelchair basketball athletes. Methods. Female wheelchair basketball athletes (N = 23; Category A, n = 9; Category B, n = 14) from the Canadian national team were evaluated using field tests and the 30-second Wingate Anaerobic Test. Measures of peak power output (PP), time to achieve peak power (tPP), mean power output (MP), and a fatigue index (FI) were used to assess AnP. A test battery evaluating seven wheelchair basketball skills was applied. Student’s t test was used to identify differences between the two main functional categories (A and B). Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient were calculated to determine the significance of all relationships between the parameters of AnP, the results of the field tests, and the eight functional classification levels of the athletes (1.0-4.5 pts.). Results. In all analyzed parameters, except for the field test measuring shooting skills, the results of AnP were significantly higher for Category B players. Significant relationships were observed between athletes’ classification level and AnP and the field tests except for tPP, the 5 m sprint, and the shooting test. The strongest association was observed for MP and PP, MP and FI, PP and FI (p = 0.001). Conclusions. Strong associations were found between the functional classification level and AnP of the female wheelchair basketball athletes. The strongest correlation was confirmed between MP, PP, and the field test measuring the two-handed chest pass, suggesting that this test can be used to indirectly assess the anaerobic performance of female wheelchair basketball athletes.
Introduction There are some studies concern special field-based tests for wheelchair basketball players however, there were not a lot of studies confirmed reliability and/or validity of wheelchair basketball field-based tests. The aim of the present study was to assess test-retest reliability of the newly developed field-based tests focused on short time efforts with maximal intensity for wheelchair basketball players. Material and methods Nine elite male wheelchair basketball players (mean age 29.7 ± 5.9 years) performed two times 11 field-based tests focused on short time efforts with the maximal intensity: 3 m sprint, 5 m sprint, 10 m sprint, 20 m sprint, pass basketball ball by both hands from the chest, pass medicine ball (3 kg) by both hands from the chest, bilateral handgrip, 3-6-9 m drill test, 30-seconds sprint test, agility drill test, and 10x5 m sprint test. All sprint tests’ time were measured by Microgate® photocells (Bolzano, Italy). Differences between field-based tests repetitions were compared by the t-test for dependent samples, relationship between repetitions was calculated by the Pearson correlation coefficient, and the ICCs were calculated (test-retest reliability). Results The ICCs were ‘very good’, correlations were strong for each field-based test (r > 0.7). Only for the agility drill test the first repetition is statistically different compare to the second repetition (p = .015). Conclusions The main application of our research is a confirmation of reliability of 10 field-based tests related to short time efforts with maximum intensity: 3 m sprint, 5 m sprint, 10 m sprint, 20 m sprint, pass basketball ball by both hands from the chest, pass medicine ball (3 kg) by both hands from the chest, bilateral handgrip, 3-6-9 m drill test, 30-seconds sprint test, and 10x5 m sprint test.
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Purpose. The purpose of the study was to examine game efficiency of elite wheelchair rugby players in consideration of International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF) classification during the 2008 Paralympic Games played according to the old wheelchair rugby rules.Basic procedures. A group of 77 athletes representing 8 national teams participated in the study. Each team played 5 games for 32 min each. Athletes who played for more than 8 min in total at the 2008 Paralympics qualified for the study. The seven IWRF player point classes were collapsed into four groups. The game efficiency analysis was based on the IWRF Statistical Reports. The following six game efficiency parameters were analyzed: played time (T), sum of all points scored (PT), assist passes (AS), assist blocks (AB), turnovers (TO) and steals (ST).Main findings. The major finding of the study was that most differences in PT, AS, AB, TO and ST were found among all the examined groups (I-IV), except groups I and II. The played time (T) was not sensitive enough to identify significant differences among all the groups. This indicates that played time in the context of substitutions limited by classification point requirements does not reflect the differences between player classes.Conclusions. Generally, there was a tendency for highpoint class players to perform better. The study findings point to the importance of analysis of game efficiency of elite wheelchair rugby players with regard to their IWRF classification during tournaments played according to the new wheelchair rugby rules.
Introduction Paralympic sailing was introduced at the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games. Since then it has been developing rapidly and an increasing number of individuals in Poland and abroad regularly take part in sports competitions. Currently, disabled athletes can compete in three classes: Sonar, 2.4mR and Skud 18. The review of the Polish and foreign lit-erature does not give a clear indication of the motives for participation in Paralympic sailing. Material and methods The study was carried out on 52 regatta sailors with physical disabilities. Group I consisted of 20 sailors from the Polish National Team. Group II consisted of 32 sailors from 10 European countries. The study was conducted during the National Team camp in Górki Zachodnie and during the European Championships in Switzerland. The Par-ticipation Reasons Scale (PRS - developed by Brasile and Hedrick in 1991) was used in the study. Results Excitement of the activity and an opportunity to improve abilities were rated highest by the disabled sailors from the Polish National Team. In the group of sailors from other European countries, the motives rated highest included the chance to be with friends and challenges related to sailing. Conclusions Sports-related aspects and emotions are the main factors motivating dis-abled persons to practise sailing. If we take into account the needs indicated by the sailors in planning sports activities for people with disabilities, it may contribute to faster development of Paralympic sailing in our country.
The aim of this study was to review the literature dealing with the force-time characteristics of different forms of physical activity performed with upper limbs by the elderly and the disabled (Nordic Walking and using a wheelchair, respectively) and of manual techniques used by physiotherapists. Values of work and power were analysed as well. Based on the analysis of the literature concerning the substantive areas included in this article, we believe that objective measurements will expand the present knowledge about values of force developed by upper limbs during different forms of human activity. It seems to be of particular significance in the application of manual therapy techniques, because currently values of force exerted upon the patient while applying these techniques are selected by a physiotherapist intuitively and are neither objective nor systematically controlled. The identification of the values of force developed with upper limbs by the elderly, the disabled and physiotherapists during the aforementioned forms of activity will make an original contribution to the broadly defined physical culture, especially rehabilitation and health promotion.
PL
Niniejsze badania miały na celu przegląd literatury dotyczącej charakterystyki siła- czas kończyn górnych osób starszych i niepełnosprawnych podczas różnych form aktywności fizycznej (odpowiednio Nordic Walking oraz poruszanie się na wózku) oraz fizjoterapeutów podczas stosowania technik manualnych, jak również analizę wartości pracy i mocy. W oparciu o analizę literatury przedmiotu dotyczącej zagadnień merytorycznych uwzględnionych w niniejszym artykule uważamy, że obiektywne pomiary rozszerzą aktualny stan wiedzy na temat wartości sił rozwijanych przez kończyny górne podczas różnych form aktywności fizycznej. Wydaje się to mieć szczególne znaczenie w przypadku stosowania manualnych technik fizjoterapeutycznych, jako że aktualnie wartości siły wywieranej na pacjenta podczas stosowania tych technik są dobierane intuicyjnie przez fizjoterapeutę i nie są ani obiektywne, ani systematycznie kontrolowane. Identyfikacja wartości sił rozwijanych kończynami górnymi przez osoby starsze, niepełnosprawne oraz przez fizjoterapeutów podczas wyżej wymienionych form aktywności przyczyni się do rozwoju szeroko pojętej kultury fizycznej, w tym szczególnie rehabilitacji oraz promocji zdrowia.
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