Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) is a public health problem and older women have higher incidence of this symptom, which affect body balance, functional capacity and behavior. The purpose of this study was to verifying the effect of exercises with Nintendo Wii on CLBP, functional capacity and mood of elderly. Thirty older women (68 ± 4 years; 68 ± 12 kg; 154 ± 5 cm) with CLBP participated in this study. Elderly individuals were divided into a Control Exercise Group (n = 14) and an Experimental Wii Group (n = 16). Control Exercise Group did strength exercises and core training, while Experimental Wii Group did ones additionally to exercises with Wii. CLBP, balance, functional capacity and mood were assessed pre and post training by the numeric pain scale, Wii Balance Board, sit to stand test and Profile of Mood States, respectively. Training lasted eight weeks and sessions were performed three times weekly. MANOVA 2 x 2 showed no interaction on pain, siting, stand-up and mood (P = 0.53). However, there was significant difference within groups (P = 0.0001). ANOVA 2 x 2 showed no interaction for each variable (P > 0.05). However, there were significant differences within groups in these variables (P < 0.05). Tukey's post-hoc test showed significant difference in pain on both groups (P = 0.0001). Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney tests identified no significant differences on balance (P > 0.01). Capacity to Sit improved only in Experimental Wii Group (P = 0.04). In conclusion, physical exercises with Nintendo Wii Fit Plus additional to strength and core training were effective only for sitting capacity, but effect size was small.

Introduction: The low resistance of the erector spinae has been seen as a risk factor for developing chronic low back pain. The test of the erector spinae muscle endurance advocated by Biering-Sorensen has been used to assess the strength of the erector spinae muscle. Modifications of the measuring instrument require reliability studies. Objective: To evaluate the measurement of the erector spinae muscle endurance and the standard error of measurement (SEM) of the modified Biering-Sorensen test of erector spinae in women with chronic low back pain. Methods: Forty-eight sedentary women, aged 52 ±7, suffering from chronic low back pain, were tested. The position adopted was the prone position without the trunk on the examining table. Fixations were performed with straps at the ankles, knees and pelvis. The patient was instructed to maintain the shoulder blades in contact with the stadiometer as long as possible. The measurement was repeated, with measures 15 minutes apart. Results: Considering the confidence limits of Bland & Altman, - 40 and 68 seconds, the SEM was13 seconds and SEM% was 22. The ICC = 0.87 with p = 0.001. The first test was equal to 54 ± 36 seconds, and the retest = 67 ± 40 seconds. Conclusion: The endurance test of the erector spinae showed moderate reliability. Therefore, we suggest that, despite its applicability in clinical practice, the results should be interpreted carefully because the differences in mean erector spinae endurance of up to 13 seconds may be related to measurement error.

INTRODUÇÃO: A osteoartrite (OA) do joelho é um processo degenerativo e os sintomas são dor mecânica e períodos de dor inflamatória, rigidez articular e fraqueza muscular. Ela não tem cura. O objetivo do tratamento é aliviar os sinais e sintomas e, quando possível, retardar sua evolução. O fortalecimento muscular é indicado como tratamento da OA. OBJETIVO: Comparar a eficácia da eletroestimulação neuromuscular (EENM) e de exercícios contrarresistência (ECR) no ganho de força extensora de joelho, na diminuição da dor e na recuperação da função motora em pacientes com OA primária do joelho. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Participaram da pesquisa 23 pacientes com diagnóstico de OA primária do joelho, segundo os critérios clínicos e radiológicos do American College of Rheumatology. Eles foram alocados aleatoriamente para um grupo de ECR (n = 9), um grupo de EENM (n = 8) e um grupo controle (n = 6), e foram submetidos aos procedimentos característicos de seu grupo três vezes por semana até completar 24 sessões. Foram avaliadas de forma cega a força extensora de joelho, a dor e a função motora. Foi utilizado o teste MANOVA 3 x 2 com medidas repetidas para P < 0,05. RESULTADOS: Foi encontrada diferença significativa (P < 0.05) somente nas comparações intragrupos para força extensora de joelho no grupo EENM e para dor nos grupos EENM e ECR. CONCLUSÃO: O fortalecimento da musculatura extensora de joelho pode auxiliar na diminuição da dor de pacientes com OA. A EENM, quando aplicada de acordo com o protocolo utilizado neste estudo, pode ser uma terapia interessante para o tratamento da OA do joelho.

Several indicators have been used to analyze scientific journals, with the impact factor and the number of citations in a 2-yr calendar time frame (2-YRC) being the most common factors. However, considering that the Journal of Applied Physiology (JAPPL) appears monthly and that calculations of these indicators are based on citations of papers published in previous years, we hypothesized that articles published at the beginning of the year would be cited more in the 2-YRC compared with those appearing in the last issues of the year, a phenomena known as a relative age effect. Our objective was to confirm the existence of a relative age effect in the 2-YRC for original articles published in JAPPL. From 2005 to 2008, a total of 1,726 original articles were published, according to the Web of Science, and 9,973 citations in 2-YRC, varying from 0 to 45, with a mean of 5.78 for individual papers. Although there were no differences in the number of original articles published in a given month (P = 0.99), the 2-YRC varied considerably throughout the year, being higher for those earlier issues of the year, as shown by the linear regression analysis (r(2) = 0.76; P < 0.001). The 2-YRC began at 6.62 during the first 3 mo of the year, dropping by 10% at each 3-mo period. In summary, the longer an article has been out there, the more citations it collects. The relative age effect is a potential confounding variable for the assessment and interpretation of 2-YRC (using calendar years) from JAPPL original articles.