Context:Therapeutic modalities are routinely administered to increase fexibility, but the relative effects of different modes of tissue heating on passive range of motion (PROM) are unknown.Objective:To assess the relative effects of active exercise on a stationary bicycle, moist hot pack treatment, and warm whirlpool treatment on hip fexion PROM.Design:Repeated measures.Subjects:24 males and 20 females between the ages 18 and 24 years.Main Outcome MeasureHip fexion PROM measured by an inclinometer.Results:Repeated measures analysis of variance identified a significant difference among the heating methods, F(1, 43) = 32.41;p< .001. Active exercise produced the greatest change in hip fexion PROM.Conclusions:All three treatment methods produced an increase in hip fexion PROM, but active exercise produced a significantly greater increase than moist hot pack and warm whirlpool treatments.

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PURPOSE:Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in the autistic community. The purpose of this study was to capture parental perspectives on the cardiovascular health (CVH) of their autistic child during the COVID-19 pandemic (C19). METHODS: Ten parents of school-aged autistic children participated in semi-structured interviews via zoom or phone, between December 2020-March 2021. All participants were living in Ireland or the United Kingdom. Interview questions covered topics related to CVH such as physical activity (PA), eating habits, sedentary behaviour (SB), sleep habits and anxiety levels. Data were transcribed and thematically analysed using a grounded theory approach. RESULTS: Four themes emerged: Theme 1, Health status during the C19, reflected parents' descriptions of how the C19 increased their child's cognitive/emotional distress and resulted in increased food consumption, sleep disruption and SB. Theme 2, Routine disruption during the C19, revealed that parents believed the closure of services and disruptions to children's routines increased stress for their children. Theme 3, Barriers, and benefits to participating in PA during the C19, indicated that parents perceived the virus, restrictions, increased anxiety, and lack of motivation were barriers to participation in PA for their autistic children. Conversely, improvements in emotional/cognitive distress, sleep and autism symptomology were identified by parents when children participated in PA. Theme 4, Parent awareness and their changing role during the C19, captured parents' views on the decline in their own PA and mental health due to the C19. Findings indicated that their lack of knowledge regarding SB, CVH and PA, plus the demands placed on them during the C19, hindered their ability to guide their children's healthy lifestyle behaviours. CONCLUSION: It is evident that the C19 had a negative effect on key health-related factors influencing the CVH of autistic children. While policy must be followed to prevent the spread of the virus, it could be suggested that this special population could benefit from opening of essential services during the C19. In addition parents of autistic children need to be supported and educated on modifiable CV risk factors to assist them in guiding their children to a healthier lifestyle behaviour.

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Background: Hamstring injuries are a common problem for athletes, and hamstring tightness has been found to be a contributing factor to these injuries. Dry needling is a growing trend that poses the possibility of increasing flexibility through several mechanisms; however, there is currently no review on all of the studies done concerning the effectiveness of dry needling for improving hamstring flexibility. Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness of dry needling on hamstring flexibility in people with hamstring tightness. Methods: Search terms included dry needling or intramuscular stimulation, flexibility or range of motion or ROM, and hamstring. The databases searched were PubMed, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL.) Results: Ten articles were found from the initial search, and three remained after the removal of duplicates and screening the articles for abstracts and full text. Patients consisted of relatively young individuals with hamstring tightness. All studies used a stretching group for the comparison while interventions consisted of dry needling alone or dry needling with a stretching program. No studies showed a significant difference between dry needling and the control; however, all studies found that flexibility increased from baseline measurements following a dry needling treatment. Discussion: The results indicate that while dry needling may not be a better option than stretching, it could be used as a means for improving hamstring flexibility. Possible factors for the effectiveness of dry needling include increased blood flow and oxygen saturation to the muscle as well as the release of myofascial trigger points. Conclusion: Dry needling was not found to be significantly better than stretching, but poses a possibility as another method for improving hamstring flexibility. KEY WORDS: Hamstrings, Athletes, Flexibility, Tightness, Dry Needling, Stretching.