SummaryBackgroundArm wrestling has recently become one of the most popular sports among young people, mainly due to its simplicity and spectacularity. Yet, unfortunately it is also injury prone. The aim of the study was to perform a biomechanical analysis of the forces which act during arm wrestling, as well as to explain the mechanism of the occurrence of humeral fractures of a similar topology as observed on X-rays.Material/MethodsDuring the period 2001 to 2008 nine cases of humeral fractures resulting from arm wrestling were consulted and treated at the Clinic. The assessment of the limb condition included an interview and the examination of the fractured extremity. All the patients underwent surgical treatment, using the method of open reduction and internal fixation. The virtual dynamic model of the upper limb was established on the basis of a series of computer tomography scans of the bone, and literature data. The biomechanical analysis was carried out using the Finite Elements Method (FEM).ResultsThere were five cases of the 12-B1 type in the AO Classification with butterfly fragments in five cases, and four of the 12-A1 type without the butterfly fragment. The maximum bone stress resulting from torsional loading which occurs during arm wrestling amounted to 60 MPa and was located 115 mm above the elbow on the medial - posterior side of the humeral.ConclusionsThe strength analysis carried out during arm wrestling revealed that the forces of the acting muscles significantly exert stresses within the distal third of the humeral.

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Chronic spinal disc disease leads to disorders in postural movement coordination. An incorrect asymmetrical movement pattern for the lower limbs loading impairs proprioception and deteriorates postural stability, particularly when the vision is occluded. The standard surgical treatment improves biomechanical conditions in the lumbar spine, reduces pain, yet does it reduce the stability deficit in the upright position? An answer to the latter question would help work out targeted therapy to improve postural stability. We hypothesized that the standard surgical treatment would improve postural stability reflected by decreased sway variability accounting for better use of proprioceptive inputs postoperatively. Thirty-nine patients with lumbar disc herniation participated in the study. Their postural sway was recorded in anterior/posterior and medial/lateral planes with their eyes open or closed (EC) before and after surgery. The variability, range, mean velocity of the recorded time series and the area of the ellipse enclosed by the statokinesiogram were used as measures of postural stability. Preoperatively, EC condition resulted in an increased variability and mean velocity of postural sway, while postoperatively it caused an increase in sway mean velocity and sway area only with no effect on sway variability and range. The comparison of the balance before and after the surgery in the EC condition showed significant decrease in all parameters. In the early postoperative period, the patients recover the ability to control their postural sway in EC within normal limits, however, at the expense of significantly increased frequency of corrective torques. It is probably a transient short-term strategy needed to compensate for the recovery phase when the normal weighting factors for all afferents are being reestablished. We propose that this transient postoperative period may be the best timing of therapeutic intervention targeted at facilitating and reinforcing the acquisition of correct motor patterns.

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Objective. The study aimed to evaluate the application of ERPs neuromarkers for the assessment and treatment of a patient with chronic crossed aphasia after severe TBI and a long-term coma. Case report. An ambidextrous female patient, aged 29, suffered from posttraumatic chronic crossed aphasia, severe TBI and a prolonged coma after a car accident. The patient took part in two differentiated rehabilitation programmes of neurotherapy included 20 sessions of relative beta training and 20 sessions of rTMS; both programmes were combined with behavioural training. The patient was tested 3 times: before the experiment, after completion of programme A, and after completion of programme B. Results. In the 1 st recording, the neuromarker of aphasia was found -an excess of the P2 wave over the left temporal area. There was a cognitive control deficit -an excess of omission errors and an increase of RT variability -all indexes of sporadic ADHD. In the 2 nd recording, slight improvements in cognitive control, and language functions were found. In the 3 rd recording, after the rTMS sessions most of her cognitive dysfunctions had been resolved, including language functions. It should be stressed that the activation (especially the increase in the ERP potential of the right side over the frontal lobe) was found. The neuromarker of aphasia did not change, only the location had slightly moved frontally. Conclusions. The application of ERP neuromarkers assists in the diagnosis, treatment, and academic success of an ambidextrous patient with chronic posttraumatic aphasia and sporadic ADHD. ERPs can be used to assess the functional brain changes induced by neurotherapeutical programmes.