In this article, we will discuss foot rehabilitation.
Do you exercise?
Some people may think that exercise is something you do standing up and sweating.
However, in recent years, there are more and more exercises that can be done while lying on the floor, so "I don't have time" is no longer an excuse for not being able to exercise.Some of these exercises are done in rehabilitation, and the straight leg raise exercise is one of them.
This exercise involves lying on your back on the floor or bed, keeping one leg extended and raising the opposite leg.
It is a familiar movement because it is used for physical examination of the hip flexors, posterior thigh muscles, and the nervous system.
The paper presented here describes an exercise that has shown to be a useful intervention for this movement.
The study
On the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), a subgroup with a score of 1 for active straight leg raise (ASLR) limitations but no passive straight leg raise limitations is considered to have stability, or motor control dysfunction (SMCD).
The FMS suggests using movements in an inverse pattern to improve FMS scores.
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a reverse pattern of ASLR (reverse-ASLR) would be more effective than repeating ASLR to improve FMS scores in participants with an FMS ASLR score of 1 due to SMCD (ASLR-1-).
A two-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted in patients with ASLR-1-SMCD.The intervention was either reverse ASLR or home ASLR exercise for one month, followed by a one-month waiting interval.
Here, the primary outcome measure was a correct FMSASLR score.
Forty participants were randomized to the ASLR exercise group (n = 20) or the reverse ASLR exercise group (n = 20).
This study showed that reverse ASLR exercise was more effective than repeated ASLR exercise in improving ASLR scores in individuals with ASLR-1-SMCD.
Commentary
As mentioned in the study, when active straight leg raises are limited and passive straight leg raises are not a problem, the FMS score is 1, which can be considered motor control dysfunction.
In order to improve the score, would it be beneficial to strengthen the controlled exercise or to perform the opposite exercise? This is what we investigated.
The results suggest that it is more useful to perform the opposite exercise mentioned above.In this case, the reverse straight leg raise means
Lie on your back.
The hip joint is flexed 90 degrees in both lower limbs, and the knee is in extension.
Next, flex only the knee of one lower limb and return to the extended position.
Next, move the contralateral leg in the same way.
The next step was to move the contralateral leg in the same way.
For those of you who have studied stretching and muscle activation, you may have a vague idea of how to approach a muscle that has the opposite effect to the target muscle, but this method may be useful for those who are considered dysfunctional.
Takasaki H, Kawazoe S. Active straight leg raising (ASLR) competence improves with reverse-ASLR exercises and not repeating ASLR exercises. Rehabil. 2021;17(1):28-38. Published 2021 Feb 23. doi:10.12965/jer.2040866.433
Summary
This study showed that reverse ASLR exercises were beneficial in improving FMS ASLR.
For the average person, this may seem like a bit of a stretch. To the general public, it may seem like a "what's that?" story, but to those involved in rehabilitation, it should be one of the positive stories that can be used as a basis for practice.
However, for those who are involved in rehabilitation, it should be one of the positive stories that can be grounded in practice. Although there are some limitations due to the small sample size of the study and the age of the subjects, it is a knowledge worth trying.
