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Skeletal

Connective Tissue; Structure and Function

Tissues of the human body can be classified under 4 major sub-types: epithelial, nervous, muscle, and connective (Delforge, 2002). Connective tissue bind cells, other forms of tissues, and organs in a way, which provides mechanical support, strength, integrity, and form to structures found within the body (Delforge, 2002). Finally, connective tissue is composed of 3…

Bone Healing and Strength Training: Implications and Considerations

Recovery from bone fractures follows a chronological process (i.e., hematoma/inflammation, cellular proliferation, and remodeling)helping one appreciate the cellular, physiological, and immunological events that occur during healing (Delforge, 2002). Knowledge of the healing process is essential, as it helps reveal the time, place, and form of mechanical loading through movement-based interventions; processes, which continue to restore…

Androgen Replacement Therapy: Time and Place?

Aging has been associated with many signs and symptoms observed in elderly men. Some of these symptoms include: decreases in work capacity, energy, strength, muscle mass, libido, sexual activity, nocturnal penile tumescence, virility, decreased bone density, increases in abdominal body fat, insulin resistance and atherosclerosis (Vermeulen, 2000). It is possible that some or all of…

Adolescents, Fractures, and Healing

A fracture can be defined as a break in the structural continuity of bone, followed by a loss of integrity (Delforge, 2002). Healing of bone fractures contains within it 3 primary stages: hematoma/inflammation, cellular proliferation, and remodeling (Delforge, 2002). Such stages are comparable to soft tissue healing which include inflammation, fibroplasia, and scar formation (Delforge,…

Spinal Fixation, and Side Effects

When looking at a lumbar spine fusion surgery, does the spine change movement patterns above and below the site of the fusion thereafter? Such a question is relevant since moving spinal segments (i.e., immediately above and below a fixation) beyond their natural ranges (i.e., flexion, extension, rotation) might have deleterious long-term effects. The following sections will…