UF Health’s Post

Why it's harder to stand up as you age: The science behind your stiff joints and tight muscles. Creak, crack, pop, groan...Unfortunately, we do get less flexible as we get older. Clinicians even have a test called ‘Sit to Stand’ (measuring the ability to stand up from a chair), widely used to examine physical function and screen older people at risk of falls and frailty. There are lots of reasons why standing up gets harder as we age. It’s thought that our tendons get tighter around joints and the cartilage between our joints deteriorates. Read more in BBC Science Focus Magazine: https://bit.ly/3QIUPEU BBC Science Focus

I must add that the eye is the main window to the brain, and what an incredible window it is! For over a decade, we have been mapping the critical connection between optometry and brain health, leading to landmark publications and the completion of several PhDs. Vision drives nearly 90% of human behavior, yet it remains an underutilized resource in everyday clinical neurology. This is especially concerning given that nearly 1 in 2 people globally suffer from a brain disorder, with 80% of these cases affecting low- to middle-income countries and communities. Building a bridge between vision science and neurology is not just important—it’s essential. The need is even greater in the West, where necessity fuels innovation, leading to game-changing initiatives. Our mission is to keep refining and expanding this crucial work with a global impact in mind. Join us in shaping the future of brain health through integrated vision and neurology. Let's make a difference together..... Chamini Wijesundera Abi Arul Jill Taylor Prof. The Hon. Jill Hennessy GAICD Vasso Apostolopoulos

As we celebrate progress in addressing critical issues facing female athletes, we must reflect on topics we've previously spotlighted. One such issue is concussions in female athletes, highlighted in the February 2023 issue of Sports Rx News. Did you know? • Female athletes are twice as likely as males to sustain a concussion. • They often experience prolonged symptoms and more severe effects due to factors like biomechanical, anatomical, and hormonal differences. • In sports outside of football, girls’ soccer leads the way in concussion rates among high school athletes. • Female-dominated sports like cheerleading also rank high for concussion incidence, particularly during practice. • The phase of the menstrual cycle can affect the severity of symptoms a female experiences. Concussions make up: • 15% of athletic injuries in high school athletes. • 6.2% of injuries among NCAA athletes. Our February 2023 issue called for heightened awareness, preventive measures, and female-specific research to optimize concussion care for female athletes. While awareness has grown, there’s still work to do. Let’s keep the conversation going to ensure female athletes receive the tailored care and support they need. Link to the magazine: https://lnkd.in/epKTnBJn What steps can we take to address this issue further? Share your thoughts below!

From groundbreaking insights on the pregnant brain and the impact of HIIT exercise on cognitive function to the university's latest rankings, it was another standout year for research at UC Santa Barbara 🧠 Read the full stories here: https://lnkd.in/g6AYhdZB

For older adults, maintaining independence starts with strength. For cancer patients, loss of function, increased fatigue, and debility is not age dependent. But here’s the bigger question: 💭 Can we design programs that are effective, accessible, and life-changing—for both? This question stayed with me as I read a study comparing two approaches to improving functional mobility in adults aged 65–75: 🔹 Progressive stair-climbing programs 🔹 Traditional resistance training The results? 🧠📊 Participants in the stair-climbing program showed significant improvement in stair-climbing performance—while also achieving similar gains in gait speed, leg strength, and jump performance as the resistance training group. Why does this matter? For older adults, functional fitness means more than movement—it’s about dignity, quality of life, and staying independent. 🙌 For cancer patients, it can preserve the strength and stamina needed to endure treatment or rebuild post-recovery. Even better: A progressive step-up program can be done at home 🏠, eliminating barriers for those without access to gym equipment. This research isn’t just about fitness. It’s about empowerment. 🌟 It’s about creating solutions that meet people where they are—whether they’re seniors, patients, or caregivers. 💡 What if we leveraged insights like these to make fitness truly inclusive? What would it take to expand this to even more communities? Read the full study below I’d love to hear your thoughts! Let’s discuss how we can make accessible, impactful programs the new norm. #exerciseoncology #cancerrehabilitation #lifestylemedicine

UHN KITE Research Scientist and Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto professor Kristin Musselman is improving access to neurorehabilitation with a new toolkit. Musselman has been training therapists from around the world on the benefits of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) and how they can incorporate it into their practice. She hopes the toolkit will lead to FES becoming more available to people who are living with neurological injury or disease. Therapists can learn more and access the self-directed resource here: https://bit.ly/3ZSKKu9

This highlights the art of taking a proper patient history and the need for objective testing to assess for closed head trauma and subsequent management. This is one reason why I love VOMS testing (visual oculomotor testing) and neuro-ocular testing as it helps translates subjective symptoms to objective. #reflexappio #voms #concussion #personalinjury #closedheadtrauma #righteye_insight

This months MSK Paeds Needs Research Summary explores the paper by Dr Jacob Davis et al 2023 S.P.O.R.R.T.—A Comprehensive Approach to the Assessment and Non‐Operative Management of Overuse Knee Conditions in Youth Athletes https://lnkd.in/e-3mRbpV

Researchers from the IU School of Medicine are collaborating with four universities on a $10 million study funded by PCORI to help Black adults quit smoking. The goal of this research is to determine whether the culturally specific interventions being tested in this study will increase quit rates relative to the standard evidence-based intervention: https://bit.ly/4gkvBaN

Microcurrent and the Energetic Theory of Aging with David Suzuki and Mathew Divaris Watch Here: https://lnkd.in/gEQcuJDk