Preliminary Muscle Contraction in the Rehabilitation and Prevention of Degenerative Pain in the Locomotor System

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of muscle preliminary contraction in the rehabilitation and prevention of degenerative pain in the spine, hip, knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow, and ankle joints, as well as after hip and knee arthroplasty. SCIENTIFIC IDEA: Muscle latency (M1, M2, triggered response, proprioceptive visual/vestibular responses, and M3) leads to chronic damage. During the first 50-200 milliseconds of the movement, there is no internal muscular protective counterforce against external loads on discs, joints, ligaments, insertions, etc. inert structures (including arthroplastic ones), happening thousands of times a day. This leads to repetitive cumulative microtrauma with damage to the "pneumatic hammer" principle, as well as faster wear in arthroplasties. Precontraction of muscles eliminates latency and stabilizes inert (and arthroplastic) structures. WORKING HYPOTHESIS: Muscle preliminary contraction has a significant short-term and long-term effect in the rehabilitation and prevention of degenerative pain in the spine, hip, knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow, and ankle joints, as well as after hip and knee arthroplasty. RESEARCH METHODS: At least 216 patients with degenerative pain in the spine, hip, knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow, and ankle joints, as well as after hip and knee arthroplasty, will be studied. They will be randomized into pairwise sub-groups. All will receive standard advice. The maneuver sub¬groups will receive additional advice - preliminary contraction of the muscles in the corresponding kinesiology segment. This advice will be embedded in all motor activities of daily living involving the relevant area. The following follow-up parameters will be used: visual analogue pain scale, manual muscle testing, goniometry, centimeter, and preliminary contraction success rate. Their follow-up will be threefold - at the beginning, after 1, and after 6 months. For statistical processing, multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA), with post hoc Bonferroni multiple tests, and Pearson correlation analysis, with post hoc regression analysis, will be used. CONCLUSION: The positive results will allow the preliminary muscle contraction to be used as a universal tool in the rehabilitation, prevention, and prevention of degenerative pain in the spine, hip, knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow, and ankle joints, as well as after hip and knee arthroplasty (international contribution). This maneuver is very short (seconds), easy (everybody can perform it), does not require the allocation of time, space, and resources (including financial ones), and is instantly incorporated into everyday life.