Bioflow Box

20/07/2025

💪 Want better flexibility? Lift weights! 🏋️‍♀️

A recent systematic review & meta-analysis found that resistance training can improve your range of motion just as much as traditional stretching – and sometimes even more! 🔥🔥 🔥

✅ Build strength

✅ Boost flexibility

✅ Save time by combining both in one workout

No need to choose between mobility and strength. With the right resistance training, you can have both! 🧠📚

🧾 Source: Alizadeh et al., 2024 - Resistance Training Induces Improvements in Range of Motion

27/06/2025

💪 Why Static Stretching?
While resistance training is the go-to for building strength and muscle, it's not always possible or safe for everyone. Recent research shows that high-volume static stretching may also boost muscle strength and size, especially useful when:

✅ Resistance training isn’t possible (injury, illness, spaceflight).

✅ Preventing muscle loss (e.g. during immobilization).

✅ Supporting muscle health in conditions like type 2 diabetes.

✅ Adding extra volume to a strength program for more gains.

Static stretching isn’t just for flexibility — it might be a powerful tool for therapy, rehab, and muscle maintenance. 🧠✨

Derived from Implications and Applications of Stretch‑Mediated Hypertrophy in Therapy, Rehabilitation and Athletic Training—An Outlook to Future Potential Applications, Warneke et al. 2025, Sports Medicine Journal.

15/06/2025

Effectiveness of exercise for improving cognition, memory and executive function: a systematic umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis.

Singh et. al. 2025

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ON THIS TOPIC

⇒ Cognitive decline and related
neurodegenerative diseases are global health
concerns.

⇒ Effective strategies to preserve and enhance cognitive function across the lifespan are urgently required.

WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS 💥💥💥

⇒ Exercise interventions significantly improved
general cognition, memory and executive
function across all populations and ages.

⇒ Those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder exhibited greater improvement in
executive function from exercise interventions
than the general population and other clinical
groups.

⇒ Effects were generally larger for low- and
moderate-intensity interventions.

⇒ These results offer compelling evidence that exercise, even at a lighter intensity, positively impacts overall cognitive function, memory and executive skills in all demographic groups.

07/05/2025

Effectiveness of Dry Needling in Improving Pain and Function inComparison with Other Techniques in Patients with Chronic NeckPain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Hernandez-Secorun et al. 2023

Pain Research & Management.

👉 The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the short-, mid-, and long-term efectiveness of dry needling
in improving pain and functional capacity of patients with chronic neck pain. Search strategy was performed on PubMed, Web ofScience, Scopus, PEDro, and Cochrane Library Plus biomedical databases. The risk of bias was assessed using the RoB2 tool.

👉 Randomised controlled clinical trials in which at least 1 of the groups received dry needling were included. 662 studies were found;14 clinical trials were selected for qualitative analysis and 13 for quantitative analysis.

💥 The quality of most of the studies includedwas “high.”

💥 All the studies reported improvements in cervical pain and/or disability, regardless of the protocol followed and themuscles targeted.

💥 No serious adverse efects were reported.

💥 Dry needling showed to be more efective when compared with othertherapies in both women and men, without diferences by s*x.

💥 When the analysis was carried out by age, patients over 40 years oldbenefitted more than those below 40 years old.

💡💡💡Our meta-analysis supports the use of dry needling to improve pain and functionalcapacity in patients with chronic neck pain at short- and mid-term intervals.

27/04/2025

13/04/2025

May the force be with you: understanding how patellofemoral joint reaction force compares across different activities and physical interventions—a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Hart et al. 2025. BMJ

What is already known? 💡💡💡

👉 A dominant biomechanical theory is that higher patellofemoral joint reaction force (PFJRF), which might result in a larger patellofemoral joint pressure, may contribute to the development and progression of patellofemoral pain and/or osteoarthritis.

👉 Evidence on PFJRF in healthy individuals and those with patellofemoral pain/osteoarthritis during everyday activities, therapeutic exercises and physical interventions has not been synthesised.

What are the new findings? 👀

✅Peak PFJRF does not appear to be elevated in individuals with patellofemoral pain or patellofemoral osteoarthritis compared with healthy individuals.

✅ Everyday activities and therapeutic exercises involving larger knee flexion expose the patellofemoral joint to greater peak PFJRF.

✅ This knowledge might guide clinicians in selecting and prescribing therapeutic exercises and physical interventions for those with patellofemoral pain and/or osteoarthritis.

✅ Larger studies with more consistent methods and longitudinal data are required to understand the role of PFJRF in the development and progression of patellofemoral pain/osteoarthritis.

28/03/2025

Muscle-strengthening activities are associated with lower risk and mortality in major non-communicable diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies.

Momma et al. 2022.
British Journal of Sport Medicine.

What is already known? 💡💡💡

⇒ Physical activity guidelines recommend regular muscle-strengthening activities for adults, and this recommendation is primarily based on the benefits for musculoskeletal health.

⇒ Previous meta-analyses have shown that muscle-strengthening activities are associated with a decreased risk of all-cause mortality and kidney cancer, although the dose–response association is unknown.

⇒ Further studies are needed to update the literature and expand on previous studies that did not provide evidence on the optimal dose of muscle-strengthening activities.

What are the new findings? ✅✅✅

⇒ Muscle-strengthening activities were associated with a 10–17% lower risk of CVD, total cancer, diabetes, lung cancer and all-cause mortality independent of aerobic activities
among adults.

⇒ The maximum risk reduction for all-cause mortality, CVD and total cancer was obtained at approximately 30–60 min/week of muscle-strengthening activities, and the risk of diabetes sharply decreased until 60 min/week of muscle-strengthening activities, followed by a gradual decrease.

20/03/2025

Comparison of dry needling and trigger point
manual therapy in patients with neck and upper
back myofascial pain syndrome: a systematic
review and meta-analysis.

Lew et.al 2020.
Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy

ABSTRACT

Background: Patients with myofascial pain syndrome of the neck and upper back have active
trigger points and may present with pain and decreased function. Dry needling (DN) and
trigger point manual therapy (TMPT) techniques are often used to manage MPS.

Objective: To compare DN and TPMT for reducing pain on the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and
Pressure Pain Threshold (PPT) scores and improving function on the Neck Disability Index (NDI) in patients with neck and upper back MPS.
Methods: PubMed, PEDro, and CINAHL were searched for randomized controlled trials within
the last 10 years comparing a group receiving DN and the other receiving TPMT. Studies were
assessed using PEDro scale and Cochrane risk-of-bias tool to assess methodological quality.
Meta-analyses were performed using random-effect model. Standardized mean differences (Cohen’s d) and confidence intervals were calculated to compare DN to TPMT for effects on VAS, PPT, and NDI.

Results: Six randomized controlled trials with 241 participants total were included in this
systematic review. The effect size of difference between DN and TPMT was non-significant
for VAS [d = 0.41 (−0.18, 0.99)], for PPT [d = 0.64 (−0.19, 1.47)], and for NDI [d = −0.66 (−1.33,
0.02)].

Conclusions: Both DN and TPMT improve pain and function in the short to medium term. Neither is more superior than the other.

05/03/2025

Senior School Sport School, Nicosia.

If you are looking for something unique regarding your kid's athletic and academic journey, then join us!

23/02/2025

Why choosing Seirin Needles?

✅ Stainless Steel Wire
Needles are made with SEIRIN’s unique stainless steel wire.

✅ Straightening Technology
Controlling exactness of needle diameter and straightness.

✅ Polishing-Uniformity Technology
Throughout, the SEIRIN company has been innovating, and perfecting the needle tip designs.

✅ Cleaning Process
The cleaning process includes acid, alkaline, ultrasonic and distilled water baths in extremely regulated environments.

✅ Precise Injection Molding Technology
Secure connection of the needle shaft to the exact center of the needle handle.

✅ Sterility Guarantee
SEIRIN guarantee's the sterility of the needles using EOG (ethylene oxide gas) sterilization processes.

✅ Traceability
A record of the manufacturing details of each needle.

👉 Seirin Needles E-Shop Cyprus
https://seirincy.company.site/

28/01/2025

Hand grip strength as a proposed new vital
sign of health: a narrative review of evidences.

Vaishya et al. 2024

Hand grip strength (HGS) serves as a fundamental metric in assessing muscle function and overall physical capability and is particularly relevant to the ageing population. HGS holds an important connection to the concept of sarcopenia, which encompasses the age-related decline in muscle mass, strength, and function. It has also been reported to indicate the health of an individual.

We reviewed the interplay between HGS and various health parameters, including morbidity and mortality, by carrying out a literature search on PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar between 10
and 30 August 2023, to identify the relevant papers on the relationship between health and HGS. We used several keywords like ‘hand grip strength’, ‘muscle strength, ‘sarcopenia’, ‘osteosarcopenia’, ‘health biomarker’, ‘osteoporosis’, and‘frailty’, to derive the appropriate literature for this review. This review has shown that the HGS can be measured reliably with a hand-held dynamometer.

The cut-of values are diferent in various populations. It is lower in Asians, women, less educated and privileged, and those involved in sedentary work. Several diseases have shown a correlation with low HGS, e.g., Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, chronic kidney and liver disease, some cancers, sarcopenia and fragility fractures.

The low HSG is also associated with increased hospitalization, nutritional status,
overall mortality and quality of life. We believe that there is adequate evidence to show that HGS stands as an important biomarker of health. Its utility extends to the identifcation of diverse health issues and its potential as a new vital
sign throughout the lifespan.

16/01/2025

Three Rules for Bone Adaptation to Mechanical Stimuli. Turner, 1998.

The primary mechanical function of bones is to provide rigidlevers for muscles to pull against, and to remain as light aspossible to allow efficient locomotion. To accomplish thisbones must adapt their shape and architecture to makeefficient use of material. Bone adaptation during skeletalgrowth and development continuously adjusts skeletal massand architecture to changing mechanical environments.

There are three fundamental rules that govern bone adaptation:💯

✅ (1) It is driven by dynamic, rather than static, loading.

✅ (2) Only a short duration of mechanical loading is necessaryto initiate an adaptive response.

✅ (3) Bone cells accommodateto a customary mechanical loading environment, making
them less responsive to routine loading signals.

From theserules, several mathematical equations can be derived thatprovide simple parametric models for bone adaptation (Bone 23:399–407).