Maaike Eken

• PhD
• Research fellow at Mediclinic Winelands Orthopaedic Hospital & Stellenbosch University

Socioeconomic status (SES) tends to influence an individual’s access to health care. It is commonly assumed that a poorer SES is associated with a weaker physical health status, especially in disadvantaged populations such as people with cerebral palsy (CP). However, to our knowledge, no study has looked at this assumption. Therefore, the aim of th...

The incidence of acute respiratory infections (ARinf), including SARS-CoV-2, in unvaccinated student rugby players during phases from complete lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic to returning to competition is unknown. The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of ARinf (including SARS-CoV-2) during non-contact and contact phases during...

Objective To describe the epidemiology of injuries and illnesses sustained during the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, organised in a closed-loop environment to adhere with COVID-19 restrictions. Methods Injuries and illnesses from all teams were recorded on a daily basis by team medical staff on a web-based form and by local organising commi...

Objectives To examine healthcare professionals (HCPs) attitudes, beliefs and preparedness towards the management of Para athlete mental health during the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games. Methods A cross-sectional observational study was conducted. National Paralympic Committee’s HCPs (n=857) working at the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 202...

Purpose To determine if post-exercise heart rate variability, in the form of logged transformed root mean square of successive differences of the R–R intervals (LnRMSSD) can be measured reliably during the recovery from a submaximal cycle test and what the relationship of LnRMSSD is with training status of the cyclists. Methods Fourteen male cycli...

Introduction: This case study aimed to describe potential changes in neuromuscular activation and synergies after an eight-day cross-country mountainbike (XCM) stage race. Methods: A peak power output test was performed five days before the race. Two days before the start and after seven days of racing, the athlete performed a power-based Lamberts...

Objective To explore the prevalence of symptoms of mental health conditions and burnout of healthcare professionals (HCPs) working during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. Methods In this cross-sectional, observational study, HCPs working during the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games were asked...

Purpose: The investigators aimed to understand the unmet needs of adults with cerebral palsy (CP) living in urban South Africa and to ascertain similarities or differences to typically developing (TD) adults in the same community. Materials and methods: Participants were interviewed with an adapted version of the Southampton Needs Assessment Que...

Objective To describe the incidence and burden of illness at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, which was organised with strict COVID-19 countermeasures. Methods Daily illnesses were recorded via the web-based injury and illness surveillance system (teams with their own medical staff; n=81), and local polyclinic services (teams without their own med...

Objective To describe the epidemiology of injuries at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, including injuries sustained in the new sports of badminton and taekwondo. Methods Injury data were obtained daily via the established web-based injury and illness surveillance system (WEB-IISS; 81 countries, 3836 athletes) and local organising committee medical...

Purpose Describing the epidemiological profile of patients with acute clavicle shaft fractures in a developing country public state hospital where mainly low- to middle-income patients are treated. Methods This is a retrospective analysis of all clavicle shaft fractures between 2008 and 2018 (10 years) based on Picture Archiving and Communication...

Objective To review risk factors associated with acute respiratory illness (ARill) in athletes, including non-infectious ARill and suspected or confirmed acute respiratory infections (ARinf). Design Systematic review. Data sources Electronic databases: PubMed-Medline, EbscoHost and Web of Science. Eligibility criteria Original research articles...

Objective To determine the incidence of acute respiratory illness (ARill) in athletes and by method of diagnosis, anatomical classification, ages, levels of performance and seasons. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources Electronic databases: PubMed-Medline, EbscoHost and Web of Science. Eligibility criteria Original research a...

Background: Research in high income countries shows that people with cerebral palsy (CP) are less physically active than typically developing (TD) peers, but less is known regarding physical activity (PA) in those with CP in low-to-middle income countries. The aim of this study was to determine daily step count and levels of PA in adolescents and a...

Objective Determine if spinal curvatures, deformities, as well as level of disability (due to back pain) changes with aging in adults with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (CP) after receiving orthopaedic interval surgery approach (ISA) treatment in childhood. Design Consecutive case-series Setting Urban South Africa Participants Twenty-seven am...

Background: Insight into the day-to-day challenges faced by adults living with Cerebral Palsy (CP) in low-to-middle income countries (LMICs) will enable support towards healthy ageing in this population. Objectives: To determine changes in level of pain, functional mobility and accomplishment as well as satisfaction in daily life of ambulant adults...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and level of disability due to pain, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and mental health in adolescents and adults with cerebral palsy (CP), living in a low-to-middle income country (LMIC), compared to matched typically developing (TD) peers, and to explore associations with ind...

Objective: Medication use among elite athletes has received growing attention over the past decades. However, only limited studies have focused on para athletes and trends in medication use among this cohort, remain unclear. The aims of this study were 1) to describe the pattern of medication use in elite Paralympic athletes, with a particular foc...

Elliptical trainers and steppers are proposed as useful exercise modalities in the rehabilitation of injured runners due to the reduced stress on muscles and joints when compared to running. This study compared the physiological responses to submaximal running (treadmill) with exercise on the elliptical trainer and stepper devices at three submaxim...

Background: During self-paced (SP) time trials (TTs), cyclists show unconscious nonrandom variations in power output of up to 10% above and below average. It is unknown what the effects of variations in power output of this magnitude are on physiological, neuromuscular, and perceptual variables. Purpose: To describe physiological, neuromuscular,...

Purpose: This study evaluated intraobserver reliability and construct validity of the squat test to assess lower extremity strength in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and spastic diplegia. Methods: Children with CP performed 2 trials of the squat test and calculated the intraclass correlation coefficient to evaluate intraobserver reliability....

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in children, commonly reported in low-to-middle-income countries (LMIC) such as South Africa, can cause HIV encephalopathy (HIVE).No research studies have documented arm movements during gait in children with HIVE. Since (3D-)gait laboratories are often not available in clinical settings in LMICs, this study aimed...

Eken, MM, Withers, A, Flanagan, K, Burger, J, Bosch, A, and Lamberts, RP. Muscular activation patterns during exercise on the treadmill, stepper, and elliptical trainer. J Strength Cond Res 36(7): 1847-1852, 2022-Because of the low-impact, the stepper and elliptical trainer are popular alternatives to running when runners sustain running-related in...

Objectives: To present strength levels of lower extremity muscle groups and test-retest reliability of hand-held dynamometry (HHD) measurements in ambulatory adults with CP and typically developed (TD) adults. Design: Case-control study. Setting: Human motion laboratory. Participants: Fifty-four adults with CP (28 males; GMFCS level I/II/III...

Background: Orthopaedic surgery is commonly performed in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and spastic diplegia to improve functional mobility. However, no research has quantified levels of accomplishment and satisfaction in daily activities and participation long-term after surgery. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate 1) the level of accom...

Background: This study aimed to examine muscle fatigue in lower leg muscles in of people with multiple sclerosis and healthy controls, and whether muscle fatigue coincided with potential changes in gait. Methods: In this case-control study, people with multiple sclerosis (n = 8; 3male; mean age (SD) = 49.7 (9.6) yr) and age-matched healthy contr...

Background: Reduced walking performance is an important clinical complaint reported by people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). It is not clear whether muscles of PwMS fatigue during prolonged walking and whether this coincides with changes in walking performance. Research question: Do lower leg muscles show more muscle fatigue-related changes in su...

Background: Displaced and shortened clavicular shaft fractures can be treated operatively with intramedullary or extramedullary fixation. The aim of the present study was to compare the union rates and functional outcomes of displaced and/or shortened clavicular shaft fractures treated with a flexible locked intramedullary nail or with an anatomica...

Oral presentation by Dr MM Eken and third price winner for best oral presentation

Aim To investigate whether more prominent signs of muscle fatigue occur during self‐paced walking in children with cerebral palsy (CP) compared to typically developing peers. Method In this case–control study, 13 children with CP (four males, nine females; mean age [SD] 11y 4mo [3y 8mo]; nine in Gross Motor Function Classification System [GMFCS] l...

Background Quantifying strength in individuals with physical disabilities, such as cerebral palsy (CP), is essential to compile suitable rehabilitation programs in which strength training has become a central part [1]. However, only limited studies are published on force measurements in adults with CP [2,3]. In addition, no information on variabili...

During self-paced time trials, cyclists show unconscious non-random fluctuations in power output (PO) up to 10% above and below average. It is unknown what the effect of fluctuations of this magnitude is on physiological variables and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to describe the differences in physiologica...

Background: Knowledge on lower extremity strength is imperative to informed decision making for children with cerebral palsy (CP) with mobility problems. However, a functional and clinically feasible test is not available. We aimed to determine whether the squat test is suitable for this purpose by investigating test performance and execution in c...

Background: Dynamometry has been used extensively to measure knee extensor strength in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP). However, increased co-activation can lead to underestimation of agonist strength, and therefore reduce validity of strength measurements. It is yet unknown to which extent co-activation occurs during dynamometry testing, and...

Aim: To investigate the relation between muscle endurance and subjectively reported fatigue, walking capacity, and participation in mildly affected adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) and peers with typical development. Method: In this case-control study, knee extensor muscle endurance was estimated from individual load-endurance curves as the...

Objective To compare muscle endurance in adolescents with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) to typically developing (TD) peers using a submaximal repetitions-to-fatigue (RTF) protocol. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Human motion laboratory. Participants Sixteen adolescents with spastic CP (GMFCS I/II) and eighteen TD adolescents within the age range...

Objective: To investigate the cardiorespiratory strain experienced by patients over a day and during different types of rehabilitation therapies during a clinical rehabilitation programme. In addition, to investigate the use of the Borg scale as an instrument to monitor exercise intensity. Design: An observational, cross-sectional study. Settin...