Tobias Schmidt

• Doctor of Medicine; Sport Sci (MA); M.Sc. (Ost); Physiotherapist
• Professor (Full) at MSH Medical School Hamburg – University of Applied Sciences and Medical University

The study aimed to investigate sex differences in double poling (DP) ergometer performance among youth elite cross‐country skiers and biathletes and determine if these sex differences may be explained by upper‐body strength and endurance capacities. Thirteen female and nine male youth elite cross‐country skiers and biathletes (age: 16.7 ± 1.7 years...

Ziel dieser Studie war es, die Validität palpationsbasierter Messungen der Veränderungen des Beckenschiefstands nach einer osteopathischen Intervention zu evaluieren. Gruppe 1 (n=12; aus einer Pilotstudie) wurde mittels Kreuzlinienlaser (CLL) gemessen und Gruppe 2 (n=71; aus einer RCT) mittels des Goldstandards der Video-Raster-Stereografie (VRS)....

Reduced shear strain and deformability of the thoracolumbar fascia has been linked to low back pain. A number of ultrasound examination methods have been developed for laboratory rather than clinical practice. The aim of this study was to examine the reliability and discriminative validity (patients vs. healthy individuals) of an ultrasound (US) me...

Recent studies have shown that the extramuscular connective tissue (ECT) is thickened and stiffened in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). However, contrarily to the normal population, severe DOMS is rare in athletes or highly trained individuals. The present randomized, controlled trial therefore aimed to investigate pain as well as microcircula...

Purpose: The stretch-induced force deficit suggests an acute stretch-specific strength capacity loss, which is commonly attributed to EMG reductions. Since those could also be attributed to general fatigue induced by overloading the muscle, this study aimed to compare stretching with an ex-hausting calf raise programme to compare strength and flexi...

When improving athletic performance in sports with high-speed strength demands such as soccer, basketball, or track and field, the most common training method might be resistance training and plyometrics. Since a link between strength capacity and speed strength exists and recently published literature suggested chronic stretching routines may enha...

A total of nineteen elite youth cross-country skiers (16 ± 2 years) were divided into three groups: a low-load group (LL, n = 6) performing 15–20 repetitions per exercise, a high-load group (HL, n = 9) executing 6–12 repetitions, and a control group (CON, n = 4) exclusively engaging in endurance training. Testing included 1RM in upper-body exercise...

Objective: To examine the reliability and discriminative validity (patients vs. healthy individuals) of an ultrasound (US) measurement method for the quantification of thoracolumbar fascia deformation (TLFD). Design: Cross-sectional study with US assesment and rater blinding. Setting: Manual therapy clinic, university laboratory. Participants:...

Objectives Current research suggests static stretch-induced maximal strength increases and muscle hypertrophy with potential to substitute resistance-training routines. However, most studies investigated the plantar flexors. This study explored the effects of a static stretching program on maximal strength, hypertrophy and flexibility of the pector...

Heart rate variability (HRV) describes fluctuations in time intervals between heartbeats and reflects autonomic activity. HRV is reduced in stressed patients with musculoskeletal pain and improved after osteopathic manipulative treatment and mind-body interventions. Heart-focused pal-pation (HFP) combines manual and mind-body approaches to facilita...

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) of the lower back is considered a surrogate for acute low back pain (aLBP) in experimental studies. Of note, it is often unquestioningly assumed to be muscle pain. To date, there has not been a study analyzing lumbar DOMS in terms of its pain origin, which was the aim of this study. Sixteen healthy individuals (...

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) of the lower back is considered a surrogate for acute low back pain (aLBP) in experimental studies. Of note, it is often unquestioningly assumed to be muscle pain. To date, there has not been a study analyzing lumbar DOMS in terms of its pain origin, which was the aim of this study. Sixteen healthy individuals (...

Recently, it has been shown that the extramuscular connective tissue (ECT) is likely involved in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of maximal trunk extension eccentric exercise (EE) on ECT thickness, self-reported DOMS, ECT stiffness, skin temperature, and possible correlati...

Recently, it has been shown that the extramuscular connective tissue (ECT) is likely involved in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of maximal trunk extension eccentric exercise (EE) on ECT thickness, self-reported DOMS, ECT stiffness, skin temperature, and possible correlati...

Immediate effects of myofascial release treatment on lumbar microcirculation: a randomized, placebo controlled trial

Background Alterations in posture, lumbopelvic kinematics, and movement patterns are commonly seen in patients with low back pain. Therefore, strengthening the posterior muscle chain has been shown to result in significant improvement in pain and disability status. Recent studies suggest that thoracolumbar fascia (TLF) has a major impact on the mai...

Background In out-of-hours urgent care practices in Germany, physicians of different specialties care for a large number of patients, most of all unknown to them, resulting in a high workload and challenging diagnostic decision-making. As there is no common patient file, physicians have no information about patients’ previous conditions or received...

(1) Background: Inflammatory processes in the thoracolumbar fascia (TLF) lead to thickening, compaction, and fibrosis and are thought to contribute to the development of nonspecific low back pain (nLBP). The blood flow (BF) of fascial tissue may play a critical role in this process, as it may promote hypoxia-induced inflammation. The primary object...

Background: Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) is thought to alter fluid dynamics in human soft tissue. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of IASTM on the thoracolumbar fascia (TLF) on the water content of the lumbar myofascial tissue. Methods: In total, 21 healthy volunteers were treated with IASTM. Before...

Background: The thoracolumbar fascia (TLF) is thought to play a role in the development of LBP, but it is not yet clear which factor of TLF changes is a cause and which is an effect. Therefore, some studies used the cross-correlation function (CCR) to reveal time-dependent relationships between biomechanical and neuromotor factors. Methods: Ten pat...

Background: Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) is thought to alter fluid dynamics in human soft tissue. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of IASTM on the thoracolumbar fascia (TLF) on the water content of the lumbar myofascial tissue. Methods: 21 healthy volunteers were treated with IASTM. Before and after t...

Background: Inflammatory processes in the thoracolumbar fascia lead to thickening, compaction, and fibrosis and are thought to contribute to the development of nonspecific low back pain (nLBP). The circulation of fascial tissue may play a critical role in this process, as it may promote hypoxia-induced inflammation. This study examined the influenc...

Inflammatory processes in the thoracolumbar fascia lead to thickening, compaction, and fibrosis and are thought to contribute to the development of nonspecific low back pain (nLBP). The blood circulation of fascial tissue may play a critical role in this process, as it may promote hypoxia-induced inflammation. This study examined the influence of t...

Many sports injuries result in surgery and prolonged periods of immobilization, which may lead to significant atrophy accompanied by loss of maximal strength and range of motion and, therefore, a weak-leg/strong-leg ratio (as an imbalance index ) lower than 1. Consequently, there are common rehabilitation programs that aim to enhance maximal stren...

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are highly prevalent, burdensome, and putatively associated with an altered human resting muscle tone (HRMT). Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is commonly and effectively applied to treat MSDs and reputedly influences the HRMT. Arguably, OMT may modulate alterations in HRMT underlying MSDs. However, there is...

Background: The thoracolumbar fascia (TLF) is thought to play a role in the development of LBP, but it is not yet clear which factor of TLF changes is a cause and which is an effect. Therefore, some studies used the cross-correlation function (CCR) to reveal time-dependent relationships between biomechanical and neuromotor factors. Methods: Ten pat...

Background: Recent work has examined an association between functional leg length discrepancy (fLLD) and acute low back pain (aLBP). Myofascial release (MFR) techniques are thought to be frequently applied in the treatment of aLBP. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a practical and low-cost measure of fLLD. Methods: A total of 83 subjects w...

Background Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are highly prevalent, burdensome, and putatively associated with an altered human resting muscle tone (HRMT). Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is commonly and effectively applied to treat MSDs and reputedly influences the HRMT. Arguably, OMT may modulate alterations in HRMT underlying MSDs. Howeve...

Background: Chronic neck pain (CNP) is a common health problem in western industrialized nations. In recent years, the fascial tissue has attracted the attention of therapists, and a treatment of the fasciae promises to be a meaningful approach in the therapy of patients with CNP. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effective...

Background As a response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, extensive contact restrictions were imposed by law in Germany as in other European countries. The present study intends to clarify the effect of these restrictions on emergency medical service (EMS) operations.Materials and methodsRetrospective ch...

Background Although there is mounting evidence on sex-linked differences in paraspinal muscle function, it is unknown whether sex-based variations in mechanical and contractile characteristics of the lumbar erector spinae (LES) can be monitored noninvasively in healthy participants at rest using tensiomyography (TMG). Hypothesis Sex-specific effec...

Abstract Background: Professional musicians frequently suffer from musculoskeletal complaints and disorders (MCD), which can be treated by osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness and efficacy of OMT in adult musicians. Methods: A systematic literature search included the electr...

Tensiomyography™ (TMG) is a non-invasive method to monitor skeletal muscle mechanical characteristics. This systematic review and meta-analysis reports on diagnostic accuracy, validity, and reliability of TMG (maximal radial displacement [Dm], contraction time [Tc], delay time [Td], and velocity of contraction [Vc]) to assess exercise-induced fatig...

The study assessed if the maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) may be determined by HRV in overweight and obese individuals. Fourteen obese (OB) and 14 overweight (OW) participants performed an incremental exercise test and several constant-load tests on a bicycle ergometer to determine the MLSS. HRV was analysed by using time domain and non-linear...

Purpose: Tensiomyography™ (TMG) and MyotonPRO® (MMT) are two non-invasive devices for monitoring muscle contractile and mechanical characteristics. This study aimed to evaluate the test-retest reliability of TMG and MMT parameters for measuring (TMG:) muscle displacement (Dm), contraction time (Tc), and velocity (Vc) and (MMT:) frequency (F), stif...

Turnout in classical dance refers to the external rotation of the lower extremities so that the longitudinal axes of the feet form an angle of up to 180°. To what extent a myofascial manipulation (myo-fascial release, MFR) could enhance this external rotation is as yet unknown. In this pilot study, 16 students of dance and 3 dance instructors were...

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of osteopathic intervention (OI) and general osteopathic treatment (GOT) in individuals with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Methods: The trial was designed as a randomized controlled trial with 2 osteopathic interventions and 1 untreated control group. The patients in the two osteopathic groups received 10 os...

Heart rate variability (HRV) is frequently used as an indicator to measure autonomic nervous system (ANS) function, which plays a major role in the adaptability of an organism. Osteopathy has recognized and integrated the importance of the ANS, but so far there is a lack of reproducible scientific evidence for the influence of osteopathic technique...

Objective: Physical exercise has been linked to higher cognitive functioning and enhanced brain plasticity in aging humans. The most consistent positive effects have been reported for executive functions associated with frontal brain regions. In rodents, however, running has been shown to induce functional and structural changes in the hippocampus,...

Hintergrund Die sagittale Ausrichtung der Wirbelsäule hängt mit zahlreichen Pathologien wie Bandscheibendegenerationen und Rückenschmerzen zusammen. Auswirkungen von spinalen Manipulationen („high velocity low amplitude“) auf die sagittale Ausrichtung der Wirbelsäule sind bislang nicht bekannt. Probanden und Methoden Im Rahmen dieser Pilotstudie w...

Osteopathy includes philosophy, sciences and arts in one field, as is widely expressed in the community. Wright claims, osteopathy as a science includes aspects of biology, chemistry and physics, all serving health and prevention, healing and abatement of disease [34]. This paper adopts a broad view on science, scientific method and its philosophy,...

Physical exercise has been linked to higher cognitive functioning and enhanced brain plasticity in aging humans. The most consistent positive effects have been reported for executive functions associated with frontal brain regions. In rodents, however, running has been shown to induce functional and structural changes in the hippocampus, a brain re...

Quality of life is of major importance in patients with advanced cancers undergoing palliative chemotherapy. In contrast to the number of studies on physical activity in patients with curable malignancies, data on patients undergoing palliative chemotherapy are scarce. A total of 53 patients receiving palliative chemotherapy on an outpatient basis...

Das vegetative Nervensystem spielt als eines der zentralen Regulationssysteme sowohl im Rahmen einer sportlichen Belastung als auch in den Wirkungsweisen von osteopathischen Behandlungen eine zentrale Rolle. Verschiedene osteopathische Techniken bewirken dabei eine Stimulation des Parasympathikus bzw. Sympathikus. Die regulierende Wirkung von osteo...

Die Besonderheiten der Sportosteopathie zeigen sich in der Praxis. Die Prävention nimmt dabei einen besonders hohen Stellenwert ein. Beschwerden müssen immer in Bezug zu den jahrelangen sportartspezifischen Belastungen betrachtet werden, um optimal behandelt werden zu können, Regenerationszeiten zu verkürzen und Leistung zu steigern. Am Bespiel der...

Zusammenfassung Aufgrund der durch das Medium Wasser beding-ten besonderen physiologischen Beanspruchun-gen des kardiopulmonalen und metabolischen Systems haben sich beim Schwimmen nur sport-artspezifische Testverfahren als für Leistungsdi-agnostik und Trainingssteuerung geeignet erwie-sen. Während die auf Laktat basierende Diagnos-tik vornehmlich...