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Authors are the souls of any journal, and deserve much respect. To publish a journal manuscripts are needed from authors. Authors have a great responsibility for producing facts of their work in terms of number and results truthfully and an individual honesty is expected from authors in this regards. Both ways its true "No authors-No manuscripts-No journals" and "No journals–No manuscripts–No authors". Reviewing a manuscript is also a very responsible and important task of any peer-reviewed journal and to be taken seriously. It needs knowledge on the subject, sincerity, honesty and determination. Although the process of reviewing a manuscript is a time consuming task butit is expected to give one's best remarks within the time frame of the journal.
Salient features of the JCDR: It is a biomedical, multidisciplinary (including all medical and dental specialities), e-journal, with wide scope and extensive author support. At the same time, a free text of manuscript is available in HTML and PDF format. There is fast growing authorship and readership with JCDR as this can be judged by the number of articles published in it i e; in Feb 2007 of its first issue, it contained 5 articles only, and now in its recent volume published in April 2011, it contained 67 manuscripts. This e-journal is fulfilling the commitments and objectives sincerely, (as stated by Editor-in-chief in his preface to first edition) i e; to encourage physicians through the internet, especially from the developing countries who witness a spectrum of disease and acquire a wealth of knowledge to publish their experiences to benefit the medical community in patients care. I also feel that many of us have work of substance, newer ideas, adequate clinical materials but poor in medical writing and hesitation to submit the work and need help. JCDR provides authors help in this regards.
Timely publication of journal: Publication of manuscripts and bringing out the issue in time is one of the positive aspects of JCDR and is possible with strong support team in terms of peer reviewers, proof reading, language check, computer operators, etc. This is one of the great reasons for authors to submit their work with JCDR. Another best part of JCDR is "Online first Publications" facilities available for the authors. This facility not only provides the prompt publications of the manuscripts but at the same time also early availability of the manuscripts for the readers.
Indexation and online availability: Indexation transforms the journal in some sense from its local ownership to the worldwide professional community and to the public.JCDR is indexed with Embase & EMbiology, Google Scholar, Index Copernicus, Chemical Abstracts Service, Journal seek Database, Indian Science Abstracts, to name few of them. Manuscriptspublished in JCDR are available on major search engines ie; google, yahoo, msn.
In the era of fast growing newer technologies, and in computer and internet friendly environment the manuscripts preparation, submission, review, revision, etc and all can be done and checked with a click from all corer of the world, at any time. Of course there is always a scope for improvement in every field and none is perfect. To progress, one needs to identify the areas of one's weakness and to strengthen them.
It is well said that "happy beginning is half done" and it fits perfectly with JCDR. It has grown considerably and I feel it has already grown up from its infancy to adolescence, achieving the status of standard online e-journal form Indian continent since its inception in Feb 2007. This had been made possible due to the efforts and the hard work put in it. The way the JCDR is improving with every new volume, with good quality original manuscripts, makes it a quality journal for readers. I must thank and congratulate Dr Hemant Jain, Editor-in-Chief JCDR and his team for their sincere efforts, dedication, and determination for making JCDR a fast growing journal.
Every one of us: authors, reviewers, editors, and publisher are responsible for enhancing the stature of the journal. I wish for a great success for JCDR."
Thanking you
With sincere regards
Dr. Rajendra Kumar Ghritlaharey, M.S., M. Ch., FAIS
Associate Professor,
Department of Paediatric Surgery, Gandhi Medical College & Associated
Kamla Nehru & Hamidia Hospitals Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462 001 (India)
E-mail: drrajendrak1@rediffmail.com
On May 11,2011
Dr. Shankar P.R.
"On looking back through my Gmail archives after being requested by the journal to write a short editorial about my experiences of publishing with the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research (JCDR), I came across an e-mail from Dr. Hemant Jain, Editor, in March 2007, which introduced the new electronic journal. The main features of the journal which were outlined in the e-mail were extensive author support, cash rewards, the peer review process, and other salient features of the journal.
Over a span of over four years, we (I and my colleagues) have published around 25 articles in the journal. In this editorial, I plan to briefly discuss my experiences of publishing with JCDR and the strengths of the journal and to finally address the areas for improvement.
My experiences of publishing with JCDR: Overall, my experiences of publishing withJCDR have been positive. The best point about the journal is that it responds to queries from the author. This may seem to be simple and not too much to ask for, but unfortunately, many journals in the subcontinent and from many developing countries do not respond or they respond with a long delay to the queries from the authors 1. The reasons could be many, including lack of optimal secretarial and other support. Another problem with many journals is the slowness of the review process. Editorial processing and peer review can take anywhere between a year to two years with some journals. Also, some journals do not keep the contributors informed about the progress of the review process. Due to the long review process, the articles can lose their relevance and topicality. A major benefit with JCDR is the timeliness and promptness of its response. In Dr Jain's e-mail which was sent to me in 2007, before the introduction of the Pre-publishing system, he had stated that he had received my submission and that he would get back to me within seven days and he did!
Most of the manuscripts are published within 3 to 4 months of their submission if they are found to be suitable after the review process. JCDR is published bimonthly and the accepted articles were usually published in the next issue. Recently, due to the increased volume of the submissions, the review process has become slower and it ?? Section can take from 4 to 6 months for the articles to be reviewed. The journal has an extensive author support system and it has recently introduced a paid expedited review process. The journal also mentions the average time for processing the manuscript under different submission systems - regular submission and expedited review.
Strengths of the journal: The journal has an online first facility in which the accepted manuscripts may be published on the website before being included in a regular issue of the journal. This cuts down the time between their acceptance and the publication. The journal is indexed in many databases, though not in PubMed. The editorial board should now take steps to index the journal in PubMed. The journal has a system of notifying readers through e-mail when a new issue is released. Also, the articles are available in both the HTML and the PDF formats. I especially like the new and colorful page format of the journal. Also, the access statistics of the articles are available. The prepublication and the manuscript tracking system are also helpful for the authors.
Areas for improvement: In certain cases, I felt that the peer review process of the manuscripts was not up to international standards and that it should be strengthened. Also, the number of manuscripts in an issue is high and it may be difficult for readers to go through all of them. The journal can consider tightening of the peer review process and increasing the quality standards for the acceptance of the manuscripts. I faced occasional problems with the online manuscript submission (Pre-publishing) system, which have to be addressed.
Overall, the publishing process with JCDR has been smooth, quick and relatively hassle free and I can recommend other authors to consider the journal as an outlet for their work."
Dr. P. Ravi Shankar
KIST Medical College, P.O. Box 14142, Kathmandu, Nepal.
E-mail: ravi.dr.shankar@gmail.com
On April 2011 Anuradha
Dear team JCDR, I would like to thank you for the very professional and polite service provided by everyone at JCDR. While i have been in the field of writing and editing for sometime, this has been my first attempt in publishing a scientific paper.Thank you for hand-holding me through the process.
Dr. Anuradha
E-mail: anuradha2nittur@gmail.com
On Jan 2020
Original article / research
Full Version
Effect of BMI on Tightness of Iliopsoas Muscle in Students due to Prolonged Sitting for Online Classes during COVID-19 Pandemic
Correspondence Address :
Dr. Vaishali Chaudhary,
NH-58, Delhi-Meerut Road, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India.
E-mail : vaishali.chaudhary@iamr.ac.in
Introduction: Muscle tightness is produced by a reduction in a muscle’s capacity to deform. As a result of prolong sitting, pelvic position can be changed which can lead to iliopsoas tightness. During the COVID-19 pandemic, as a result of online classes, student’s hours of sitting have increased drastically.
Aim: To compare iliopsoas muscle tightness in students who were engaged in prolonged sitting due to online classes with higher Body Mass Index (BMI) and students with normal BMI.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Department of Physiotherapy at Institute of Applied Medicine and Research, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, from April 2021 to January 2022 on 101 students (59 females and 42 males). Height and weight of the subjects were measured by the ruler and digital weighing machine respectively for the BMI calculation. Two groups were made, group with normal BMI students and group with High BMI students. Using modified Thomas test, iliopsoas muscle was measured for the flexibility. Independent sample t-test was used for statistical analysis.
Results: Total 51 students were with normal BMI and 50 were with higher BMI were included in the study. The mean age of the subjects was 19.59 years including 59 females and 42 males. The significantly increased Modified Thomas Test (MTT) angle was found in students with higher BMI when compared to students with normal BMI for both right (p-value=0.003) and left side (p-value <0.001). Iliopsoas muscle tightness was present in more in higher BMI group as compared to normal BMI group.
Conclusion: The study concluded that both the groups had the iliopsoas muscle tightness but the students with higher BMI had more muscle tightness.
Coronavirus disease 2019, Flexibility, Modified thomas test, Online classes, Sedentary lifestyle, Universal goniometer
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought to light a number of issues that had previously gone unnoticed but were impacting individuals in the same way, with the only difference being “severity”. The main concern that has arisen is the flexibility of the muscles in students; as a result of online classes, students’ hours of sitting have increased drastically, negatively impacting their physical activity. The muscular tightness is caused by decreased in the ability of muscle to deform which is the results of sedentary lifestyle making physical activity or Activity of Daily Living (ADLs) difficult (1). Individuals whose work required sitting throughout the day are more prone to develop musculoskeletal discomfort or adaptive shortening of muscles especially at hip joint (2).
A previous study shows strong evidence for work related musculoskeletal disorder present in bankers due to work related stress (3). Flexibility is an important factor for the normal biomechanical function. Iliopsoas is one of the hip flexor muscles that originate from iliac fossa and lumbar spine and inserted to lesser trochanter of femur (4). As a result of prolonged sitting, pelvic tilting can occur, which can cause iliopsoas muscle tension and raise the risk of injury due to the excessive pressure on muscles while sitting (5),(6),(7).
Flexibility is an important factor in physical and health related fitness and for execution and sustainability of ADLs (8). If any changes or alteration takes place in flexibility of muscles, it leads to difficulty in ADLs (9),(10). Overweight/obesity has the strongest association with low back pain and chronic low back pain (11). Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of comparing iliopsoas muscle tightness in students with high Body Mass Index (BMI) and those with normal BMI who have been sitting for long period of time for online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Null hypothesis: There is no significant difference in iliopsoas muscle tightness between students with higher BMI and with normal BMI.
Alternative hypothesis: There is significant difference in iliopsoas muscle tightness between students with higher BMI and with BMI.
This cross-sectional study was conducted in Department of Physiotherapy at Institute of Applied Medicine and Research, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, from April 2021 to January 2022 on 101 students. Institutional Ethical Clearance was taken from IAMR, Ghaziabad, (Ref. No. IAMR/22/3196) and the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 that was revised in 2013 was also considered.
Inclusion criteria: Age group of 17-25 years, with minimum 5-8Â hours of sitting per day and within the normal BMI ranges (18.5 to <24.9 Kg/m2) and higher BMI ranges (25.0 to 29.9 Kg/m2) were included in the study (12).
Exclusion criteria: Below the age of 17 years and above the age of 25 years, students with any complaint of Lower Back Pain (LBP), hip pain, knee pain or some kind of accident or trauma and any lower limb surgery were excluded from the study.
The present study was conducted with the students taking online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants in the present study were voluntary and an informed consent was obtained before the beginning of the test. The participating students were briefed about the purpose of the present study and informed that the data or the information collected from them will remain confidential. The students were evaluated for the BMI calculated as weight (Kg)/ height squared (m2) (12) and iliopsoas muscle tightness using the standardised testing procedure, that is, modified thomas test using the universal goniometer (13),(14).
Procedure
The subject was asked to stand on the digital weighing machine for the weight measurement and made the subject to stand against the wall for the height measurement with the help of ruler.
Modified Thomas Test (MTT): The subject was made to sit at the edge of the examination table and roll back onto the table while pulling both knees towards the chest. This is to ensure that the lumbar spine is flat on the table and the pelvic is posteriorly rotated. The subject was asked to hold the contralateral lower limb toward the chest and lower the other limb towards the floor. For each side, angle of hip flexion were measured using a universal goniometer. The stationary arm of goniometer was aligned with the lateral midline of the pelvic and moving arm was aligned with midline of the femur using lateral epicondyle as a reference point. The hip joint at 0° is considered at neutral position anything above this range was considered as iliopsoas muscle tightness or flexibility of iliopsoas muscle is considered as the angle of hip flexion (15),(16) (Table/Fig 1),(Table/Fig 2).
Statistical Analysis
The independent sample t-test has been used through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0, IBM software with the 5% significance level.
Out of 101 students, 59 were females and 42 were males, with mean age of 19.59±1.801 years. Demographic data of both the groups is given in (Table/Fig 3). The mean BMI of normal BMI group (20.90±2.54 kg/m2) was significantly less than the mean BMI of higher group (25.99±0.21 kg/m2) with p-value <0.001
Out of total, 51 were with normal BMI and 50 were with higher BMI. Modified Thomas test value of 7.91±4.718 was recorded for right side. For the left side mean MTT value were 7.52±4.768. Mean MTT value of 6.57 and 5.90 was recorded for the right and left side significantrespectively for students with normal BMI. At the same time mean of 9.28 and 9.18 was recorded for the right and left side MTT values respectively for students with higher BMI. Significantly increased MTT angle was found in students with higher BMI when compared to students with normal BMI for both right (p-value=0.003) and left sided (p-value <0.001). Iliopsoas muscle tightness was present more in higher BMI group as compared to normal BMI group (Table/Fig 4).
The study demonstrated that the BMI has an impact on the muscle tightness. An increase in the BMI led to an increase in the tightness of muscles. Previous study showed that to perform a specific activity or sport sufficient flexibility needs to be obtained (16). The present study supports the statement as prolonged sitting leads to muscle tightness which can make the ADLs difficult.
The primary health results assumed to be linked with flexibility are relief from low-back pain, prevention of musculoskeletal damage, and better-quality posture (5),(10). A sedentary lifestyle is considered as a risk factor for LBP among the general population, but, it is also known that youths who do not practice physical exercise are far more likely to become sedentary adults (1). Also another previous study by Pradip B et al., stated that hip muscles tightness could develop in desk job professionals, making them prone for musculoskeletal discomforts (1). Hip joint is surrounded by various muscles, among which the iliopsoas is the main muscles which can go for tightness after a prolonged period of sitting especially in students and desk job people (7). In the present study, authors only focused on the iliopsoas muscle as it is known that iliopsoas muscle is the only muscle that connects lumbar spine to the hip. In case of shortening, it increases the anterior pelvic tilt and puts excessive strain on the lumbar spine as well as on the intervertebral disc resulting in low back pain (1),(4).
It has already been concluded by the many researchers that the iliopsoas muscle tightness is present in prolong desk job workers and in the Information Technology (IT) professionals (2),(3). However, information about the student population and the influence of BMI on iliopsoas muscle stiffness was not found. Hence, the present study was focused on the same.
In previous studies, one or more musculoskeletal health symptoms were reported by 94% of IT professionals in the past 12 months (1),(2),(6). Previous study had cited that 5 hour per day as being a critical time for the development of musculoskeletal disorder and muscle tightness in employees working with visual display unit (6). Hence, the subjects included in the present study were college students from 17 to 25 years of age who spend minimum 5-8 hours in sitting position. In the present study, it was found that the students with higher BMI and with normal BMI both have iliopsoas muscle tightness but the higher BMI students were more prone for tightness as compared to the normal BMI students who were engaged in the prolonged sitting. As a result, individuals are prone to low back pain or other symptoms associated with the back or hip in some point of time in their life (1).
Limitation(s)
The sample size was small and pelvic tilt position can be altered during the modified Thomas test.
In the present study iliopsoas muscle tightness was present in both groups i.e. normal and higher BMI in both right and left side. However, the higher BMI (overweight) students had more iliopsoas muscle tightness as compared to normal BMI students. Hence, the alternative hypothesis was accepted. Although, iliopsoas muscle flexibility is an important aspect that impact the ADLs, future research is required with the obese group of subjects, as sedentary lifestyle is the major cause of it.
Special thanks to all the participants who participated in the process of data collection and fellow MPT Scholar, Tarunjit Kaur for supporting the authors throughout the research process. No technical, financial support was received for the study from any person or organisation.
DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2022/56795.16419
Date of Submission: Mar 31, 2022
Date of Peer Review: Apr 23, 2022
Date of Acceptance: May 12, 2022
Date of Publishing: Jun 01, 2022
AUTHOR DECLARATION:
• Financial or Other Competing Interests: None
• Was Ethics Committee Approval obtained for this study? Yes
• Was informed consent obtained from the subjects involved in the study? Yes
• For any images presented appropriate consent has been obtained from the subjects. Yes
PLAGIARISM CHECKING METHODS:
• Plagiarism X-checker: Apr 04, 2022
• Manual Googling: May 11, 2022
• iThenticate Software: May 14, 2022 (18%)
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