Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Title

Sports Medicine

Volume

51

Issue

1

First Page

11

Last Page

20

PubMed ID

33175329

Publisher

Springer

School

School of Medical and Health Sciences

RAS ID

35663

Funders

Università degli Studi di Sassari

Comments

Manca, A., Hortobágyi, T., Carroll, T. J., Enoka, R. M., Farthing, J. P., Gandevia, S. C., ... Deriu, F. (2021). Contralateral effects of unilateral strength and skill training: Modified Delphi consensus to establish key aspects of cross-education. Sports Medicine, 51(1), 11-20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01377-7

Abstract

© 2020, The Author(s). Background: Cross-education refers to increased motor output (i.e., force generation, skill) of the opposite, untrained limb following a period of unilateral exercise training. Despite extensive research, several aspects of the transfer phenomenon remain controversial. Methods: A modified two-round Delphi online survey was conducted among international experts to reach consensus on terminology, methodology, mechanisms of action, and translational potential of cross-education, and to provide a framework for future research. Results: Through purposive sampling of the literature, we identified 56 noted experts in the field, of whom 32 completed the survey, and reached consensus (75% threshold) on 17 out of 27 items. Conclusion: Our consensus-based recommendations for future studies are that (1) the term ‘cross-education’ should be adopted to refer to the transfer phenomenon, also specifying if transfer of strength or skill is meant; (2) functional magnetic resonance imaging, short-interval intracortical inhibition and interhemispheric inhibition appear to be promising tools to study the mechanisms of transfer; (3) strategies which maximize cross-education, such as high-intensity training, eccentric contractions, and mirror illusion, seem worth being included in the intervention plan; (4) study protocols should be designed to include at least 13–18 sessions or 4–6 weeks to produce functionally meaningful transfer of strength, and (5) cross-education could be considered as an adjuvant treatment particularly for unilateral orthopedic conditions and sports injuries. Additionally, a clear gap in views emerged between the research field and the purely clinical field. The present consensus statement clarifies relevant aspects of cross-education including neurophysiological, neuroanatomical, and methodological characteristics of the transfer phenomenon, and provides guidance on how to improve the quality and usability of future cross-education studies.

DOI

10.1007/s40279-020-01377-7

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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