Characteristics Associated with the Differential Activity of Nondominant and Dominant Affected Hands in Patients with Poststroke Right Hemiparesis.

Objectives: Spontaneous arm use in patients with poststroke hemiparesis is crucial to the recovery of functional interaction. Patients with stroke and subsequent right hemiparesis have more difficulty adapting to a right-handed environment. The aim of this study was to use wearable devices to assess the asymmetry and difference in the amount of activity of the nondominant and dominant affected hands among patients with stroke and right hemiparesis.

[Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Acute Carbon Monoxide Poisoning].

Carbon monoxide poisoning is the most commonly seen cause of poisoning in the emergency room (ER). The high affinity between carbon monoxide and hemoglobin and their complex biological characteristics greatly increase the risks of cardiac, nervous, muscular, and kidney diseases. In severe cases, patients may lose consciousness or die in just a few minutes.

Lumbar facet injection for the treatment of chronic piriformis myofascial pain syndrome: 52 case studies.

Background And Aims: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of lumbar facet joint injection for piriformis myofascial pain syndrome.

Methods: Fifty-two patients with chronic myofascial pain in the piriformis muscle each received a lumbar facet injection into the ipsilateral L5-S1 facet joint region, using the multiple insertion technique. Subjective pain intensity, trunk extension range, and lumbar facet signs were measured before, immediately after, and 2 weeks after injection.

Changes in blood pressure and related autonomic function during cervical traction in healthy women.

Cervical traction is a physical therapy procedure frequently used to treat cervical disk lesions, cervical spondylosis, and cervical facet joint lesions. We have observed rare cases of side effects in elderly patients, but not in women younger than 30 years.In this pilot study, 96 young women were randomly divided into 3 groups to study the effect of cervical traction with different traction weights on blood pressure, heart rate, heart rate variability, and correlated autonomic adjustment.

Injection in the cervical facet joint for shoulder pain with myofascial trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle.

The goal of this double-blinded, randomized, controlled study was to confirm the effectiveness of the cervical facet joint injection in treating shoulder pain with the myofascial trigger point in the upper trapezius muscle secondary to cervical facet lesion. Eighty-nine patients with chronic unilateral shoulder pain due to myofascial trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle received an injection to the C4-5 facet joint in the experimental group and to the corresponding unilateral multifidi muscle in the control group. Subjective pain intensity and pressure pain threshold of the myofascial trigger point were assessed, and the prevalence of endplate noise in the myofascial trigger point region was measured in 28 patients before, immediately after, and 1 month after the injection.

Remote effects of dry needling on the irritability of the myofascial trigger point in the upper trapezius muscle.

Objective: To investigate the remote effect of dry needling on the irritability of a myofascial trigger point in the upper trapezius muscle.

Design: Thirty-five patients with active myofascial trigger points in upper trapezius muscles were randomly divided into two groups: 18 patients in the control group received sham needling, and 17 patients in the dry-needling group received dry needling into the myofascial trigger point in the extensor carpi radialis longus muscle. The subjective pain intensity, pressure pain threshold, and range of motion of the neck were assessed before and immediately after the treatment.

Carpal tunnel syndrome treated with a diode laser: a controlled treatment of the transverse carpal ligament.

Objective: The purpose of this placebo-controlled study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of the 830-nm diode laser on carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

Background Data: Many articles in the literature have demonstrated that low-level laser therapy (LLLT) may help to alleviate various types of nerve pain, especially for CTS treatment. We placed an 830-nm laser directly above the transverse carpal ligament, which is between the pisiform and navicular bones of the tested patients, to determine the therapeutic effect of LLLT.

Assessments of chronodispersion and tacheodispersion of F waves in patients with spinal cord injury.

Objective: To evaluate the chronodispersion and tacheodispersion of F waves in patients with spinal cord injury and to determine whether these parameters are more sensitive than those of standard F waves.

Design: F chronodispersion and F tacheodispersion as well as F wave latencies, amplitude, and persistence were measured in tibial nerves of 23 male patients with different scales of spinal cord injury and 23 normal subjects. Spasticity was measured and correlated with F chronodispersion in spinal cord injury patients.