Effect of postoperative high load long duration inspiratory muscle training on pulmonary function and functional capacity after mitral valve replacement surgery: A randomized controlled trial with follow-up.

Objectives: Although, pre-operative inspiratory muscle training has been investigated and reported to be an effective strategy to reduce postoperative pulmonary complications, the efficacy of postoperative inspiratory muscle training as well as the proper load, frequency, and duration necessary to reduce the postoperative pulmonary complications has not been fully investigated. This study was designed to investigate the effect of postoperative high-load long-duration inspiratory muscle training on pulmonary function, inspiratory muscle strength, and functional capacity after mitral valve replacement surgeries.

Design: Prospective randomized controlled trial.

Effect of lidocaine iontophoresis combined with exercise intervention on gait and spasticity in children with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Gait deviations and spasticity are common impairments seen in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and may interfere with functional performance and effective walking pattern. Lidocaine iontophoresis is effective for reducing muscle spasticity in adults.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of lidocaine epinephrine iontophoresis combined with exercises on gait and spasticity in children with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy (HCP).

Validity and diagnostic accuracy of foot posture Index-6 using radiographic findings as the gold standard to determine paediatric flexible flatfoot between ages of 6-18 years: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Diagnosis of flexible flatfoot is usually based upon radiographic or clinical measures. Radiographic measures pose a potential risk of radiation exposure especially in Paediatric population. Clinicians need a valid, accurate, easily used, noninvasive and cost effective measure to evaluate static foot posture clinically.

Sensitivity and specificity of normalized truncated navicular height in assessment of static foot posture in children aged 6-12 years.

Background: Normalized truncated navicular height (NTNH) is a non-invasive, easy to perform, and simple clinical measure of static foot posture. However, its sensitivity and specificity in evaluation of the static foot posture in children have not been investigated yet.

Objective: To investigate the intra-rater reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of NTNH in evaluation of the static foot posture in children using radiographic measure as a gold standard measure.

Validation of normalized truncated navicular height as a clinical assessment measure of static foot posture to determine flatfoot in children and adolescents: A cross sectional study.

Background: Reliability of clinical measures of static foot posture has been widely debated. However, validity of these measures has not been fully established especially in a pediatric population. The purpose of the study was to investigate reliability and validity of normalized truncated navicular height (NTNH) in assessment of static foot posture to determine flatfoot in children and adolescents using radiographic measures as a criterion gold standard measure.

Kinematic characteristics of reaching in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy: A comparative study.

Background: Practitioners need more sensitive measures to quantify reaching movement for judgement of the treatment effects and reflecting the degrees of motor impairment in upper extremities.

Objective: The purposes of this study were to differentiate between spastic and normal reaching using three-dimensional (3D) motion analysis and to quantify the interference of spasticity on reaching movement in children with congenital hemiplegic cerebral palsy.

Methods: Fifteen children with hemiplegic CP as a study group and 15 normal typically-developing (TD) children as a control group were studied.