Test-retest reliability of a novel method for trunk position sense measurement in older adults with and without hyperkyphosis.

Introduction: Although the importance of trunk position sense as a clinical outcome measure related to spinal alignment has been established, there is no study evaluating the reliability of measurement techniques for trunk position sense in older adults. Hyperkyphosis is most prevalent in this population and is associated with adverse consequences.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the test-retest reliability of a measurement technique consisting of photogrammetry and angle calculation in older adults with and without hyperkyphosis.

Additional effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation in a conservative intervention on morphology and strength of abductor hallucis muscle and correction of hallux valgus deformity: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: In hallux valgus, morphological changes and functional weakness of intrinsic foot muscles occur, especially in the abductor hallucis muscle.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate how a conservative treatment with the addition of neuromuscular electrical stimulation affects the volume and strength of the muscle, the correction of deformity, passive range of motion, pain, and disability.

Methods: Twenty-eight female participants (48 feet) were randomly assigned to two groups.

Does brain entrainment using binaural auditory beats affect pain perception in acute and chronic pain?: a systematic review.

Background: Pain is a major clinical problem across all ages with serious social and economic consequences and a great negative impact on quality of life. Brain entrainment using binaural beats is a non-pharmaceutical intervention that is claimed to have analgesic effects in acute and chronic pain. We aimed to systematically review the available randomized clinical trials on the efficacy of binaural auditory beats in reducing adults' pain perception in acute and chronic pain.

Effect of Knee Orthosis and Kinesio Taping on Clinical and Neuromuscular Outcomes in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objectives: Impaired proprioception and muscle weakness may not only be a consequence of knee osteoarthritis (OA) but also part of its pathogenesis. Thus, the enhancement of quadriceps strength and proprioceptive accuracy can play a pivotal role in the management of knee OA. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Kinesio tape and flexible knee orthosis in terms of clinical and neuromuscular outcomes in patients with knee OA.

Effect of a semi-rigid backpack type thoracolumbar orthosis on thoracic kyphosis angle and muscle performance in older adults with hyperkyphosis: a randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of a semi-rigid backpack type thoracolumbar orthosis (TLO) on thoracic kyphosis angle (TKA) and potentially contributing factors of hyperkyphosis, including position sense and back muscle strength and endurance.

Method: This randomized, controlled trial was conducted on 48 older adults with hyperkyphosis, randomly allocated to an experimental or control group. The experimental group wore a semi-rigid TLO for 3 consecutive months.

Efficacy of a multiple-indication antiviral herbal drug (Saliravira®) for COVID-19 outpatients: A pre-clinical and randomized clinical trial study.

Background: The scientific researches on COVID-19 pandemic topics are headed to an explosion of scientific literature. Despite these global efforts, the efficient treatment of patients is an in-progress challenge. Based on a meta-study of published shreds of evidence about compounds and their botanic sources in the last six decades, a novel multiple-indication herbal compound (Saliravira®) has been developed.

Impairments in trunk muscles performance and proprioception in older adults with hyperkyphosis.

Background And Objectives: Thoracic hyperkyphosis is one of the most common postural deformities in the geriatric population. This study investigated whether trunk proprioception, muscle strength, and endurance differ between older adults with hyperkyphosis and the age-matched control group. This study also aimed to explore the association of kyphotic posture with muscle performance, position sense, and force sense.

Translation, Cultural Adaptation, and Psychometric Evaluation of the Manchester Foot Pain and Disability Index in Persian-Speaking Iranians With Foot Disorders.

Foot pain has a significantly detrimental effect on mobility, function, and health status. Researchers have developed a number of measurement tools to assess foot health and its impact on quality of life. This study was conducted to translate the original English Manchester Foot Pain and Disability Index (MFPDI) into Persian and to examine the psychometric properties of the Persian version.

Test-retest reliability of a load cell setup, Ito, and timed loaded standing tests for measuring muscle strength and endurance in older adults with and without hyperkyphosis.

Background: The association of back muscle weakness with greater thoracic kyphosis has been widely documented. Reliable and easy-to-use techniques are needed to monitor changes in muscle function over time and assess the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the test-retest reliability of a designed load-cell setup and two clinical tests, namely Ito and Timed loaded standing (TLS) tests for measuring back muscle function (i.

Validity and test-retest reliability of photogrammetry in adolescents with hyperkyphosis.

Background: A variety of noninvasive instruments have been introduced in the literature to assess thoracic curvature, although the psychometric properties of many of these instruments have not been satisfactory. Photogrammetry is a safe, accessible, and reliable technique. However, its validity in adolescents with hyperkyphosis has not yet been investigated.

The relationship between common foot problems with falls and quality of life in older people.

Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between a number of prevalent foot problems in older people and their history of falls and quality of life. To examine the relationship between timed up and go (TUG) test time and ankle muscles' strength.

Method: In this cross-sectional observational study on a convenient sample of 350 people 65 years and older, direct logistic and hierarchical regressions were used to assess the relation of self-reported falls and quality of life with hallux valgus, oedema, sensory loss and callus.

Smartphone Applications as a Suitable Alternative to CROM Device and Inclinometers in Assessing the Cervical Range of Motion in Patients With Nonspecific Neck Pain.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the reliabilities of the cervical range-of-motion (CROM) device and a dual digital inclinometer (as accepted clinical tools) and iPhone or Android smartphone applications (clinometer and compass; as new technologies) in measuring cervical range of motion in patients with neck pain.

Methods: Twenty participants (13 women, 7 men; age 19-33 years) with neck pain persisting for at least 4 weeks were enrolled. Neck movements were measured in each participant using 4 noninvasive devices in random order.

The functional capacity and morphological characteristics of the intrinsic foot muscles in subjects with Hallux Valgus deformity: A systematic review.

Background: The intrinsic foot muscles are vital for maintaining normal foot function. This study was conducted to systematically review the literature on the functional capacity and morphological characteristics of the intrinsic foot muscles in subjects with Hallux Valgus (HV) deformity.

Methods: A search was carried out in all available electronic databases, including Pub Med, Scopus, Embase and Web of Science, for identifying any relevant studies published from 1990 to October 2018.

The translation, cultural adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the Manchester Foot Pain and Disability Index in Persian-speaking Iranians with foot disorder.

Background: Foot pain has a significantly detrimental effect on mobility, function and health status. Researchers have developed a number of measurement tools to assess foot health and its impact on the quality of life. This study was conducted to translate the original English Manchester Foot Pain and Disability Index (MFPDI) into Persian and to examine the psychometric properties of the Persian version.

The Effect of Ergonomic Latex Pillow on Head and Neck Posture and Muscle Endurance in Patients With Cervical Spondylosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objectives: Cervical pillows have frequently been reported to attenuate the symptoms of pain and disability. Although the main role of pillows is to optimize head and neck posture and relax the neck muscles, limited studies have examined the effectiveness of pillows from aspects beyond subjective outcome measures, especially their effect on head and neck posture and muscle performance. This study examines the effect of ergonomic latex pillow on the craniovertebral (CV) angle and cervical flexor and extensor muscle endurance in patients with cervical spondylosis.

Effect of a Spinomed orthosis on balance performance, spinal alignment, joint position sense and back muscle endurance in elderly people with hyperkyphotic posture: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Hyperkyphosis may cause balance impairment in elderly people. Although the effectiveness of orthoses for improving balance in hyperkyphotic elderly people has received much attention, the mechanisms by which devices affect balance remain unknown.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in balance performance, thoracic kyphosis angle, craniovertebral angle, back muscle endurance and joint position sense after 3 months of wearing a Spinomed orthosis.

Effects of lumbosacral orthosis on dynamical structure of center of pressure fluctuations in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: A few clinical trials have examined the effect of treatment interventions on postural control in patients with chronic low back pain, all of which have exclusively evaluated postural stability using traditional linear measures of postural sway. However, postural control improvement cannot be determined by exclusively relying on linear measurements, because these parameters provide no information on underlying motor control mechanisms.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effect of using lumbosacral orthoses (LSO) together with routine physical therapy, compared to routine physical therapy alone on postural control, using nonlinear analysis techniques.

Immediate Effects of Lumbosacral Orthosis on Postural Stability in Patients with Low Back Pain: A Preliminary Study.

Background: Lumbosacral orthosis (LSO) is commonly used for the treatment of back pain. The clinical and mechanical effectiveness of this device has been repeatedly investigated in several studies; however, its sensorimotor effectiveness has been rarely considered. Regarding this, the aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of a non-extensible LSO on postural stability (as a construct of sensorimotor function) in patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain (LBP).

The Amount and Temporal Structure of Center of Pressure Fluctuations During Quiet Standing in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain.

The characteristics of postural sway were assessed in quiet standing under three different postural task conditions in 14 patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain and 12 healthy subjects using linear and nonlinear center of pressure parameters. The linear parameters consisted of area, the mean total velocity, sway amplitude, the SD of velocity, and the phase plane portrait. The nonlinear parameters included the Lyapunov exponent, sample entropy, and the correlation dimension.

Ergonomic Latex Pillows as a Part of a Multimodal Intervention or as an Adjunct to Rehabilitation Programs in Cervical Spondylosis: Are They Useful?: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: This study evaluated the effectiveness of ergonomic latex pillows in terms of clinical and biomechanical (cervical range of motion) outcome measures in patients with cervical spondylosis.

Design: This parallel-group randomized controlled trial randomly assigned 42 patients with cervical spondylosis to the experimental and control groups. Both groups received 12 sessions of routine physical therapy for 4 wks.

The Effect of Lumbosacral Orthosis on the Thickness of Deep Trunk Muscles Using Ultrasound Imaging: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain.

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the changes occurring in the thickness of deep trunk muscles, measured using ultrasound imaging, after 4 wks of lumbosacral orthosis use in conjunction with routine physical therapy.

Design: This parallel-group, randomized, controlled trial was conducted on 44 patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain, randomly allocated to the experimental and control groups. Both groups received eight sessions of physical therapy twice per week for 4 wks.

A preliminary study: The effect of ergonomic latex pillow on pain and disability in patients with cervical spondylosis.

Cervical pillows are considered to be part of the therapeutic strategy in cervical spondylosis, but there is little or no convincing scientific evidence on the effectiveness of these pillows in relieving pain and disability in these patients. Hence, this study investigated the effects of ergonomic latex pillow in conjunction with routine physiotherapy versus routine physiotherapy alone on disability and pain intensity in patients with cervical spondylosis. 22 patients with cervical spondylosis in a single-blinded pilot study with a pre/post-test design were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups.

A RCT comparing lumbosacral orthosis to routine physical therapy on postural stability in patients with chronic low back pain.

Poor balance performance and impaired postural control have been frequently reported in patients with low back pain. However, postural control is rarely monitored during the course of treatment even though poor postural control may contribute to chronicity and recurrence of symptoms. Therefore, the present study aimed at investigating the effect of a nonextensible lumbosacral orthosis (LSO) versus routine physical therapy on postural stability of patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain.

Can lumbosacral orthoses cause trunk muscle weakness? A systematic review of literature.

Background: Wearing lumbosacral orthosis (LSO) is one of the most common treatments prescribed for conservative management of low back pain. Although the results of randomized controlled trials suggest effectiveness of LSO in reducing pain and disability in these patients, there is a concern that prolonged use of LSO may lead to trunk muscle weakness and atrophy.

Purpose: The present review aimed to evaluate available evidence in literature to determine whether LSO results in trunk muscle weakness or atrophy.