Decreasing Fear of Falling in Chronic Stroke Survivors Through Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Task-Oriented Training.

Background and Purpose- Research has shown that balance training is effective for reducing the fear of falling in individuals with a history of stroke. In this study, we evaluated (1) whether cognitive behavior therapy could augment the beneficial effects of task-oriented balance training (TOBT) in reducing the fear of falling in chronic stroke survivors and (2) whether it could, in turn, reduce fear-avoidance behavior and improve related health outcomes. Methods- Eighty-nine cognitively intact subjects with mildly impaired balance ability were randomized into the following 2 groups that underwent 90-minutes interventions 2 days per week for 8 weeks: (1) cognitive behavior therapy + TOBT or (2) general health education + TOBT (control).

Correction: Effects of pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) on the tensile biomechanical properties of diabetic wounds at different phases of healing.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

The effect of whole body vibration training on quadriceps voluntary activation level of people with age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia): a randomized pilot study.

Background: Whole body vibration was an effective training for improving muscle performance. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of 12-week whole-body vibration training program on voluntary activation of quadriceps muscles of older people with age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia).

Methods: Twelve community dwelling seniors with age-related muscle loss were randomly allocated into whole body vibration training group and control group.

Effectiveness of a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and task-oriented balance training in reducing the fear of falling in patients with chronic stroke: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: The consequences of falls are devastating for patients with stroke. Balance problems and fear of falling are two major challenges, and recent systematic reviews have revealed that habitual physical exercise training alone cannot reduce the occurrence of falls in stroke survivors. However, recent trials with community-dwelling healthy older adults yielded the promising result that interventions with a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) component can simultaneously promote balance and reduce the fear of falling.

Cognitive behavioural therapy for fear of falling and balance among older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: fear of falling is prevalent among older people and associated with various health outcomes. A growing number of studies have examined the effects of interventions designed to reduce the fear of falling and improve balance among older people, yet our current understanding is restricted to physiological interventions. Psychological interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) have not been reviewed and meta-analysed.

Bilateral Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Improves Lower-Limb Motor Function in Subjects With Chronic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has been used to augment the efficacy of task-oriented training (TOT) after stroke. Bilateral intervention approaches have also been shown to be effective in augmenting motor function after stroke. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of bilateral TENS combined with TOT versus unilateral TENS combined with TOT in improving lower-limb motor function in subjects with chronic stroke.

Effects of pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) on the tensile biomechanical properties of diabetic wounds at different phases of healing.

The present study investigated the effects of pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) on the tensile biomechanical properties of diabetic wounds at different phases of healing. Two intensities of PEMF were adopted for comparison. We randomly assigned 111 10-week-old male streptozotocin-induced diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats to two PEMF groups and a sham control group.

Gait Retraining for the Reduction of Injury Occurrence in Novice Distance Runners: 1-Year Follow-up of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: The increasing popularity of distance running has been accompanied by an increase in running-related injuries, such that up to 85% of novice runners incur an injury in a given year. Previous studies have used a gait retraining program to successfully lower impact loading, which has been associated with many running ailments. However, softer footfalls may not necessarily prevent running injury.

Topical Fish Oil Application Coupling with Therapeutic Ultrasound Improves Tendon Healing.

Fish oil has been shown to promote collagen synthesis, and hence, connective tissue healing. Therapeutic ultrasound is commonly used to treat soft tissue injuries. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of topical fish oil on the management of Achilles tendon rupture, comparing normal therapeutic ultrasound with a combination of ultrasound and fish oil.

Whole-Body Vibration Intensities in Chronic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: A single-blinded randomized controlled study was conducted to investigate the effects of different whole-body vibration (WBV) intensities on body functions/structures, activity, and participation in individuals with stroke.

Methods: Eighty-four individuals with chronic stroke (mean age = 61.2 yr, SD = 9.

Effects of Vibration Intensity, Exercise, and Motor Impairment on Leg Muscle Activity Induced by Whole-Body Vibration in People With Stroke.

Background: Whole-body vibration (WBV) has increasingly been used as an adjunct treatment in neurological rehabilitation. However, how muscle activation level changes during exposure to different WBV protocols in individuals after stroke remains understudied.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of WBV intensity on the magnitude of biceps femoris (BF) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscle activity and its interaction with exercise and with severity of motor impairment and spasticity among individuals with chronic stroke.

Cardiovascular Stress Induced by Whole-Body Vibration Exercise in Individuals With Chronic Stroke.

Background: Although whole-body vibration (WBV) has sparked tremendous research interest in neurorehabilitation, the cardiovascular responses to WBV in people with stroke remain unknown.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the acute effects of different WBV protocols on oxygen consumption (V̇o2), heart rate (HR), rate of perceived exertion (RPE), blood pressure (BP), and rate-pressure product (RPP) during the performance of 6 different exercises among people with chronic stroke (time since onset ≥6 months).

Design: A repeated-measures design was used.

Foot placement and arm position affect the five times sit-to-stand test time of individuals with chronic stroke.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of two foot placements (normal or posterior placement) and three arm positions (hands on the thighs, arms crossed over chest, and augmented arm position with elbow extended) on the five times sit-to-stand (FTSTS) test times of individuals with chronic stroke.

Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting.

Translation and initial validation of the Chinese (Cantonese) version of community integration measure for use in patients with chronic stroke.

Objectives: To (1) translate and culturally adapt the English version Community Integration Measure into Chinese (Cantonese), (2) report the results of initial validation of the Chinese (Cantonese) version of CIM (CIM-C) including the content validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and factor structure of CIM-C for use in stroke survivors in a Chinese community setting, and (3) investigate the level of community integration of stroke survivors living in Hong Kong.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: University-based rehabilitation centre.

A home-based program of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and task-related trunk training improves trunk control in patients with stroke: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

Background: Impaired trunk motor control is common after stroke. Combining transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) with task-related trunk training (TRTT) has been shown to enhance the recovery of lower limb motor function.

Objective: This study investigated whether combining TENS with TRTT would enhance trunk control after stroke.

Leg muscle activity during whole-body vibration in individuals with chronic stroke.

Purpose: It has been previously shown that whole-body vibration (WBV) can augment muscle activity in young healthy adults. However, the EMG response of leg muscles during WBV in individuals with stroke is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of WBV on the activity of the vastus lateralis (VL) and gastrocnemius (GS) muscles during the performance of different exercises in chronic stroke patients.

In vivo and ex vivo approaches to studying the biomechanical properties of healing wounds in rat skin.

An evaluation of wound mechanics is crucial in reflecting the wound healing status. The present study examined the biomechanical properties of healing rat skin wounds in vivo and ex vivo. Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats, each with a 6 mm full-thickness circular punch biopsied wound at both posterior hind limbs were used.

Non-invasive measurement of the patellofemoral movements during knee extension-flexion: a validation study.

Background: This study compared the difference between patellofemoral kinematics derived simultaneously from patellar bone pin and skin sensors during full range of tibiofemoral joint movement.

Methods: Movements at the tibiofemoral and patellofemoral joints during passive full extension-flexion of the knees in three un-embalmed human cadavers were studied with four electromagnetic tracking sensors at a sampling rate of 30 Hz. A total of four sensors were attached on distal femur, proximal tibia, the surface of a tailor-made patella mold and at the tip of a plastic bone pin planted in the patellar body through a window on the mold.

Sensory integration and standing balance in adolescent taekwondo practitioners.

Taekwondo (TKD) is a popular sport among adolescents. This study aims to (a) compare the balance performance between adolescent TKD practitioners at different levels of expertise with nonpractitioners and (b) determine the sensory system(s) that contributed to the balance function in adolescents with and without TKD training. Subjects with >5 years of TKD training (n = 11), <4 years of training (n = 10), and no training (n = 10) participated in this study.

The effects of quadriceps strengthening on pain, function, and patellofemoral joint contact area in persons with patellofemoral pain.

Objective: Patellar malalignment is a major cause of patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), but the relationship between clinical symptoms and changes in patellar position and knee muscle strength has not been confirmed. This study examined the effect of weight training on hip and knee muscle strength, patellofemoral joint contact area, and patellar tilt on subjects with and without PFPS, hoping to develop an optimal rehabilitation protocol for subjects with PFPS.

Design: The study uses a prospective independent group comparison.

Effects of a therapeutic laser and passive stretching program for treating tendon overuse.

Objective: This study investigated the effects of a therapeutic laser, passive stretching, and their combined treatment on the strength of Achilles tendons with overuse pathologies.

Background Data: Tendinopathy involving overuse is usually treated with exercise and stretching, but there has been no report on the treatment effect of a therapeutic laser combined with passive stretching on managing this condition. Despite the beneficial effect of a therapeutic laser on healing tendons that have had traumatic injury, its effect on degenerative tendons is not known.

Altered postural control strategies and sensory organization in children with developmental coordination disorder.

The postural control of children with and without developmental coordination disorder (DCD) was compared under conditions of reduced or conflicting sensory input. Twenty-two children with DCD (16 males, 6 females; mean age 7 years 6 months, SD 1 year 5 months) and 19 children with normal motor development were tested (13 males, 6 females; mean age 6 years 11 months, SD 1 year 1 month). Standing balance, sensory organization and motor control strategy were evaluated using the sensory organization test (SOT).

Taekwondo training improves sensory organization and balance control in children with developmental coordination disorder: a randomized controlled trial.

Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) have poorer postural control and are more susceptible to falls and injuries than their healthy counterparts. Sports training may improve sensory organization and balance ability in this population. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of three months of Taekwondo (TKD) training on the sensory organization and standing balance of children with DCD.

Taekwondo training speeds up the development of balance and sensory functions in young adolescents.

Objectives: This study aimed (1) to identify the developmental status of balance and sensory functions in young adolescents as compared to adults and, (2) to explore the effect of Taekwondo (TKD) training on the development of balance and sensory systems in young adolescents.

Design: Cross-sectional controlled trial.

Methods: Sixty-six participants including 42 adolescents (21 TKD practitioners, 21 non-TKD practitioners) and 24 adults were tested.

Effects of motion control footwear on running: a systematic review.

Excessive foot pronation is a risk factor of running injuries and motion control footwear is designed to control foot pronation. With the movement transfer between foot pronation and tibial rotation, motion control footwear may not only be confined to controlling foot pronation. In view of the controversies in the literature on effectiveness of motion control footwear, this paper reviewed the efficacy of motion control footwear functions as reported in the literature.